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NBC SPORTS DELIVERS MOST-WATCHED FINAL ROUND FOR EAST COAST U.S. OPEN SINCE 2013

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NBC’s U.S. Open Final Round Coverage Peaked at 9.2 Million Viewers as Matthew Fitzpatrick Escaped Fairway Bunker and Parred 18th Hole to Secure First Major Victory

Powered by Peacock, 2022 U.S. Open is NBC Sports’ Most Streamed Golf Event Ever

 USA Network Posts Best Weekday Afternoon Viewership Since 2017 With Second-Round Coverage

STAMFORD, Conn. – June 21, 2022 – NBC Sports’ presentation of the final round of the 2022 U.S. Open from The Country Club in Brookline, Mass., on Sunday averaged a Total Audience Delivery (TAD) of 5.41 million viewers – marking the most-watched final round of an East Coast U.S. Open since 2013 and up 65% from the prior East Coast-based U.S. Open (3.3 million, Winged Foot, 9/20/20). Sunday’s final round was also the most-watched sporting event of the weekend.

Sunday’s final round – which capped more than 45 hours of live championship coverage across NBC, Peacock and USA Network – was highlighted by Matthew Fitzpatrick, Will Zalatoris and Scottie Scheffler putting for the chance to win or tie for the lead on the 18th hole. Fitzpatrick secured his first major victory with a two-putt par after escaping a fairway bunker with his second shot.

Additional viewership highlights from NBC Sports’ 2022 U.S. Open coverage:

    • Viewership of Sunday’s final round peaked at 2 million viewers from 6:30-6:45 p.m. ET on NBC, as Fitzpatrick, Zalatoris, and Scheffler played the final holes. The peak viewership is the highest for a U.S. Open played in the east since 2016.
    • Led by Peacock, the 2022 U.S. Open is the most-streamed golf event in NBC Sports history, totaling 244 million minutes* for all four rounds, up 74% vs. last year’s U.S. Open. Sunday’s final round delivered an Average Minute Audience (AMA) of 148,000 viewers, nearly four times greater than both 2021 (Torrey Pines) and 2020 (Winged Foot). (*Figures do not include USGA digital platforms.)
    • Saturday’s third-round coverage (Noon-8:03 p.m. ET) delivered a TAD of 3.6 million viewers across NBC and Peacock – up 16% from same round for the prior East Coast U.S. Open (3.1 million, Winged Foot, 9/19/20).
    • Featuring live U.S. Open coverage for the first time, USA Network delivered a TAD of 1.08 million viewers for second-round coverage on Friday – marking the network’s best weekday afternoon viewership since 2017 (12/26/17), excluding holidays. On Thursday, live USA Network opening-round coverage averaged 854,000 viewers, which was the network’s most-watched weekday afternoon since the Beijing Olympics (before being exceeded by Friday’s coverage).
    • The TV-only viewership and household rating for Sunday’s broadcast on NBC (Noon-6:52 p.m. ET) was 5.3 million viewers and a 2.9/12 rating. The 12 share is the best for a final round since 2013 (13 share).
    • Post-final round Live From coverage on GOLF Channel averaged 176,000 viewers on Sunday – up 48% from comparable coverage last year.

Total Audience Delivery is based upon live-plus-same day figures from Nielsen and digital data from Adobe Analytics.

Note – U.S. Opens played on the West Coast allow for live primetime coverage.

TOP METERED MARKETS FOR 2022 U.S. OPEN (Final Round)

1. Boston 5.3/19
2. West Palm Beach 4.9/17
3. Jacksonville 4.2/15
T4. Minneapolis 4.1/19
T4. Providence 4.1/14
6. Columbus 3.8/16
T7. Phoenix 3.7/15
T7. Hartford 3.7/15
T7. Las Vegas 3.7/15
10. Raleigh 3.6/13

*based on 44 metered markets

 

–NBC SPORTS–

NOTES AND QUOTES – MATT FITZPATRICK WINS THE 122nd U.S. OPEN CHAMPIONSHIP ON NBC AND PEACOCK

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“This is one of the best final round ball-striking performances in a major championship that you will ever see…he is the cream of the crop.” – Paul Azinger on Matt Fitzpatrick

“Matthew Fitzpatrick is a champion again at The Country Club in Brookline…it’s that old Country Club magic.” – Dan Hicks

“Some of the highest quality golf I have ever seen.” – Brandel Chamblee on Fitzpatrick on Live From the U.S. Open

“As good as the Sandy Lyle bunker shot at Augusta years ago.” – Azinger on Fitzpatrick’s fairway bunker shot on 18

STAMFORD, Conn. – June 19, 2022 – NBC Sports presented final round coverage of the 122nd U.S. Open Championship from The Country Club in Brookline, Mass., across NBC, USA Network and Peacock, capped by Live From the U.S. Open on GOLF Channel.

Matt Fitzpatrick (-6) hit 17 of 18 greens in regulation en route to a final round 68 to earn his first major championship and first PGA TOUR title, defeating Will Zalatoris (-5) and Scottie Scheffler (-5) by one shot.

U.S. Open – Final Round Leaderboard

Player Total
Matt Fitzpatrick -6
Will Zalatoris -5
Scottie Scheffler -5
Hideki Matsuyama -3
Rory McIlroy -2
Collin Morikawa -2

 

ON MATT FITZPATRICK (-6, Champion)

Dan Hicks: “Matthew Fitzpatrick is a champion again at The Country Club in Brookline…it’s that old Country Club magic.”

Paul Azinger: “This is one of the best final round ball-striking performances in a major championship that you will ever see…he is the cream of the crop.”

Azinger on Fitzpatrick’s fairway bunker shot on 18: “As good as the Sandy Lyle bunker shot at Augusta years ago.”

Azinger on Fitzpatrick’s tee shot on No. 18: “What a mistake. What a huge mistake. You’ve got miles to the right. You can hit it in the corporate tents and get a free drop. Now he’s at the mercy of the lie. That is a big error, really one of the only errors he’s made. A bad decision and a bad club. It should have been a driver or an iron.”

Roger Maltbie on Fitzpatrick’s long iron shot on No. 15: “That was the shot of the day. Brilliant.”

Brandel Chamblee on Live From the U.S. Open: “Some of the highest quality golf I have ever seen…there’s multiple ways in which power helps you – of course it helps you beat up the par 5s, but coming out of the rough, to have more club head speed and a better angle of attack, we saw it come full circle from last year to this year and there’s no way that’s not a large part of the reason why Matt Fitzpatrick has won his first major championship.”

Jaime Diaz on Live From: “Most U.S. Opens are lost. This one was not. No one gave it away. Matthew Fitzpatrick put this away with fantastic ball-striking.

Maltbie prior to Fitzpatrick’s long birdie make on No. 13: “You’re just trying to get this up in a two-foot circle…if it goes in, it’s your lucky day.”

Azinger on Fitzpatrick’s long birdie on No. 13: “The emotions that have just been bottled up came roaring out with that putt.”

Azinger: “He’s confident. He reminds me of Lanny Wadkins – he’s got the guts of a burglar.”

ON WILL ZALATORIS (-5, T-2nd)

Azinger after Zalatoris’ tee shot into the rough on No. 12: “Just imagine the weight on his shoulders now, knowing he’s two shots clear.”

Maltbie: “Virtually every miss today has been to the right.”

ON RORY MCILROY (-2, T-5th)

Azinger: “He got off to a terrific start…but he’s got the weight of the golf world on his shoulders right now.”

ON JON RAHM (+1, T-12th)

Notah Begay III on No. 10: “He’s certainly not on top of his game today. Loose with approach shots and really hasn’t been able to get anything close.”

ON KEEGAN BRADLEY (-1, T-7th)

Azinger after his third consecutive bogey to start the final round: “I hurt for him. It means so much to Keegan Bradley. He’s from the area, a diehard fan, he just wants to play well – almost wants it too bad.”

ON FINAL ROUND

Azinger: “They’ve worked their entire life for this opportunity. You train your mind and physical body how to get through the pressure…I would look at it like this if I was in the top 10 – this is the opportunity of a lifetime (and you) might never get it again. My goal would be to not let anyone celebrate at my expense…You can’t have stage fright and win the championship.”

Justin Leonard on Grayson Murray throwing his putter: “The U.S Open is a very difficult task, but it’s made worse when you let it get to you like that.”

Arron Oberholser on being asked how it felt when Will Zalatoris said he looked up to him as a child: “That meant a lot to me. As a player, as someone who can inspire another kid…that meant a lot.”

Leonard on winning a major: “There’s definitely sacrifices that are made to get to that point, whether it’s time with your friends or family, depending on what stage of life you’re in. All of that becomes well worth it. A lot of it is for four days in a major championship, you’re under the microscope, and all of a sudden you realize you were the only one that really truly passed or aced the test.”

Hicks after Zalatoris and Fitzpatrick made long putts on No. 13: “They don’t look like two guys that haven’t won on the PGA TOUR before.”

–NBC SPORTS–

NOTES AND QUOTES – NBC SPORTS’ COVERAGE OF THE 122nd U.S. OPEN CHAMPIONSHIP (THIRD ROUND)

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“The past few days, the players were firing red numbers. Today they came off the course seeing red.” – Brandel Chamblee on Live From the U.S. Open

“I don’t know if he’s playing well enough to win. That’s my question. I don’t think he’s playing well enough tee to green…his putter is bailing him out.” – Paul McGinley on Jon Rahm on Live From

“Leave it to a little hole that was put in play for the first time since the 1913 U.S. Open here to derail a guy on a torrid streak at The Country Club.” – Dan Hicks on Scottie Scheffler’s double bogey on No. 11

Final Round Coverage – 9 a.m. ET on Peacock, 10 a.m. ET on USA Network and Noon ET on NBC/Peacock

STAMFORD, Conn. – June 18, 2022 – NBC Sports presented third round coverage of the 122nd U.S. Open Championship from The Country Club in Brookline, Mass., across NBC and Peacock, capped by Live From the U.S. Open on GOLF Channel.

Exclusive final round coverage begins tomorrow at 9 a.m. ET on Peacock, continues at 10 a.m. ET on USA Network, and shifts to NBC/Peacock at noon ET.

U.S. Open – Third Round Leaderboard

Player Total
Will Zalatoris -4
Matt Fitzpatrick -4
Jon Rahm -3
Scottie Scheffler -2
Keegan Bradley -2
Adam Hadwin -2


Final Round Coverage Schedule

Day Peacock USA Network NBC/Peacock
Sunday 9-10 a.m. 10 a.m.-Noon Noon-7 p.m.

 

ON THE COUNTRY CLUB/COURSE CONDITIONS

Brandel Chamblee on Live From the U.S. Open on GOLF Channel: “The past few days, the players were firing red numbers. Today they came off the course seeing red.”

John Wood at the second green: “I’m 220 yards from this green and I could hear that ball bounce like I was standing next to it. These [greens] are firming up.”

Paul Azinger on Xander Schauffele’s struggles on No. 8, requiring three shots up the hill to the green: “During the practice rounds we were all looking at this and saw the potential for a disaster here…If you’re not dialed in, you can get yourself in a lot of trouble.”

Gary Koch on Travis Vick’s shot going down the hill on No. 8 after a chip from behind the green: “It is not unfair. It’s difficult, but it’s not unfair.”

Dan Hicks: “Survival at the U.S. Open.”

Rich Lerner on Live From: “Par should mean something at a U.S. Open. You don’t settle for it – you fight for it.”

ON WILL ZALATORIS (-4, T-1st)

Justin Leonard: “Everybody else seems to be making mistakes – bogeys on par 5s in the case of Jon Rahm, Scottie Scheffler making double bogey on a 140-yard par 3 – but Will Zalatoris has avoided making those mistakes…he’s kept the ball under the hole even if he doesn’t hit the green, he gives himself a chance to chip up and make par.”

Azinger: “I wasn’t sure anybody was going to be able to shoot 67 today with the conditions the way they are. He hit a hosel rocket on the 10th hole, was able to regroup and play that kind of golf coming in…it takes a good, strong brain.”

McGinley on Live From: “How well he plays on tough golf courses. He’s a brilliant guy who can step up – the crème de la crème of golf courses played in the professional game. He also seems to relish the big occasion…people say he has the yips, but there’s one really important stat in terms of his putting. In the whole season on the PGA TOUR, he has missed zero putts from three feet.”

Arron Oberholser: “He’s played a very patient, mature round of golf today.”

ON SCOTTIE SCHEFFLER (-2, T-4th)

Hicks on Scheffler’s double-bogey on No. 11: “Leave it to a little hole that was put in play for the first time since the 1913 U.S. Open here to derail a guy on a torrid streak at The Country Club.

Azinger on No. 11: “The whole complexion of this event has changed.”

Azinger: “He lost his concentration at some point. Something happened here and now he’s shell-shocked.”

ON RORY MCILROY (-1, T-7th)

Azinger after McIlroy’s missed birdie putt on No. 8: “I didn’t like hearing him talking about his putting yesterday at all. The putter is the ghost – it’s the one that will haunt you if you start talking about it.”

ON JON RAHM (-3, 3rd)

Azinger: “It’s hard for a shut-faced player to get the ball up quickly. This wasn’t even close. He had to have thinned it a hair. He’s lucky it didn’t roll back into his footprint…that’s kind of a crystal ball into the future for tomorrow, what these guys are going to face.”

Chamblee on Live From: “He gets a little quick with the lead…while you may rue the fact that he made double bogey and fell down the leaderboard…psychologically, he’s in a pretty darn good spot.”

McGinley on Live From: “I don’t know if he’s playing well enough to win. That’s my question. I don’t think he’s playing well enough tee to green…his putter is bailing him out. We saw how poor it was earlier in the year…he didn’t play particularly well today. It was a day of attrition.”

ON KEEGAN BRADLEY (-2, T-4th)

Azinger: “He’s positioned nicely. He did what he needed to do today. It’s going to be a slugfest for all of these players…I watched him on Wednesday and he was hitting it so solidly.”

Paul McGinley on Live From: “I haven’t seen Keegan Bradley smiling this much on a golf course in a long time.”

ON STATE OF PROFESSIONAL GOLF

Mike Tirico: “The reality is this – the face of professional golf in America is changing. How seismic will that change be? I don’t think we’ll know that for some time. But a couple of things have become clear here – the players are faced with some conversations and some differences. One of them is money or legacy. Do you go with the money from the Saudi-backed LIV Golf series? Or continue – while being well-compensated – to chase the legacy of centuries-old competitions like this championship? We don’t know who’s going to win…but we know who doesn’t win if this break continues, and that’s you, the fans. Quite simply, the gatherings of the greatest players in the world, whether accomplished or accomplished in the past, [are] not going to take place as often if they are spread out in two different series. Weeks like this that we cherish as golf fans will not be as prevalent as they are now, and that hurts the sport for now and perhaps in the long run.”

–NBC SPORTS–

NBC SPORTS DELIVERS SECOND MOST-WATCHED U.S. OPEN CHAMPIONSHIP IN FIVE YEARS

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Final Round on NBC Averages 5.7 Million Viewers, Up 76% vs. 2020; Viewership Peaks at Nearly 9 Million Viewers

Nearly 40 Hours of U.S. Open Coverage Across NBC and GOLF Channel Average 3.1 Million Viewers, Up 43% vs. 2020

Second Round on GOLF Channel Delivers Network’s Most-Watched Weekday Telecast On Record

STAMFORD, Conn. – June 22, 2021 – NBC Sports’ comprehensive coverage of the 121st U.S. Open Championship at Torrey Pines in San Diego, Calif., delivered the second most-watched U.S. Open in five years, one of many viewership milestones for the championship across NBC and GOLF Channel last week.

Sunday’s final round coverage on NBC (12-8:36 p.m. ET) averaged a Total Audience Delivery of 5.7 million viewers, up 76% vs. 2020, marking the network’s most-watched golf telecast since the 2018 Tour Championship, won by Tiger Woods. Viewership peaked at nearly 9 million viewers (8.932 million) in the 8-8:15 p.m. ET quarter hour, as Jon Rahm defeated Louis Oosthuizen by one shot for his first career major championship win.

Thursday-Sunday coverage across NBC and GOLF Channel – which totaled nearly 40 hours across the four days – averaged a TAD of 3.1 million viewers, up 43% vs. 2020 to rank as the second most-watched U.S. Open in five years only behind the 2019 U.S. Open at Pebble Beach, which featured Tiger Woods in contention for all four days. Early round coverage across the NBC and GOLF Channel averaged 1.7 million viewers, also the second most-watched early rounds behind 2019.

The U.S. Open also produced viewership milestones for GOLF Channel. Friday’s second-round coverage (12:30-6 p.m. ET) averaged nearly 1.4 million TV-only viewers to rank as the network’s most-watched weekday telecast on record (since 2006).

Friday’s primetime Live From the U.S. Open studio coverage (10 p.m. – 12 a.m. ET) averaged 247,000 viewers – up 24% vs. the comparable Friday coverage in 2020 and up 129% vs. 2019. Overall, Live From the U.S. Open primetime coverage averaged 147,000 viewers, up 32% vs. 2019.

–NBC SPORTS–

NOTES AND QUOTES – JON RAHM WINS THE 121ST U.S. OPEN CHAMPIONSHIP ON NBC (FINAL ROUND)

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“Another one has landed at the 72nd hole! This time for Rahm to take the lead at the U.S. Open!” – Dan Hicks on Jon Rahm’s birdie putt on 18

“That’s a goosebump moment.” – Paul Azinger on Rahm’s putt on 18

STAMFORD, Conn. – June 20, 2021 – NBC Sports presented final round coverage of the 121st U.S. Open Championship from Torrey Pines Golf Course in San Diego, Calif., on NBC, capped by Live From the U.S. Open on GOLF Channel.

Jon Rahm (-6), who birdied the 17th and 18th holes, won his first career major with a one-stroke victory over second-place Louis Oosthuizen (-5).

U.S. Open – Final Round Leaderboard

Player Total
Jon Rahm -6
Louis Oosthuizen -5
Harris English -3

 

On Jon Rahm

Rahm to Steve Sands on his U.S. Open Championship: “I’m a big believer in karma and after what happened a couple of weeks ago, I stayed really positive knowing big things were coming…I just felt like the stars were aligning. I knew my best golf was to come and I have a hard time explaining what just happened because I can’t even believe I made the last two putts and I’m the first Spaniard ever to win a U.S. Open. This was definitely for Seve (Ballesteros). I know he tried a lot, and usually we think a lot about him with The Masters, but I know he wanted to win this one most of all.”

Rahm to Sands on Torrey Pines: “It reminds me a lot of back home. It’s not exactly the same, but the coastline, the weather, the temperature…I think it’s something that really just resonates with me. I’m really confident in it.”

Dan Hicks on Rahm’s birdie putt on the 18th: “Another one has landed at the 72nd hole! This time for Rahm to take the lead at the U.S. Open!”

Azinger: “That’s a goosebump moment. What a putt. He had to give this one wide berth, most everyone’s missed this high.”

Azinger: “That’s an old school thinker, that Jon Rahm. He doesn’t come around here on this tour with a big entourage like some of these guys. They’ve got their full swing coach, short game coach, their trainer, their chef, their sports psychologist. Not Jon Rahm.”

Brandel Chamblee on Rahm’s U.S. Open win after The Memorial: “You can call this, as he did, karma. You can call it poetic justice, a reversal of fortune. Or is it misfortune, the reversal of? … But to me, it was the great-hearted, magnanimous statement that he made subsequent to that positive COVID test result that told me as much about what he was made of as his six-shot lead (at The Memorial) did tell me about his form…and I believe it was his constitution that had more to do with those putts falling on the last two holes. ”

On the final round

Dan Hicks on the leaderboard backing up: “We’ve seen some real crash and burns here in the last half hour.”

Azinger: “I said the cream has risen to the top, but it looks to me like it’s just soured…All of a sudden, the best players on the planet are just folding up on some shots…it’s still so hard to close the deal.”

Gary Koch on field’s collective back-nine struggles: “I have seen some shots on this back nine today that I haven’t seen in quite some time.”

On Louis Oosthuizen

Hicks: “He looks like he’s just out there for a little Sunday stroll.”

Roger Maltbie on 18 prior to Oosthuizen’s tee shot: “(Oosthuizen’s playing partner) Mackenzie Hughes said a very classy thing to me in the middle of the last fairway. He said, ‘I wish I could have given this tee shot to Louis.’”

Azinger on Oosthuizen’s tee shot on 17 into the hazard: “I can’t get that tee shot out of my head. I just can’t believe he hit it in the hazard.”

On Bryson DeChambeau, who shot 44 on the back nine

Azinger: “I think all of the wind went out of his sails – and his focus.”

Hicks: “He’s just become unraveled…I don’t know if I’ve ever seen anything like this. A guy on the back nine trying to make it back-to-back U.S. Open titles has just imploded.”

–NBC SPORTS–

NOTES AND QUOTES – THE 121ST U.S. OPEN CHAMPIONSHIP ON NBC (THIRD ROUND)

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“Three big-time stars made big-time moves today – Rory, Bryson and Dustin Johnson giving themselves a chance.” – Paul Azinger on the third round

“He’s one of those guys where when he gets it going, he doesn’t back up. He’s proved that previously in his three PGA TOUR wins.” – Dan Hicks on Russell Henley

“He’s going to have the Canadian people conflicted whether to watch the hockey tomorrow or watch Mackenzie Hughes trying to win a U.S. Open.” – Azinger, with the Montreal Canadiens playing in the Stanley Cup Semifinals

“Another eagle has landed here on a Saturday at Torrey Pines. If you’re watching, Tiger, I hope a smile came to your face.” – Dan Hicks after Louis Oosthuizen’s eagle on 18

STAMFORD, Conn. – June 19, 2021 – NBC Sports presented third round coverage of the 121st U.S. Open Championship from Torrey Pines Golf Course in San Diego, Calif., on NBC, capped by Live From the U.S. Open on GOLF Channel.

Russell Henley, Mackenzie Hughes, and Louis Oosthuizen are tied atop the leaderboard (-5) with a two-shot lead after third round play, with Bryson DeChambeau and Rory McIlroy two shots back at -3.

Final round coverage begins tomorrow at 10 a.m. ET on GOLF Channel and Peacock and continues at Noon ET on NBC.

U.S. Open – Third Round Leaderboard

Player Total
Russell Henley -5
Mackenzie Hughes -5
Louis Oosthuizen -5
Rory McIlroy -3
Bryson DeChambeau -3

 

On the third round

Paul Azinger: “Three big-time stars made big-time moves today – Rory, Bryson and Dustin Johnson giving themselves a chance.”

Justin Leonard: “Torrey Pines, it’s a course that most every player in the field is very familiar with…It creates that drama and I think it’s an advantage for players that we don’t normally see in major championships contending – meaning Russell Henley and Mackenzie Hughes…I think that familiarity has led to a lot of parity on this leaderboard.”

On Russell Henley

Dan Hicks: “He’s one of those guys where when he gets it going, he doesn’t back up. He’s proved that previously in his three PGA TOUR wins.”

On Mackenzie Hughes

Hughes to Steve Sands on his eagle putt on the 13th hole: “I know Tiger was further right (in 2008), this putt was going right to left…the charge through your body when the ball goes into the hole and the crowd goes wild is kind of why we play. I’m getting goosebumps just thinking about it.”

Azinger on Hughes, who missed five consecutive cuts heading into the U.S. Open: “You can be in a slump and you’re just a swing or two away at this level – the switch can just flip.”

Azinger: “He’s going to have the Canadian people conflicted whether to watch the hockey tomorrow or watch Mackenzie Hughes trying to win a U.S. Open.”

Jim “Bones” Mackay on Hughes’ pairing with Kevin Streelman: “You get the feeling this has been a fantastic pairing for Mackenzie Hughes. He and Kevin Streelman have been getting along tremendously well, having a lot of fun out here. Kevin was teasing Mackenzie a lot about how far he drove it past him here at 18.”

On Louis Oosthuizen

Dan Hicks on Louis Oosthuizen’s eagle at 18: “Another eagle has landed here on a Saturday at Torrey Pines. We saw (Mackenzie) Hughes eagle the 13th earlier, which Tiger did in 2008, and Oosthuizen with an ode to history with the first eagle of the day today, just like Tiger did at 18 in 2008. If you’re watching Tiger, I hope a smile came to your face.”

Azinger: “You just get the feeling that this guy is ready to win another major…I’ve been liking Louis Oosthuizen, he feels like he’s due.”

On Bryson DeChambeau

Hicks: “Every drive is like a long drive show. He hits as hard as he can and then he takes a couple of steps back like the guys at the World Long Drive contest do. It’s working. DeChambeau has not abandoned that bomb-and-gouge method that won him the U.S. Open last September.”

Azinger on DeChambeau hitting five-of-14 fairways in the third round: “Normally, you would say that he has to do better than that tomorrow. But I’m not sure he does. He’s had a zillion chances for birdie today.”

John Wood: “And I think half of the ones that he missed were tactical. I don’t think he was trying to hit the fairway on those.”

DeChambeau to Steve Sands on blocking distractions and comments from the crowd: “For me, I’ve learned to turn it into a compliment. Everyone thinks there’s a negative connotation to it. They can say what they want, but at the end of the day, I’m out here playing and contending for a major championship…when people say things, I look over and smile and appreciate that.”

On Richard Bland

Hicks: “The king of perseverance.”

Azinger on Bland after his shot in water on 18th hole: “It’s heartbreaking. He hasn’t played that poorly for the score that he’s shooting. He’s hit a lot of quality shots, just hasn’t been able to get anything out of it, and he’s come undone at the end.”

On Matthew Wolff

Notah Begay III on Matthew Wolff, who hit two fairways in the third round: “Of those misses, only one has been left of the fairway. Every other one has been to the right. There is something happening in his golf swing where he’s just not squaring it up at the right time.”

–NBC SPORTS–

*REMINDER* – NBC SPORTS 2021 U.S. OPEN MEDIA CONFERENCE CALL – TODAY AT 1 P.M. ET

By

Play-by-Play Commentator Dan Hicks, Analyst Paul Azinger, On-Course Reporter Jim “Bones” Mackay and Producer Tommy Roy

Dial 800-437-2398 to Participate

STAMFORD, Conn. – June 9, 2021 – NBC Sports play-by-play commentator Dan Hicks, analyst Paul Azinger, and on-course reporter Jim “Bones” Mackay, as well as producer Tommy Roy, will preview the upcoming 2021 U.S. Open Championship at Torrey Pines Golf Course in San Diego, Calif., on a media conference call today at 1 p.m. ET.

Media interested in participating should call 800-437-2398; Passcode: 3652725.

    • WHAT: 2021 U.S. Open Media Conference Call
    • WHO: Dan Hicks, Paul Azinger, Jim “Bones” Mackay, and Tommy Roy
    • WHEN: Wednesday, June 9, at 1 p.m. ET
    • NUMBER: 800-437-2398
    • PASSCODE: 3652725

In total, NBC Sports will provide more than 45 hours of live U.S. Open championship coverage Thursday-Sunday – reaching 100-plus hours of live coverage from Torrey Pines including featured groups and featured holes coverage.

Click here for NBC Sports’ comprehensive U.S. Open coverage schedule.

—NBC SPORTS—

NBC SPORTS 2021 U.S. OPEN MEDIA CONFERENCE CALL – WEDNESDAY AT 1 P.M. ET

By

Play-by-Play Commentator Dan Hicks, Analyst Paul Azinger, On-Course Reporter Jim “Bones” Mackay and Producer Tommy Roy

Dial 800-437-2398 to Participate

STAMFORD, Conn. – June 7, 2021 – NBC Sports play-by-play commentator Dan Hicks, analyst Paul Azinger, and on-course reporter Jim “Bones” Mackay, as well as producer Tommy Roy, will preview the upcoming 2021 U.S. Open Championship at Torrey Pines Golf Course in San Diego, Calif., on a media conference call this Wednesday, June 9, at 1 p.m. ET.

Media interested in participating should call 800-437-2398; Passcode: 3652725.

    • WHAT: 2021 U.S. Open Media Conference Call
    • WHO: Dan Hicks, Paul Azinger, Jim “Bones” Mackay, and Tommy Roy
    • WHEN: Wednesday, June 9, at 1 p.m. ET
    • NUMBER: 800-437-2398
    • PASSCODE: 3652725

In total, NBC Sports will provide more than 45 hours of live U.S. Open championship coverage Thursday-Sunday – reaching 100-plus hours of live coverage from Torrey Pines including featured groups and featured holes coverage.

—NBC SPORTS—

GOLF CHANNEL DETAILS JOURNEY TO U.S. OPEN WITH RETURN OF “GOLF’S LONGEST DAY” AND FROM MANY, ONE: INSIDE THE 2021 U.S. OPEN DOCUSERIES

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GOLF Channel Covers U.S. Open Final Qualifying With 10 Hours of Coverage From Nine Sites Across the U.S. on Monday, June 7

From Many, One: INSIDE THE 2021 U.S. OPEN Docuseries Debuts June 8 on GOLF Channel – Featuring 2020 U.S. Open Champion Bryson DeChambeau, 2020 U.S. Amateur Champion Tyler Strafaci, and San Diego Native Xander Schauffele

Darius Rucker to Narrate From Many One: INSIDE THE 2021 U.S. OPEN

 

STAMFORD, Conn. – May 25, 2021  – GOLF Channel chronicles the path taken by thousands of golfers who dream of becoming U.S. Open champions, beginning June 7 with the return of “Golf’s Longest Day” on GOLF Channel, featuring live coverage and reports from U.S. Open Final Qualifying sites around the country.

The following night, Tuesday, June 8, at 8 p.m. ET, GOLF Channel, in partnership with the USGA, will debut From Many, One: INSIDE THE 2021 U.S. OPEN. The three-part docuseries is headlined by 2020 U.S. Open Champion Bryson DeChambeau, San Diego native Xander Schauffele, and U.S. Amateur Champion Tyler Strafaci as they prepare for the 2021 U.S. Open at Torrey Pines.

“GOLF’S LONGEST DAY” – MONDAY, JUNE 7 BEGINNING AT 7 A.M. ET ON GOLF CHANNEL

“Golf’s Longest Day” coverage will begin at 7 a.m. ET and continue through 9 a.m. as the players on the east coast begin their rounds. From Noon to 2 p.m. ET, GOLF Channel will feature interviews, analysis, highlights and scoring updates from nine U.S. Open Final Qualifying Sites in the U.S., as well as insight from experts located at Torrey Pines Golf Course (South Course) – site of next month’s U.S. Open – and GOLF Channel studios in Stamford, Conn.

Elevated coverage plans will continue from 6 p.m. until final results, and the U.S. Open field is nearly completed at around midnight ET.

Shane Bacon, Damon Hack, Anna Whiteley, Jaime Diaz and Tripp Isenhour will anchor studio coverage. Rich Lerner and Paige Mackenzie will report from Torrey Pines. Following are reporting assignments across the U.S. Open Final Qualifying locations:

Reporter Course
George Savaricas Long Cove Club – Hilton Head, S.C.
Ryan Lavner The Bear’s Club – Jupiter, Fla.
Steve Burkowski Piedmont Driving Club – Atlanta, Ga.
Hailey Hunter Woodmont Country Club (North Course) – Rockville, Md.
Jimmy Roberts Century Country Club & Old Oaks Country Club – Purchase, N.Y.
Todd Lewis Brookside Golf & Country Club & The Lakes Golf & Country Club – Columbus, Ohio
Rex Hoggard Springfield Country Club – Springfield, Ohio
Kira K. Dixon Rolling Hills Country Club – Rolling Hills Estates, Calif.
Matt Ginella Meadow Springs Country Club – Richland, Wash.

 

FROM MANY, ONE: INSIDE THE 2021 U.S. OPEN – PREMIERES TUESDAY, JUNE 8 AT 9 P.M. ET ON GOLF CHANNEL

From Many, One: INSIDE THE 2021 U.S. OPEN is an extension of the USGA’s “From Many One” campaign launched in March of 2020. The three-part docuseries focuses on the “open” nature of the championship, the grit and determination it takes to become a U.S. Open champion, and the triumph for the select few who will make the field.

Produced by GOLF Channel, in partnership with the USGA, the first-of-its-kind docuseries gives fans an all-access pass to defending U.S. Open champion Bryson DeChambeau, San Diego native Xander Schauffele and 2020 U.S. Amateur champion Tyler Strafaci as they prepare for Torrey Pines in June.  From Many, One will also provide an unprecedented glimpse into “Golf’s Longest Day,” complementing GOLF Channel’s comprehensive live coverage on June 7.

Grammy and ACM Award-winning recording artist Darius Rucker will serve as the narrator of the From Many, One docuseries.

“From Many, One: INSIDE THE 2021 U.S. OPEN” is a natural extension of our brand campaign and a celebration of the struggle and commitment of the 10,000 or so players that work to qualify for one of the U.S. Open’s 156 spots,” said Navin Singh, USGA Chief Commercial Officer. “We are excited to use this platform to tell some of their stories while seeing how generational talent prepares for the journey from Many to One.”

“As a golf fan, I’ve always been curious about what went into the preparations and course setup for the U.S. Open,” said Israel DeHerrera, supervising producer of features and films for GOLF Channel.” Our goal is to show that the U.S. Open isn’t just a one-week championship, that preparations extend back weeks, months, and even years. From the players’ perspective, there are a number of storylines for golf fans to sink their teeth into in this docuseries – from well-known stars like Bryson DeChambeau and Xander Schauffele, to amateurs like Tyler Strafaci, and 74-year-old Mel Hughes, who’s the oldest of more than 8,500 players who registered to qualify this year.”

NBC SPORTS’ U.S. OPEN COVERAGE

NBC Sports will surround the 2021 U.S. Open with nearly 100 hours of live tournament and studio coverage from Torrey Pines across NBC, GOLF Channel, and Peacock. Coverage windows and commentators will be announced in the coming weeks.

-NBC SPORTS-

U.S. OPEN NOTABLE QUOTES – FINAL ROUND

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GOLF Channel Notable Quotes

Golf Central Live From the U.S. Open – Final Round

Winged Foot Golf Club (West Course), Mamaroneck, N.Y.

Sunday, September 20

120th U.S. Open – Final Round Leaderboard

Bryson DeChambeau -6
Matthew Wolff E
Louis Oosthuizen +2
Harris English +3
Xander Schauffele +4

 

On 120th U.S. Open Champion Bryson DeChambeau

Brandel Chamblee – “The future just happened. This beefed-up, bulked-up Bryson just changed the game…there’s been some seismic championships that have happened in this game…I would argue that this one will eventually change the game either in the way it’s played – I think both actually – or perhaps in the equipment that it’s played with because the golf world’s abuzz with is this good or is this bad? It can’t decide. But what is, I think, amazing, is to see the transformation that he’s made, the risks that he took. He risked it all to have it all.”

Chamblee – “There’s a definitive before and after with Bryson. We saw what he was and he is unrecognizable in body and in technique to the player that he was. If you’re not paying attention to this and you’re in professional golf, you’re going to get left behind…it is one of the most amazing things that I have ever seen in the game.”

Chamblee – “Dick Schaap wrote the book ‘The Massacre at Winged Foot’ – this was ‘The Mass That Massacred Winged Foot.’”

Justin Leonard – “This week was a showdown between the modern golfer and a classic course that has been modernized. This U.S. Open is proof that all of the metrics about getting it down there as far as you can…there was doubt, including from myself, that this would work in a major championship…this week proved, at least in my mind, that if there was any doubt it should be erased.”

Leonard – “I think it will affect how every player in the field looks at a golf course. They may not be willing to go through the transformation, take the risk that Bryson did, to completely change everything…but I think they are taking notice of club choices off of tees, of ‘I need to be a better player out of the rough’…it will be fascinating to see the players that do change…if you’re not taking notice of this and you’re playing on the PGA Tour, you’re really putting yourself behind the 8-ball.”

Chamblee – “If you’re not an early adopter to this, you’re missing out. This is as seismic as the metal wood was in the transformation from wood to metal.”

Rich Lerner – “Head and shoulders, and biceps, better than everyone at Winged Foot…he crushed consensus and won the U.S. Open, not only with power, but with a wrecking ball and a razor.”

DeChambeau post-round interview with Todd Lewis – “I had a chance to play with Phil (Mickelson) on Monday or Tuesday. He shared some amazing insight into this golf course. He told me how unbelievable his short game was that whole entire week, it was the best of his career. I thought about that, and I said, ‘I’m going to take a little bit of time during the practice rounds to work around the greens.’ I’m in shock right now. It’s amazing.”

Lewis to DeChambeau – “Do you feel like you are a revolutionary participant in the game today?”

DeChambeau – “Let’s just say that every day I’m going to try and do my absolute best. Let today’s garbage be better than yesterday’s. Moving forward I’m going to try a 48-inch driver. I’m going to keep pushing the boundaries and keep finding little, distinct advantages.”

 

NBC Sports Notable Quotes

120th U.S. Open – Final Round

Winged Foot Golf Club (West Course), Mamaroneck, N.Y.

Sunday, September 20

On 120th U.S. Open Champion Bryson DeChambeau

Paul Azinger – “Nobody that’s ever played this game has thought like Bryson DeChambeau…is Bryson’s philosophy going to drip down to the other players that play this sport? What are the guys in high school going to do? Are they going to swing for the fences? He’s shaping the future of golf I think.”

Chamblee – “He may just change the very nature of the way this game is played…this is  to change the way people prepare to play major championship golf.”

Dan Hicks – “He’s the 225th different major champion – perhaps the most different of them all…they said it couldn’t be done, and they said it couldn’t be done here at Winged Foot.”

Azinger – “Self-believe comes first. Bryson has more self-belief maybe than anybody that’s ever played the Tour, because he’s doing everything so counter-intuitive to what everyone’s taught over the years…people would just declare that he’s got it wrong, that he’s doing the wrong thing…that he’s wrong, that he can’t win this way.”

Azinger – “He’s proving there’s no shortcut to success. This guy works as hard as anybody in the game…he’s one of the few guys who takes information in and it makes the game simpler for him.”

Hicks – “There were a lot of people who doubted him. I had my own ideas about it. I just didn’t think he could do it around a place like this. So far, it’s paying off huge.”

Azinger – “The dollar will never hurt his drive. I think Bryson is going to be a trophy hunter. Like Tiger Woods, like Justin Thomas. These guys have one goal, one thing in mind, and that’s to win.”

Azinger – “It’s the intestinal fortitude – the stuff you can’t see – that Bryson showed us today.”

David Feherty – “Is there a Nobel Prize for golf? If there was, you have to think this man would win it.”

 

On Matthew Wolff (Even, 2nd Place)

Azinger – “He came out of the gates hitting it great. Bryson just outplayed him.”

Hicks – “His first two major starts – a tie for fourth and a second.”

Azinger on Wolff’s eagle on 9th hole – “It’s like match play between these two!”

 

USGA CEO Mike Davis to Steve Sands on the 120th U.S. Open

Mike Davis – “When it was March and April, we really didn’t think we would be playing a U.S. Open at Winged Foot…To not have fans is obviously disappointing, but to play this championship for that coveted trophy, that Jack Nicklaus Gold Medal, it inspires the players. It’s good for the game…it’s amazing we are playing.”

Davis – “This weather is allowing us to set the course up where Winged Foot is one of the stars.” 

-NBC Sports Group-