However, not everyone is happy with the freebie. Comcast said it was "proactively" offering refunds to Xfinity cable subscribers who'd paid for the golf showdown, since they could have tuned in at no charge. It also pressured Turner to "do the same" knowing there were no barriers to watching through its website.

This isn't the first big pay-per-view streaming hiccup, but it's one of the more prominent examples. It's also somewhat humbling. Variety noted that AT&T and WarnerMedia were betting the Woods-Mickelson would serve as a showcase for their unified technological and broadcasting abilities -- clearly, that didn't go according to plan. As rare as this kind of incident might be, it suggests that online viewing isn't as reliable as it could be.

Update 11/25 9AM: Turner will offer refunds as well.