Fore! Apple Sports Is Finally Teeing Up Golf Support
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Apple’s Sports app is the gift that keeps on giving. Launched in early 2024, it was initially limited to only a few countries and a generous but limited selection of leagues. Now, less than two years later, it’s expanded to encompass nearly every sport you can think of — with one notable exception that may soon be rectified.
While Apple has yet to make anything official, MacRumors contributor Aaron Perris has found evidence that golf may be the next sport on deck for the app. Images hidden in the latest version of Apple Sports include the men’s PGA Tour and women’s LPGA, although they’re not exposed in the user interface yet.
Still, the existence of these suggests that an update could be imminent. Both the new golf seasons kick off in just a few weeks. The PGA Tour begins its 2026 season with the Sony Open in Hawaii on January 15, while the LPGA’s opening Hilton Grand Vacations Tournament of Champions is slated for January 29. That makes the timing about right as Apple is much more likely to add this at the beginning of a season, much like it did with its big NFL update last fall, which also conveniently landed alongside iOS 18, giving it the opportunity to add support for new features like Live Activities.
While there’s no shortage of iPhone apps for tracking sports, Apple Sports aims to keep things simple, uncluttered, and fast — to the point that some have complained it’s too fast. There are no ads here or other distractions; simply a clean and minimalist interface that focuses on showing you current and upcoming games, league standings and, optionally, betting odds through DraftKings, where legally available.
The addition of the PGA Tour and LPGA would round out Apple’s already comprehensive list of sports, which has expanded to encompass everything from major leagues like MLB, MLS, NBA, and NHL to NCAA basketball and football, Formula 1 racing, NASCAR, tennis, and an extensive list of European football leagues. Apple has also done a good job of customizing the way information is presented to reflect the unique requirements of each sport, and tracking golf standings will likely require some additional changes, but Apple Sports is a good fit for golf with its frequently shifting leaderboards, and the ability to track real-time scores on the Lock Screen and Dynamic Island will be a boon for fans.
Apple Sports has also expanded from its initial rollout in the US, Canada, and the UK to include Mexico and 28 additional European countries: Austria, France, Germany, Iceland, Ireland, Italy, Portugal, and Spain were added in September, followed by 20 more last month, including the Netherlands, Sweden, and Poland. With this also came language support for French, German, Italian, Spanish, Dutch, and Swedish, in addition to the original English.
It’s not just new leagues; Apple has also added a plethora of useful enhancements to Apple Sports since its launch, all without sacrificing its speed and simplicity. This includes Live Activities, Home Screen widgets, and even graphical game cards that can be shared via Messages with scores that update live as a game progresses.
Apple Sports is a free download from the App Store. It also syncs with Apple TV and Apple News, so if you’ve already set up your favorite teams there, you’ll be ready to go as soon as you download it.
