ESPN’s Coverage Plans For The U.S. Open At Congressional

If it’s Father’s Day weekend, it means U.S. Open golf. And it also means ESPN is all over it. It also means we get to hear Chris Berman’s irritating play-by-play for the first two rounds, “Eh, ah, uh, let’s send it to Roger “Chocolate” Maltbie!” I can’t wait for the social media reaction to Berman next week. It’s going to be rather ugly.

Anyway, ESPN will have extensive coverage of the first two rounds of the U.S. Open at the fabled Congressional Country Club in Bethesda, MA. ESPN’s coverage will begin at 10 a.m. and run until 7 p.m., with a two hour break from 3 – 5 p.m. when NBC steps in.

In addition to TV, ESPN Radio will have live coverage all four days and of course, ESPN’s coverage will be seen online at ESPN3.com. We have the particulars of the coverage for you.

ESPN’s 30th Year at U.S. Open Includes 44 Hours of Golf on TV, Unique Live Coverage Across Radio, Multimedia Platforms

ESPN celebrates its 30th year of coverage of the 111th U.S. Open at Congressional Country Club in Bethesda, Md., June 14-20 with 44 hours of programming on television as well as expansive analysis, news and information on radio, online and mobile devices.

ESPN and ESPN3.com will air seven hours of live coverage of each of the first two rounds of the tournament on Thursday and Friday, June 16-17, from 10 a.m. – 3 p.m. and 5-7 p.m. ET. An edited encore presentation will air on ESPN in prime time each night from 8-11 p.m. and re-air overnight. ESPN also will air edited highlights from Saturday and Sunday’s third and final round action in the overnight hours.

ESPN’s flagship news and information program, SportsCenter, will originate from the tournament site with special SportsCenter at the U.S. Open programs for six consecutive days beginning Tuesday, June 14, as well as extensive reports throughout the day.

Chris Berman, who has covered the U.S. Open for ESPN every year since 1986, will host the live telecasts on Thursday and Friday as well as the weekend highlight programs. ESPN’s U.S. Open team for the Thursday and Friday telecasts also includes two-time U.S. Open champions Curtis Strange (hole announcer) and Andy North (on-course reporter). Mike Tirico will call the action on the 18th hole during the middle portions of the broadcast days, joined for analysis by 1993 PGA champion Paul Azinger, while other hole announcers will be Scott Van Pelt, Terry Gannon and Sean McDonough. Joining North as on-course reporter will be Bill Kratzert. NBC will again produce the telecasts, with announcer contributions from analyst Roger Maltbie, who will join Berman at the 18th hole at the beginning and end of each day.

Among features that will be presented during ESPN’s coverage of the U.S. Open:

  • A profile of Dustin Johnson, who led last year’s U.S. Open headed into the final day but finished eighth after a disaster of a start.
  • A Father’s Day feature with Ernie Els.
  • ESPN Sport Science on “The Rough” at the U.S. Open.
  • ESPN The Magazine’s Rick Reilly with an essay on Tiger Woods.

ESPN began televising the first and second rounds of the U.S. Open in 1982. The tournament has been in the ESPN/ABC family of networks since 1966.

SportsCenter at the U.S. Open
One-hour SportsCenter at the U.S. Open programs air Tuesday and Wednesday, June 14-15, at 2 p.m. on ESPN and Thursday, Friday, Saturday and Sunday, June 16-19, at 11 p.m. on ESPN2. There also are programs on Saturday at 1 p.m. and Sunday at 12:30 p.m., both on ESPN. Scott Van Pelt will host the programs with analyst Andy North and reporter Tom Rinaldi. SportsCenter also will have reports from the U.S. Open in the morning hours prior to the beginning of live play with hosts John Anderson and Mike Tirico, analysts Curtis Strange and Paul Azinger and ESPN The Magazine’s Rick Reilly.

The U.S. Open on ESPN Online
In addition to television coverage, there will be extensive U.S. Open offerings for fans online across ESPN.com, espnW.com, ESPN3.com and ESPNnetworks.com.

ESPN.com

  • Columns/articles by national columnist Gene Wojciechowski, ESPN.com golf writer Bob Harig and ESPN The Magazine’s Rick Reilly.
  • “Digital Drive,” an exclusive ESPN.com program hosted by Rick Reilly, will be produced each day Tuesday-Sunday of the tournament.
  • Extensive video content, including highlights, analysis, clips from SportsCenter and press conferences each day during tournament week.
  • ESPN.com GolfCast application featuring live scoring and CoverItLive analysis daily with ESPN’s golf team.
  • A golf-themed fantasy game – the second installment of the ESPN Best Ball Challenge
  • Streaming of coverage from ESPN Radio.

espnW.com
ESPN’s first dedicated content and digital business designed to serve, inform and inspire female athletes and fans, espnW.com will be on location at the U.S. Open with veteran golf writer Mick Elliott and espnW contributor Melissa Jacobs. In addition to daily reports, planned items include:

  • A signature of espnW – Top 5 storylines to watch from the U.S. Open.
  • Can you be a top golfer and still have fun? Many pros look really stressed out while they play, while others, such as Bubba Watson and Phil Mickelson, still find a way to have fun and win too.
  • Where do fans stand on Tiger Woods, given his fall personally and professionally? Is he still their favorite golfer, even though he’s not currently winning?
  • For Father’s Day, players talk about their memories of their dads and how many played a big role in developing their love of golf in their childhoods.

ESPN3.com
In addition to the simulcast of ESPN’s live coverage of the first two rounds of the U.S. Open, ESPN3.com, ESPN’s signature broadband sports network, will offer several unique views for golf fans. Viewers can watch action on the 10th and 18th holes at Congressional Country Club on ESPN3.com from 10 a.m. – 7 p.m. during the first two rounds, and they also will be able to follow a featured group. Jim Kelly and John Anderson will host the feature group coverage with analyst Tom Weiskopf and reporter Mark Donaldson. In addition, ESPN3.com will offer a Spanish-language telecast.

ESPNnetworks.com
All U.S. Open programming on ESPN and ESPN2 will also be available on computers, smartphones and tablets through ESPNnetworks.com and the free WatchESPN app, which are accessible to fans who receive their video service from an affiliated provider.

The U.S. Open on ESPN Radio
ESPN Radio’s second straight broadcast of the U.S. Open tees off Wednesday, June 15, with a one-hour preview special at 7 p.m. leading to the network’s 24 live hours of tournament play Thursday-Sunday. Commentators contributing to ESPN Radio’s live coverage from Congressional include Doug Bell, Bill Kratzert, Sean McDonough, Dennis Paulson, Bill Rosinski, Curtis Strange and Bob Wischusen. Chuck Wilson will host U.S. Open studio programming. ESPN Radio’s coverage will be distributed in eight of the top 10 markets, and 43 of the top 50 markets.

ESPN Radio will air live coverage of tournament play from 10 a.m. – 4 p.m. on Thursday and Friday, June 16-17, with a midnight airing of SportsCenter Tonight’s U.S. Open Special. Coverage airs from 2-8 p.m. on both Saturday and Sunday, with 11 p.m. airings of SportsCenter Tonight’s U.S. Open Special. ESPN Radio will broadcast complete 18-hole coverage of each weekend day’s final group.

ESPN Radio’s U.S. Open coverage also will be available on satellite radio (ESPNXtra, Sirius XM channel 85) and play-by-play and studio content will be simulcast on ESPNRadio.com.

For golf fans on location at Congressional, ESPN Radio will have signals for fans to listen to audio from 4-7 p.m. on both Thursday and Friday via special earpieces that will be distributed on site. The audio will be from ESPN Radio’s broadcast from 4-5 p.m. and from the ESPN telecast from 5-7 p.m.

Additional coverage of the U.S. Open on ESPN platforms:

ESPN International
Coverage of the U.S. Open on ESPN platforms will reach some 133 countries and more than 218 million international households, with coverage in English, Spanish, Portuguese, French, Mandarin and Cantonese. Latin America will also feature live coverage and exclusive feeds (Hole 18 and the second Feature Group of the day) via ESPN Play (broadband).

ESPN the Magazine
In the issue that hit newsstands June 2, ESPN the Magazine has a Play department page on five players with “something to prove” at the year’s U.S. Open – Tiger Woods, Phil Mickelson, KJ Choi, Dustin Johnson and Lee Westwood.

ESPNEWS
ESPNEWS will offer all the latest U.S. Open news beginning Tuesday, June 14, with interviews, pre- and post-round news conferences and analysis.

ESPN Classic
ESPN Classic will feature 27 consecutive hours of classic U.S. Open golf films leading into live coverage of the first round of the U.S. Open on ESPN. The U.S. Open Golf Marathon begins Wednesday, June 15, at 7 a.m. and runs through Thursday, June 16, at 10 a.m.

ESPN on Demand
Available in more than 38 million households, ESPN on Demand will offer viewers the opportunity to watch some classic U.S. Open tournaments from the past, including Tiger Woods’ victories in 2000, 2002 and 2008, Jack Nicklaus’ last win in 1980 and Payne Stewart’s 1991 and 1999 wins.

ESPN Mobile
Live mobile video simulcasts of ESPN’s first- and second-round telecasts on June 16-17 and SportsCenter at the U.S. Open preview shows prior to the third and final rounds.

Interactive Television
The four-screen U.S. Open Mix will air on DirecTV (channels 701-705) for all four days of the championship. Channel 1 will carry the live ESPN or NBC television coverage, while Channels 2 and 3 will cover Featured Groups 1 and 2, respectively (players in both groups to be determined). Channel 4 will cover the 10th and 18th holes.

ABC SUPERSIGN
ESPN’s live coverage of the second round of the U.S. Open on Friday, June 17, will be simulcast live on the ABC SuperSign in New York City’s Time Square from 5-7 p.m.

U.S. Open – Congressional Country Club, Bethesda, MA

Day/Date Program Start End Network
Tue., June 14 SportsCenter at the U.S. Open 2 p.m. 3 p.m. ESPN
Wed., June 15 SportsCenter at the U.S. Open 2 p.m. 3 p.m. ESPN
Thu., June 16 First Round (Part 1) 10 a.m. 3 p.m. ESPN, ESPN3.com
Thu., June 16 First Round (Part 2) 5 p.m. 7 p.m. ESPN, ESPN3.com
Thu., June 16 Best of the U.S. Open 8 p.m. 11 p.m. ESPN
Thu., June 16 SportsCenter at the U.S. Open 11 p.m. Mid. ESPN2
Fri., June 17 Best of the U.S. Open 1 a.m. 4 a.m. ESPN2
Fri., June 17 Second Round (Part 1) 10 a.m. 3 p.m. ESPN, ESPN3.com
Fri., June 17 Second Round (Part 2) 5 p.m. 7 p.m. ESPN, ESPN3.com
Fri., June 17 Best of the U.S. Open 8 p.m. 11 p.m. ESPN
Fri., June 17 SportsCenter at the U.S. Open 11 p.m. Mid. ESPN2
Sat., June 18 Best of the U.S. Open 3 a.m. 6 a.m. ESPN
Sat., June 18 SportsCenter pres. by IBM at the U.S. Open 1 p.m. 2 p.m. ESPN
Sat., June 18 SportsCenter at the U.S. Open 11 p.m. Mid. ESPN2
Sun., June 19 Best of the U.S. Open 3 a.m. 6 a.m. ESPN
Sun., June 19 SportsCenter at the U.S. Open 12:30 p.m. 1:30 p.m. ESPN
Sun., June 19 SportsCenter at the U.S. Open 11 p.m. Mid. ESPN2
Mon., June 20 Best of the U.S. Open 1 a.m. 5 a.m. ESPN2

(44 hours of programming, including re-airs of SportsCenter specials)

That’s all.

About Ken Fang

Ken has been covering the sports media in earnest at his own site, Fang's Bites since May 2007 and at Awful Announcing since March 2013. He provides a unique perspective having been an award-winning radio news reporter in Providence and having worked in local television. Fang celebrates the three Boston Red Sox World Championships in the 21st Century, but continues to be a long-suffering Cleveland Browns fan.

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