Golf Central Live From the U.S. Open Provides More Than 35 Hours of Live On-Site Pre- and Post-Championship Coverage
Transcript – Brandel Chamblee, Notah Begay III, Smylie Kaufman, Jim “Bones” Mackay and Dan Hicks Preview 124th U.S. Open at Pinehurst
“There’s just something that’s special about the spirit of Pinehurst – the mecca of American golf.” – Dan Hicks
“They’re probably the best green complexes in the United States.” – Brandel Chamblee
STAMFORD, Conn. – NBC Sports’ comprehensive live coverage from Pinehurst Resort & C.C. (Course No. 2) and the 124th U.S. Open begins today with its critically-acclaimed Golf Central Live from the U.S. Open studio show at 5 p.m. ET on GOLF Channel and Peacock, leading into live championship coverage this Thursday, June 13, through Sunday, June 16, across NBC, Peacock, and USA Network.
In total, NBC Sports will provide nearly 300 hours of championship coverage surrounding the 2024 U.S. Open, including traditional Thursday-Sunday coverage, featured groups and streaming coverage on Peacock, and week-long Live From studio coverage.
GOLF CENTRAL LIVE FROM THE U.S. OPEN
NBC Sports will surround the championship with more than 35 hours of live on-site studio coverage on Golf Central Live From the U.S. Open on GOLF Channel and Peacock.
Paul McGinley and Paige Mackenzie will serve as analysts on primetime editions of Live From alongside host Rich Lerner, with Brandel Chamblee providing analysis in primetime early in the week and on the weekend. Coverage will also feature Johnson Wagner on-course throughout the week, conducting interviews during practice rounds and on the course in primetime following play to highlight pivotal moments from each round.
Today’s Live From will also include coverage from the World Golf Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony, as Padraig Harrington, Sandra Palmer, Johnny Farrell, Beverly Hanson, Tom Weiskopf, and the 13 LPGA Founders get inducted into the World Golf Hall of Fame as part of the Class of 2024. Tuesday’s Live From will include coverage and reports from the USGA’s 2024 Bob Jones Award Ceremony, honoring 2024 recipient Tiger Woods.
Broadcast Team
- Hosts: Rich Lerner / Damon Hack / George Savaricas
- Analysts: Brandel Chamblee / Paul McGinley / Paige Mackenzie / Notah Begay III / Mark Rolfing / Gary Koch / Roger Maltbie / Brad Faxon / John Wood / Jim “Bones” Mackay
- Reporters/Contributors: Todd Lewis / Jaime Diaz / Kira K. Dixon / Eamon Lynch / Rex Hoggard / Ryan Lavner
- On-Course: Johnson Wagner
Last week, NBC Sports announced its full programming plans for this week’s U.S. Open, including its commentary team for the main broadcast and details on featured groups and U.S. Open All Access streaming coverage. Click here for those full details.
Last week, NBC Sports golf commentators Dan Hicks, Brandel Chamblee, Notah Begay III, Smylie Kaufman, and Jim “Bones” Mackay were joined by executive producer Sam Flood and lead golf producer Tommy Roy to preview the upcoming 124th U.S. Open on a media conference call. Following are excerpts from the call. Click here for the transcript.
Roy: “We’ve been preparing for this event since way back in ’99 when Payne (Stewart) won it, and we’re really happy to be back. For myself and for Dan Hicks, this will be our 25th U.S. Open going all the way back to 1995 when we started. Tom Randolph, my co-producer, and Greg Katz, our editorial guy, and about a dozen of our technicians have done every single U.S. Open that we’ve done during that time, as well.”
Hicks on Pinehurst and Payne Stewart’s win at the 1999 U.S. Open: “I was greenside getting ready for the presentation, and I just remember this powerful feeling on that green on that Sunday with the mist falling and when that putt dropped. I’ll never forget that feeling. It was just electric…it’s just the greatest personal experience I’ve ever had in golf. The power of that moment and having the opportunity to be so close when Tracey came up to Payne and embraced him on the green. I was hearing what they were saying. Tears were streaming down his face, her face. I was just a few feet away. There’s just something, I think, that’s special about the spirit of Pinehurst – the mecca of American golf.”
Chamblee on Pinehurst: “I think it sort of morphs all the best options of most of the other majors. Certainly, it has the green complexes that are — if they’re not the most beguiling set in the United States, they’re certainly in that conversation. Probably the best green complexes in all of the United States. So, it has that sort of element similar to Augusta National I would say. It has a linksey feel to it in the way it plays firm and fast. Of course, the aerial views give you these beautiful topographical looks of it that kind of look like parkland golf. It doesn’t play that way but it kind of looks like parkland golf traditional U.S. Open.”
Kaufman on his first major championship, the 2014 U.S. Open at Pinehurst: “My biggest memories from Sunday, Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday and trying to understand this golf course – at the beginning of the week I’m chipping everything, by Monday I’m putting everything, on Tuesday I’ve got the 3-wood out around the greens, and by Wednesday I had no idea what I wanted to do on Thursday – that’s the brilliance of Donald Ross.”
Chamblee on Scottie Scheffler: “He’s just miles ahead of everybody else. I find that pretty intriguing because the criticism of the equipment and this era is there’s so much parity in the game, that the equipment makes it really hard to separate yourself, and yet we have a guy that’s separated himself farther than anybody else besides Tiger Woods using this equipment in this era of proposed parity.”
Begay III on Xander Schauffele: “How is Xander Schauffele going to hold up coming off his major championship win? In the last seven years, he’s the only player to finish in the top 15 in every single U.S. Open. And is he going to translate the momentum he garnered off the PGA into this setup. I think it does set up for well him, but backing up a finish like that can be a difficult task.”
Jamie Palatini
203-356-2791
jamie.palatini@nbcuni.com
