ABC Won't Broadcast British Open in HD

Ahhh, golf in high definition. It's one of the best things in the world. Like Monday night football or a beautiful, grassy Wimbledon final, the rolling fairways on a stretched out, high def television is exactly what being a lazy sports fan is all about.

That being said, when the British kicks off July 16 at one of the more aesthetically pleasing links golf courses in the world, break out those bunny ears, because a high definition hook-up will be as helpful as owning a time machine. TNT/ABC has announced they will not be broadcasting one of the four majors in high definition. Via HDSportsguide.com ...

After good news about the Tour de France and Wimbeldon being in HD, one of our favorite sporting events will once again be given as an SD up-conversion. The British Open Golf Tournament, scheduled to begin Thursday the 16th will not be in High Definition on TNT or ABC. . . again.

Last year we had high hopes that ABC/TNT would upgrade for this year. But after emailing our contacts at ABC and TNT both stations have confirmed that it will be an SD up-conversion.

People complain about links golf looking burned out and "brown" once the British kicks off, but Turnberry is different. It has the light tower and the Ailsa Craig and it rolls along the west coast unlike any course you'd see in Scotland. Some of the holes are breathtaking, so it's disappointing we won't get to see it in high definition.

I guess the one good thing that can come from this is it takes the historic championship back to what it once was. Maybe in a couple of years we could just abandon television coverage all together and give the highlights via Morse Code.