“He’s been the same guy through it all and that is one of the big reasons he has remained so popular and has so many people rooting for him.” – Dan Hicks on Rickie Fowler (-10, Leader)
“He’s got a definite edge about him. I wouldn’t say he looks angry, but he’s all business.” – Nick Dougherty on Rory McIlroy (-8, Tied for Third Place)
“You don’t need stars to sell a U.S. Open, maybe a movie. But the equivalent perhaps of Brad Pitt and George Clooney are at the top of this leaderboard.” – Brandel Chamblee About Fowler and McIlroy on Live From the U.S. Open
Saturday’s Third Round Coverage Airs 1-11 p.m. ET on NBC and Peacock
First-Round Coverage Delivers Across NBC, USA Network and Peacock
STAMFORD, Conn. – June 16, 2023 – NBC Sports presented second round coverage of the 123rd U.S. Open Championship from The Los Angeles Country Club in Los Angeles, Calif., across NBC, Peacock and USA Network, capped by Live From the U.S. Open on GOLF Channel.
NBC and Peacock will provide 10 consecutive hours of live third round coverage on Saturday from 1-11 p.m. ET.
- Average of 2.4 million viewers in primetime (8-11 p.m. ET) on NBC/Peacock;
- USA Network leads all cable networks in Adults 18-49 demo; overall average viewership of 1.2 million viewers (1-8 p.m. ET);
- Peacock delivers NBC Sports’ most-watched golf streaming telecast on record with an average minute audience of 214,000 viewers from 9:40 a.m. – 1 p.m. ET.
U.S. Open – Second Round Leaderboard
| Player | Total |
| Rickie Fowler | -10 |
| Wyndham Clark | -9 |
| Rory McIlroy | -8 |
| Xander Schauffele | -8 |
| Harris English | -7 |
| Dustin Johnson | -6 |
| Min Woo Lee | -6
|
Saturday-Sunday Coverage Schedule
| Day | Peacock | NBC/Peacock |
| Saturday | 1-11 p.m. | |
| Sunday | 12-1 p.m. | 1-10 p.m. |
ON SECOND ROUND LEADERBOARD
Brandel Chamblee: “You don’t need stars to sell a U.S. Open, maybe a movie. But the equivalent perhaps of Brad Pitt and George Clooney are at the top of this leaderboard. Rickie Fowler, hard-pressed to find a more popular player than him anywhere on the planet…since Rory McIlroy won the PGA Championship in 2014…he’s probably never come across a golf course that fits him better than this track right here. So, we are poised for an extraordinary conclusion to this U.S. Open.”
ON RICKIE FOWLER (-10, Leader)
Paul Azinger on Fowler not making last year’s U.S. Open field: “It’s a slap to your ego a little bit, Rickie Fowler has gone to work. Hooked up with Butch Harmon and Butch has told us, ‘It’s not a fluke. This guy has worked hard.’”
Dan Hicks: “A lot of us have known Rickie a long, long time. Sometimes you can get a little sour, you can certainly get down on yourself and your game, but one of the reasons Fowler has built this popularity is that he just never changes. He’s been the same guy through it all and that is one of the big reasons he has remained so popular and has so many people rooting for him. He’s always been one of the more popular guys, but as they say, you really learn a lot about a guy when you get through adversity.”
Azinger on birdie on 15th hole: “This guy is a birdie machine. It’s a certain mindset that allows guys to make putts like this.”
Chamblee: “He was a first alternate last year, he’s only played in four major championships over the last three years. How quickly things can turn around. Good or bad – this would be one of the most popular victories I can remember.”
Curt Byrum after fan shouts ‘What are you doing?’ after missed par putt on 7th hole: “’What am I doing? I’m leading the U.S. Open, that’s what I’m doing!’”
ON XANDER SCHAUFFELE (-8, T-3rd)
John Wood following three straight bogeys on holes 13-15: “No one gets through a U.S. Open unscathed. You’ve just got to tell yourself, ‘This is my little spot right here.’ Just got to get through it and keep going.”
ON WYNDHAM CLARK (-9, 2nd)
Peter Jacobsen on Clark’s up-and-down birdie on 14th hole: “He went for the hero shot and he pulled it off…Should Wyndham Clark go on to win the U.S. Open Championship, undoubtedly he’ll look back at 14 — that up-and-down — for a birdie. Magnificent stuff.”
ON RORY MCILROY (-8, T-3rd)
Nick Dougherty: “He’s got a definite edge about him. I wouldn’t say he looks angry, but he’s all business. The affable Rory that we’ve seen and love…mentally, he looks in a better place.”
ON DUSTIN JOHNSON (-6, T-6th)
Morgan Pressel on Dustin Johnson’s quadruple-bogey on 2nd hole: “These were mental errors for DJ here that led to this snowman…That’s where the mistake is — compounding your errors when you’re in this high-pressure environment. You mentally just lost it for a moment and make these poor decisions.”
ON SCOTTIE SCHEFFLER (-5, T-8th)
Azinger: “He’s the best ball striker on Tour. We watch his feet jump around and the full swing, but he’s the number one ball striker in the game.”
ON LATEST DEVELOPMENTS WITH THE PGA TOUR AND PUBLIC INVESTMENT FUND
Rex Hoggard: “One of the key parts of that agreement is that it was going to end all the litigation between the PGA TOUR, the Public Investment Fund of Saudi Arabia and LIV Golf. That became official this afternoon. A motion to dismiss was filed in the U.S. District Court in the Northern District of California. Now, it’s crucial to point out that it was filed with prejudice, which means there is no going back to these lawsuits. This is a framework agreement between the TOUR and the PIF and it could fall apart, but if that were to happen, there is no going back to these lawsuits. As far as the court is concerned, these have been decided. It’s also important to point out that this also drops cases in at least half a dozen U.S. District Courts that have to do with discovery disputes. It drops the appeal that was filed in the Ninth Circuit of Appeals by the PIF. The one caveat here is that there was a motion filed this morning by The New York Times. Essentially they are trying to unseal some records that have to do with the original antitrust case. I spoke with some sources and that actually could go to motion. But as far as the court case is concerned, that’s over.”
–NBC SPORTS–
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