Why the "Open" is on ESPN

Hillbilly

Moderator
Jan 1, 2002
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Today is the final day of the "British Open" known as the Open....at St. Andrews.

This is the first year I can remember that the entire tournament is on ESPN...and I wondered why? Like most of us "golfers" here in the DR, we follow these major tournaments like ants follow picnics..

This year, the tournament was basically over by 10:20 on Friday morning as Louis Oosthuizen posted 12 under on a day when something like 70% of the field scored over par. He went into Saturday 5 strokes ahead and on the 12th hole today he is at 8 shots from second place...an eagle on 9 and he just lipped out to take a 9 shot lead.

Now to the why:

Time difference. Not many will get up at 4:00 a.m. to watch anything.
Poor technology. For some reason the British cameramen cannot follow a golf ball in flight. On 17, the Road Hole, they have installes a ball flight recorder, but that was standard four years ago in the US...So the viewers are seeing cameras looking around for where the ball landed, lots of fun in that...
Finally, Tiger is kaput. He cannot hit a fairway or make a putt. Phil has never played the Open very well and this year was no different. This translates into little or tiny US viewership...

HB
 

Deyvi

*** I love DR1 ***
Dec 23, 2009
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Today is the final day of the "British Open" known as the Open....at St. Andrews.

This is the first year I can remember that the entire tournament is on ESPN...and I wondered why? Like most of us "golfers" here in the DR, we follow these major tournaments like ants follow picnics..

This year, the tournament was basically over by 10:20 on Friday morning as Louis Oosthuizen posted 12 under on a day when something like 70% of the field scored over par. He went into Saturday 5 strokes ahead and on the 12th hole today he is at 8 shots from second place...an eagle on 9 and he just lipped out to take a 9 shot lead.

Now to the why:

Time difference. Not many will get up at 4:00 a.m. to watch anything.
Poor technology. For some reason the British cameramen cannot follow a golf ball in flight. On 17, the Road Hole, they have installes a ball flight recorder, but that was standard four years ago in the US...So the viewers are seeing cameras looking around for where the ball landed, lots of fun in that...
Finally, Tiger is kaput. He cannot hit a fairway or make a putt. Phil has never played the Open very well and this year was no different. This translates into little or tiny US viewership...

HB

yeah HB. Agree with you on much of this. Way over played by ESPN. I'm 59. When the British Open comes to mind-- for me it's Tom Watson. The guy was so ---- for yrs. In that tournament. LOts of coverage by ESPN, and it was so great to see Watson kiss the bridge and bid goodbye to the fans at St. Andrews. As you say ; horrible coverage. We're supposed to think it was the wind etc. St. Andrews was covered 20 yrs. ago far better than this. They centered on the bad bunkers etc. Golf loves a champion and there isn't anyone stepping up. Did you check out Jack's comment of --"heck no, I don't want him to beat my majors record." (speaking of Tiger). We fans need a new champ and so does the media. Tiger is done. He should open a whore house in Reno. Any suggestions for the name?