The Gardeners' World Blog

Smugness is not something we do at BBC Sport but recently we’ve allowed ourselves just a little smile as news broke that we had secured new contracts for Formula One and Wimbledon. More immediately, however, our audiences will be able to enjoy the first of a three-year contract that we have won for exclusive coverage of golf’s US Masters.

Unlike the other major championships, the Masters is held every year at the same location, Augusta National Golf Club in Georgia. The BBC has broadcast the Masters since 1986 and, as with many of our other major events, our current offering doesn’t just stop at our network coverage. We regularly receive queries about why we don’t show more from the four tournament days. The simple answer is that we transmit every single second that is permitted by Augusta National and the host broadcasters CBS, who only in recent years have been allowed to show all 18 holes of the final round.