NBC Kicks Off Unprecedented U.S. Open Golf Championship Coverage
By: TV News Desk Jun. 09, 2013
Unprecedented television coverage dedicated to the 2013 U.S. Open Championship is on tap for golf fans, with NBC and Golf Channel scheduled to present more than 70 live hours of tournament and news coverage, today, June 9-16.
"Golf Channel on NBC" will present 17 hours of live tournament coverage of the season's second major championship Thursday through Sunday, June 13-16, from famed Merion Golf Club, located in Ardmore, Pa., just outside Philadelphia. Complementing NBC's live coverage, Golf Channel will air 56 hours of wraparound programming, featuring the latest news and highlights on its franchise show, LIVE FROM THE U.S. OPEN; top instruction from the range at Merion Golf Club with Michael Breed on THE GOLF FIX; lively discussion and debate with GREY GOOSE 19th HOLE; and an original documentary, 1971 U.S. OPEN: LEE TREVINO AN AMERICAN CHAMPION, chronicling Trevino's dramatic U.S. Open playoff victory over Jack Nicklaus at Merion in 1971.14-Jun Friday Round 2 3-5 p.m.
15-Jun Saturday Round 3 Noon-7:30 p.m.
16-Jun Sunday Final Round Noon-7:30 p.m. 56 LIVE HOURS OF NEWS COVERAGE: Fans will keep connected to the competition and players through 56 hours of live wraparound news coverage of the U.S. Open throughout the week, featuring highlights, inside analysis, player interviews and news conferences, special guest appearances and compelling features. LIVE FROM THE U.S. OPEN begins Monday with pre-tournament player news conferences and airs throughout the week before and after tournament play. LIVE FROM THE U.S. OPEN will originate from two sets at Merion Golf Club - the main stage overlooking the clubhouse and a stage positioned near the player practice range. The U.S. Open will be the topic of discussion all week on MORNING DRIVE, the network's daily morning show. Co-host and travel expert Matt Ginella will highlight some of the best places to play if you're heading to Merion or visiting Philadelphia anytime, and Gary Williams will walk the course with USGA Executive Director Mike Davis to discuss Merion's unique set-up and how Davis gets the course U.S. Open ready. John Cook, who tied for fourth place in the 1981 U.S. Open at Merion, will be in studio all week. Additionally, THE GOLF FIX (Monday, 6-7 p.m. ET) and GREY GOOSE 19th HOLE (expanding to one hour Wednesday, June 12, 6-7 p.m. ET) will air live from Merion Golf Club. In addition to news and expert analysis, Golf Channel's LIVE FROM THE U.S. OPEN telecasts will incorporate special production elements to bring viewers even closer to the players. Robotic and jib cameras providing sweeping video will be positioned throughout the player practice area, capturing unique inside-the-ropes footage. And a special "Fly Cam" will be fixed to a cable stretched across the entire length of the practice range and over the players, designed to feature unique angles of players as they prepare for competition. This footage also will be utilized during NBC's live coverage to showcase the leaders as they prepare for competition. LIVE FROM THE U.S. OPEN GUEST CONTRIBUTORS: In addition to Golf Channel's team of analysts and reporters, LIVE FROM THE U.S. OPEN will welcome 2013 World Golf Hall of Fame inductee Colin Montgomerie and PGA TOUR pro Arron Oberholser as guest analysts during the week. And with the unpredictability Mother Nature has already wrought on the 2013 golf season so far, LIVE FROM THE U.S. OPEN will keep on top of the weather conditions that may affect play with the help of The Weather Channel's Jim Cantore, who will serve as the show's weather expert. LIVE FROM THE U.S. OPEN ON NBC: Golf Channel will prep NBC's weekend tournament coverage with pre-game shows produced by Golf Channel and airing exclusively on NBC, Saturday and Sunday from Noon-1 p.m. ET. Costas and Rich Lerner will host the shows and joined by analysts Brandel Chamblee, Frank Nobilo and Montgomerie. In addition to previewing play, the show will feature live look-ins of competition. Also contributing will be Jimmy Roberts, Steve Sands, Todd Lewis and Tim Rosaforte. LIVE FROM THE U.S. OPEN FEATURES: - The Boutique Open - Merion Golf Club's friendly confines and tight layout will be a difficult test for the players, who will need to have a clear strategy of attack.
- Nobilo Goes Tee to Green - Nobilo recently scouted the Merion Golf Club layout and will host a series of features that will provide insight into the various ways players will try to conquer the golf course.
- Michael Breed Tutorial - Merion features seven, par-4 holes less than 430 yards, so a short game will be critical to success. Breed, host of THE GOLF FIX, will demonstrate how wedge play could mean the difference between success and failure.
- Merion History - Merion Golf Club has played host to more USGA Championships than any course in America and has created some of the most memorable moments. It's where Bobby Jones completed golf's Grand Slam at the 1930 U.S. Amateur and where Ben Hogan striped the awe-inspiring 1-iron on the 72nd hole in the 1950 U.S. Open.
- Jim Simons - Simons was the last amateur to lead a major championship after 54 holes but, despite his success in the tournament, his career, subsequently, fell on hard times.
- David Graham - Graham won the 1981 U.S. Open with a score of 67 on Sunday, what some say was the perfect round of golf.
- The Francis Ouimet Story - 100th anniversary of Ouimet's unlikely victory as an amateur at the 1913 U.S. Open at The Country Club in Brookline, Mass., against the likes of superstars Harry Vardon and Ted Ray has been credited with bringing golf to the American sporting mainstream.
- Jim Furyk: As part of Golf Channel's celebration of Father's Day, Golf Channel will celebrate the 10th anniversary of Pennsylvania native Jim Furyk's 2003 U.S. Open win at Olympia Fields Country Club outside Chicago. Furyk has always been coached by his father, Mike, who has nurtured one of golf's most unusual homemade swings.
- The First Tee - A look at the amazing life story of youngster, Zakki Blatt, who overcame the odds with the help of The First Tee. The feature also takes a closer look at the Philadelphia chapter of The First Tee. TREVINO 1971 U.S. OPEN RETROSPECTIVE: As the U.S. Open prepares for its return to Merion, NBC and Golf Channel will present 1971 U.S. OPEN: LEE TREVINO AN AMERICAN CHAMPION, a 60-minute retrospective documenting Trevino's life and victory at Merion in 1971, and how he claimed his place among the great champions in U.S. Open history by beating the great Jack Nicklaus in a Monday playoff. Produced in association with the United States Golf Association, the documentary will premiere on NBC on Sunday, June 9 at 5 p.m. ET, and air throughout June on Golf Channel. COMCAST SPORTSNET PHILADELPHIA/NBC10 Comcast SportsNet Philadelphia and NBC10 Philadelphia will present Philadelphians with the most comprehensive local coverage of the 2013 U.S. Open Championship, with the majority of content originating from Merion Golf Club: Comcast SportsNet Philadelphia:
- U.S. Open Preview - Philadelphia sports icons Jimmy Rollins, Jeremy Roenick, Jay Wright and Comcast SportsNet's Neil Hartman hit the links at Merion for this special preview titled An Open Challenge, premiering Saturday, June 8 at 6:30 p.m. ET.
- Made in Merion - U.S. Open special nightly presentations, hosted by Comcast SportsNet anchor Neil Hartman from Merion Golf Club featuring interviews and analysis with golfers and experts. Made in Merion premiers Sunday, June 9 at 7 p.m.
- Philly Sports Talk - Daily roundtable hosted by Michael Barkann from Merion Golf Club airing each day at 5 p.m.
- SportsNite and SportsRise - Comcast SportsNet's daily news programs will provide daily reports, live leaderboard updates, historical "Fast Facts" and golfing tips. SportsNite airs at 6 p.m. and 10 p.m. SportsRise airs at 1 a.m. and 6 a.m. weekdays and 7 a.m. on weekends.
- Vignettes: A series of 30-second vignettes focused on the U.S. Open will air leading up to and including U.S. Open week. Several examples include:
- A Championship Moment will feature the history of the U.S. Open through the eyes of golf historian and Golf Channel contributor Martin Davis.
- Merion Moments is a series featuring famous athletes, such as Julius "Dr. J" Erving, U.S. skier Bode Miller, boxer Bernard Hopkins and many others discussing the U.S. Open.
- Online Coverage: CSNPhilly.com will create a special section on the website dedicated to U.S. Open coverage from CSNPhilly.com and GolfChannel.com writers. NBC10 Philadelphia:
- Themed specials - NBC10 will televise six, 30-minute specials titled Tee off at Merion, touching on everything U.S. Open, from history to tournament updates. The specials, hosted by Vai Sikahema, John Clark and Jacqueline London, will air: Saturday, June 8, 7:30 p.m.
Thursday, June 13, 7 p.m.
Friday, June 14, 7 p.m.
Saturday, June 15, 7:30 p.m.
Sunday, June 16, 11:30 a.m.
Sunday, June 16, 11:30 p.m. Updates and Vignettes: NBC10 will provide extensive coverage in all newscasts, and will air 18 vignettes focused on Merion Golf Club's 18 holes. DIGITAL COVERAGE: NBC and Golf Channel digital properties - GolfChannel.com, as well as mobile applications NBC Sports Live Extra and Golf Live Extra - are teaming up to provide the most comprehensive digital coverage of the U.S. Open to date. Live Streaming Live tournament coverage will be streamed on NBCSports.com and via the NBC Sports Live Extra app. Fans who are customers of participating cable, satellite, telco and other video subscription services, will be able to enjoy 24/7 streaming of Golf Channel content via GolfChannel.com and Golf Channel's mobile application, Golf Live Extra. Editorial, Blogs & Live Chats GolfChannel.com's dedicated staff of writers - including Rex Hoggard, Jason Sobel, Randall Mell, Ryan Lavner and Jay Coffin - will be on site at Merion Golf Club all week, providing the most up-to-date news, features and blogs posts. Joe Posnanski also will post from NBCSports.com. The team will preview the U.S. Open with features exploring the five-year anniversary of Tiger Woods' last major championship win; Rickie Fowler on The Challenge of Merion, while reflecting on his play there in 2009 as part of the U.S. Walker Cup team; a history of Merion; and a profile of David Graham, the last winner of the U.S. Open at Merion and an International Team captain who was ousted by his players during a Presidents Cup competition. Sobel and contributor John Hawkins also will host live chats during each day of competition. Social GolfChannel.com features The Golf Channel Social Lounge (www.GolfChannel.com/sociallounge), a recently launched social center that aggregates all social media posts related to the U.S. Open in one location on the site. The Social Lounge currently is aggregating all content on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram mentioning @usopengolf. PACE OF PLAY: Golf Channel will mark the beginning of its U.S. Open coverage on June 1 with a unique, month-long program dedicated to help promote ideas and initiatives that improve pace of play and assist with the growth of the game. Titled "It's About Time," the company-wide campaign will be conducted in partnership with the United States Golf Association, with each week of the month tied to concepts that will help golfers and golf course operators understand the problems and adopt new strategies for faster play.
XFINITY LIVE!: Philadelphians can join the fun at XFINITY Live! Philadelphia, the dining and entertainment district in the South Philadelphia Sports Complex, where NBC and Golf Channel will host a public celebration of the U.S. Open Championship, complete with golf simulators, putting greens, photo booths, contests and giveaways, Golf Channel personalities and animated characters from favorite Universal Pictures feature films. The two events will take place Friday, June 14 from 4-8 p.m., and a more family friendly gathering on Saturday, June 15, from 10 a.m.-2 p.m. NBC Sports Group U.S. Open Coverage Show Network Airtime (all times ET)
Saturday, June 8
An Open Challenge CSN Philly 6:30-7 p.m.
Tee off at Merion NBC10 7:30-8 p.m.
Sunday, June 9
Made in Merion CSN Philly 7-7:30 p.m.
Monday, June 10
Morning Drive Golf Channel 7-9 a.m.
Live From the U.S. Open Golf Channel 11 a.m.-2:30 p.m. (news conferences)
Philly Sports Talk CSN Philly 5-6 p.m.
The Golf Fix Golf Channel 6-7 p.m.
Live From the U.S. Open Golf Channel 7-8 p.m.
Made in Merion CSN Philly 7-7:30 p.m
Tuesday, June 11
Morning Drive Golf Channel 7-9 a.m.
Live From the U.S. Open Golf Channel 9 a.m.-5 p.m.
Philly Sports Talk CSN Philly 5-6 p.m.
Live From the U.S. Open Golf Channel 7-9 p.m.
Made in Merion CSN Philly 7-7:30 p.m
Wednesday, June 12
Morning Drive Golf Channel 7-9 a.m.
Live From the U.S. Open Golf Channel 9 a.m.-5 p.m.
Philly Sports Talk CSN Philly 5-6 p.m.
Grey Goose 19th Hole Golf Channel 6-7 p.m.
Live From the U.S. Open Golf Channel 7-9 p.m.
Made in Merion CSN Philly 7-7:30 p.m.
Thursday, June 13
Morning Drive Golf Channel 6-7 a.m.
Live From the U.S. Open Golf Channel 7-9 a.m.
U.S. Open Live Coverage ESPN 9 a.m.-3 p.m.
U.S. Open live coverage NBC 3-5 p.m.
Philly Sports Talk CSN Philly 5-6 p.m.
U.S. Open live coverage ESPN 5-7 p.m.
Made in Merion CSN Philly 7-7:30 p.m.
Tee off at Merion NBC10 7:30-8 p.m.
Live From the U.S. Open Golf Channel 7-9 p.m.
Friday, June 14
Morning Drive Golf Channel 6-7 a.m.
Live From the U.S. Open Golf Channel 7-9 a.m.
U.S. Open Live Coverage ESPN 9 a.m.-3 p.m.
U.S. Open live coverage NBC 3-5 p.m.
Philly Sports Talk CSN Philly 5-6 p.m.
U.S. Open live coverage ESPN 5-7 p.m.
Made in Merion CSN Philly 7-7:30 p.m.
Tee off at Merion NBC10 7:30-8 p.m.
Live From the U.S. Open Golf Channel 7-9 p.m.
Saturday, June 15
Morning Drive Golf Channel 7-9 a.m.
Live From the U.S. Open Golf Channel 9-11 a.m.
Morning Drive Golf Channel 11 a.m.-Noon
U.S. Open live coverage NBC Noon-7:30 p.m.
Made in Merion CSN Philly 7:30-8 p.m.
Tee off at Merion NBC10 7:30-8 p.m.
Live From the U.S. Open Golf Channel 7:30-9:30 p.m.
Sunday, June 15
Morning Drive Golf Channel 7-9 a.m.
Live From the U.S. Open Golf Channel 9-11 a.m.
Morning Drive Golf Channel 11 a.m.-Noon
Tee off at Merion NBC10 11:30 a.m.-Noon
U.S. Open live coverage NBC Noon-7:30 p.m.
Made in Merion CSN Philly 7:30-8 p.m.
Live From the U.S. Open Golf Channel 7:30-9:30 p.m.
Tee off at Merion NBC10 11:30 p.m.-12:05 a.m.
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