By Joel Beall
The USGA announced Monday that it is moving the U.S. Open and the media rights for all its championships to NBC Universal starting this August. The announcement ends a six-year relationship with FOX.

According to a USGA statement, the 2020 U.S. Open’s shift in dates from June to September due to the COVID-19 pandemic proved problematic for FOX, which has commitments to the NFL, MLB and college football. In an Associated Press report that first broke news of the deal on Sunday night, FOX had approached moving the U.S. Open to its cable sports network FS1, an offer that USGA officials turned down.

This quagmire served as a catalyst for the USGA, FOX and NBC Universal to discuss working together to broadcast this year’s championship, which according to a USGA statement “led to a broader conversation and eventual agreement for NBCU to take over the USGA media rights.”

As a result, NBC Universal now has USGA championships rights until 2026. In its statement, the USGA says its “financial remuneration for the USGA will remain the same for the duration of the agreement.” FOX and the USGA originally signed a 12-year, $1.1 billion deal in 2013, the deal going into effect in 2015.

“Partnering with NBC Universal, including Golf Channel, gives us an unparalleled opportunity to connect and engage with the core golf audience more directly and routinely, and as a non-profit, to continue to have a significant and lasting impact on the game,” said Mike Davis, CEO of the USGA, in press release.

NBC had broadcast the U.S. Open from 1995 to 2014 before the USGA surprised many by signing a 12-year deal with FOX, which had not previously broadcast golf. That lack of experience, in part, led to FOX receiving criticism during its first U.S. Open telecast in 2015 from Chambers Bay. Shortly after, FOX let go its main analyst Greg Norman, replacing him with Paul Azinger.

In subsequent years, FOX’s lead broadcast team of Joe Buck and Azinger received increasing positive reviews as their comfort level increased. FOX also earned acclaim for technical innovations in its broadcasts, including use of drone technology and shot-tracing capabilities that provided unique perspectives and pushed other networks to consider similar production improvements.

“We have genuinely appreciated the partnership that we have had with FOX Sports over the last six years and are grateful for their steadfast efforts to produce world-class events,” Davis said. “FOX brought significant innovation to golf broadcasting by elevating technology and enhancing the fan experience.”

NBC Universal will now broadcast the four championships the USGA will conduct in 2020: The U.S. Women’s Amateur (Aug. 3-9 at Woodmont Country Club in Rockville, Md.); the U.S. Amateur (Aug. 10-16 at Bandon Dunes Golf Resort in Bandon, Ore.), the U.S. Open (Sept. 17-20 at Winged Foot Golf Club in Mamaroneck, N.Y.) and the U.S. Women’s Open (Dec. 10-13 at Champions Golf Club in Houston, Texas).

“We have implemented a defined strategy to build our digital offerings over the last six years and have achieved significant success,” Davis said. “The reach and engagement of our championships will only increase through the NBCUniversal family.”

The post USGA announces U.S. Open will move to NBC, ending relationship with FOX appeared first on Golf Digest Middle East.

By Joel Beall
PEBBLE BEACH — This winter, Brooks Koepka told us he was able to discover balance with his newfound celebrity and find peace with the conflicting interests that come with fame. He had conviction in the man he was, promising to show the world—a world he desperately kept at arm’s length—a different side of himself in 2019.

Thus far, Koepka has kept his word. Only that side of himself is one that does not suffer fools.

Koepka’s play has done plenty of talking this season with a win at the PGA Championship and runner-up at the Masters. The 29-year-old has also done plenty of talking behind the mic, taking slow play and Golf Channel commentator Brandel Chamblee to task on multiple occasions.

On Tuesday at Pebble Beach, Koepka continued to hold nothing back, calling out FOX Sports and his fellow players, with a between-the-lines slight at Chamblee tossed in for good measure:

Regarding FOX Sports, which left Koepka—the No. 1 player in the world and two-time defending U.S. Open champ—out of one of its U.S. Open promos: “I actually didn’t see it for a long time. A bunch of people on Twitter I think tagged me in it, in the promo. And I guess [they] were amazed that I wasn’t in it. I just clicked on the link and saw it and watched it. Just kind of shocked. They’ve had over a year to kind of put it out. So I don’t know. Somebody probably got fired over it or should [laughter].”

For what it’s worth, FOX has Koepka featured in three of its four promos.

On players complaining about USGA course setups: “Yeah, I mean, I guess the only reason they’re complaining … I mean, everybody has got to play the same golf course. So it really doesn’t make a difference. It doesn’t make a difference … if you put it in the fairway and you hit every green, there’s really no problem, is there?

“So obviously they’re not doing what they’re supposed to do. So they’re not playing good enough. If they put it in the fairway, you shouldn’t have to complain about the rough. You hit the greens and you hit it close, you shouldn’t have to complain about the greens.

“I’ve just never been one to complain, make excuses. It doesn’t matter. Nobody wants to hear anybody’s excuse. I find it annoying even when I play with guys and they’re dropping clubs or throwing them or complaining, like telling me how bad the golf course is or how bad this is. I don’t want to hear it. I don’t care. It doesn’t matter to me. It’s just something we’ve all got to deal with. If you play good enough, you shouldn’t have a problem.”

In response to what golf news he watches: “Yeah, at night when we’re done we’ll flip on the Golf Channel for a little bit and see what they’re talking about at the end of the day, what Frank and David and Rich are talking about. So we’ll see. Yeah. We just see what they’re up to. We’ll watch it for a little bit. And most of the time — I mean, this week, probably not, with the NBA Finals and the hockey and everything going on. I’d rather watch that than turn on the Golf Channel.”

Notice which name is missing in that group?

Koepka even took a dig, if somewhat unintended, at Willie Anderson, the only player to win the U.S. Open three straight times. Koepka noted that he doesn’t know much about Anderson and didn’t bother to look him up on Google.

So much for that chip shrinking off Koepka’s massive shoulders.

“You’ve always got to find something to give you a little bit of extra motivation,” Koepka said. “Sometimes it’s blatantly obvious.”

Koepka will continue his hot streak—golf, that is—on Thursday, teeing off with Open champ Francesco Molinari and reigning U.S. Amateur Viktor Hovland at 1:47 p.m.

The post U.S. Open 2019: Brooks Koepka comes out firing with shots at FOX, Brandel Chamblee and his fellow players appeared first on Golf Digest Middle East.

By Alex Myers
As a professional athlete, few have faced — and succeeded — under pressure like John Smoltz. The Hall-of-Fame pitcher raised his game when the stakes were the highest, posting an absurd 15-4 postseason record while wielding a scant 2.67 ERA. Smoltz took the mound in three playoff Game 7s, and yet, it was a recent three-hole playoff on the golf course at a U.S. Senior Open qualifier that had him feeling nerves like never before.

“There’s things that I’ve been through in golf that baseball couldn’t even prepare me for,” Smoltz said. “You’d think that pitching three seventh games would prepare you for any kind of unnerving or nervous moments, but it was nothing like what I went through.”

Ultimately, Smoltz made it through this latest sports battle, earning a spot in the U.S. Senior Open, which will be played June 28-July 1 at the Broadmoor in Colorado Springs. And now Smoltz will take a break from his job as a TV analyst for MLB Network and Fox to tee it up in his first major. Although, with Fox broadcasting the event, Smoltz says he could be involved with the coverage. Regardless, the 51-year-old is pumped about getting this unexpected opportunity at competing on a big stage again.

“I’m pinching myself every time I wake up,” Smoltz said.

Smoltz joined this week’s Golf Digest Podcast to discuss that crazy day of qualifying, his intense matches with Tiger Woods through the years, a prescient prediction he made to Joe Buck, and how golf played a role in his free agency. We also talked some baseball, ranging from his Hall-of-Fame induction to his toughest loss and most surprising win. Please have a listen:

https://soundcloud.com/user-96678684/john-smoltz-bryson-dechambeaus-next-big-step-and-a-wild-us-womens-open

The post John Smoltz on qualifying for the U.S. Senior Open, playing matches with Tiger Woods, and how golf affected his free agency appeared first on Golf Digest Middle East.

RELATED: Why Brooks Koepka was the King of the Majors in 2017

According to Classic TV Sports, CBS showed 1.32 shots per minute during its final-round coverage of the year’s final major. That puts it right in line with the 2017 U.S. Open on Fox (1.30) and a shade below this year’s Masters (1.41), which also aired on CBS.

The site didn’t track the stat for the final round of this year’s Open Championship on NBC, however, it has done this for every other major since the start of 2014. And a quick comparison shows that networks have picked it up when it comes to showing more shots per minute in their coverage. Looking back, the average was 1.12 shots per minute in 2014, 1.16 in 2015, and 1.11 in 2016.

That averages out to only 1.14 shots per minutes shown at the majors in that three-year span. But the 1.34 average in 2017 represents an 18-percent increase.

So yes, when you’re watching golf at home, it’s always going to seem like networks should be showing more from the course. But on the bright side, it seems like they’re getting better.

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