Golf reporters call out PGA Tour’s media partner for ‘exclusive’ content at Valspar Championship

Patton Kizzire had a moment of frustration on Thursday when he sent his putter flying following a missed 5-foot, 6-inch putt during round 1 of the Valspar Championship. The video of the pro kicking his putter on the par-3 15th at the Copperhead Course in Florida went viral. However, golf journalists and influencers have since to call out PGA Tour’s media partner for turning the incident into ‘exclusive’ content.

Sports Illustrated’s writer Matt Vincenzi was one of the firsts to allege foul play in the incident’s coverage. The golf reporter took to X to state that videos of Kizzire’s putter punt has been taken down from all social media accounts except for Skratch. Following Vincenzi, Golf magazine writer Dylan Dethier also pointed out the removal of the video from his account. The reporter dubbed it a ‘travesty.’

Matt Vincenzi wrote on X:

“Patton Kizzire putter kick video has been removed on every account with the exception of Skratch. Hm.”

Dylan Dethier also wrote on X:

“I regret to inform you that the Patton putter-punting video has been removed. a travesty.”

Apart from journalists, several golf influencers also called out the removal of the incident’s videos from social media. Rick Golfs accused PGA Tour for ‘not getting social media.’ The account claimed that the incident was “good entertainment” people wanted to see.

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Does Skratch hold exclusive access to Patton Kizzire's putter punt?

Skratch is currently the only page hosting the putter punt video. Several pages, including golf news channels, influences and journalists have since reshared the incident's post from the media page. While the original video on Skratch's page has garnered only 208k views since posting, several channels have amassed millions of clicks by resharing the same.

For the unversed, the channel first teed up by the PGA Tour back in 2015. According to reports, the American tour invested in the multi-platform content studio as part of an overhaul of its media infrastructure. It has since rebranded itself as Golf Media Pure Play Pro Shop’s Content Brand in 2024.

The channel, which has 180K followers on X, has since been revered as a major ‘media partner’ for the American circuit. The platform, which hosts golf personalities like Dan Rapaport in its roster, currently boats exclusive access to several players and PGA Tour’s archival clips.

As for Patton Kizzire, the 39-year-old's tantrum at the par 3 15th, his sixth hole of the day, became a major talking point of Valspar Championship's opening round. The event commentators joked the player was 'auditioning for the NFL' with his action. However, the 3x PGA Tour winner soon withdrawew from the contest two holes later citing a back injury.