ESPN earned a 2.6 overnight Nielsen rating for the final round of yesterday's British Open from 8:00am-2:00pm ET, which saw Darren Clarke capture his first major championship by three strokes over Phil Mickelson and Dustin Johnson. The rating is flat with the final round last year, which saw Louis Oosthuizen win by seven strokes over Lee Westwood. Saturday's coverage of the third round earned a 1.9 overnight from 9:00-2:30pm, down 30% from a 2.7 overnight last year (Austin Karp, THE DAILY).
FEELING KINDA STRANGE: YAHOO SPORTS' Jonathan Wall writes ESPN analyst Curtis Strange "is a straight shooter when it comes to his opinions on players," and it should be no surprise that he "started to piece things together following Dustin Johnson's fanned approach shot that went out of bounds on the 14th hole" during the final round. Strange said on-air of Johnson, "This is three majors now he potentially could have won. Looks like maybe a bit of a pattern." Wall: "He didn't drop a Johnny Miller 'choke' in there. It was a simple but powerful comment from Strange, and let casual viewers at home know this wasn't the first time Johnson had imploded at a major." Meanwhile, ESPN play-by-play announcer Mike Tirico "might be one of the absolute best," but yesterday he was "off his game, and it came at the absolute worst time." With Clarke putting for the championship on the 18th green, Tirico said, "Clarke wins in Kent; it was a super effort." Wall writes the call was "one of the cheesiest in recent memory" (SPORTS.YAHOO.com, 7/18). However, GOLFWEEK's Martin Kaufmann writes Tirico and ESPN's Paul Azinger are "at least as good as their 18th-hole counterparts at NBC, CBS and Golf Channel." Tirico is like a "gifted point guard" and Azinger is "concise and thoughtful." Kaufmann: "It was disappointing to see them absent from the telecasts for extended periods. ... Viewers who didn't know better might have assumed that Scott Van Pelt and Curtis Strange were ESPN's lead announcers" (GOLFWEEK.com, 7/18).
RICK ROLLED: GOLF DIGEST’s John Strege noted ESPN's Rick Reilly had a segment yesterday in which he was "discussing the troubles in Northern Ireland and a bomb once blowing up a bar in which Clarke was working.” The piece was “not well received, not because there wasn't a good story there,” but because the message “was better than the messenger, according to Twitter reaction.” Turner Sports' Jim Huber wrote, "Somebody give Rick Reilly a Prompter, PLEASE!" Blogger and Golf World contributor Geoff Shackelford: "Rick Reilly is no @TimRosaforte on the ESPN player backstory hits. Just hacked his way thru something on Darren Clarke." Yahoo Sports' Jay Busbee: "And as Rick Reilly takes over the screen, millions of Americans stand up and go for another cup of coffee" (GOLFDIGEST.com, 7/17).
LEAVING THEIR MARK: GOLFWEEK's Kaufmann writes ESPN has made "dramatic upgrades to the British Open telecasts since it began broadcasting all four rounds last year." The net has "taken control of the broadcasts rather than relying on the BBC feed, and is producing shows as sophisticated as anything we've ever seen." The studio sets "looked fabulous, especially the one off the first tee that housed Tirico and Azinger" (GOLFWEEK.com, 7/18).
COURSE OF INACTION: In N.Y., Phil Mushnick reviewed ESPN's Friday coverage of the British Open, as he tuned in at 7:00am ET "in time to see a commercial for a brokerage house, followed by a dramatically produced promo urging me to watch the British Open on ESPN." ESPN then showed Miguel Angel Jimenez "hitting balls on the range," followed by "taped highlights of what had occurred on the course that morning." Viewers were taken "course-side where Terry Gannon and Tom Weiskopf were seen talking about" the on-course action. The pair "spoke about the overnight leaders" and the "developing 'story lines' -- while the British Open, just behind them in the near distance, was being played." Mushnick: "It was back to watching two ESPN commentators talk about the British Open on the network that owns the U.S. rights to show the British Open, which was being played while we watched them speak! Finally, I got to see some live golf shots -- but again from the range" (N.Y. POST, 7/17).
NOT QUITE READY FOR THE BOOTH: Clarke following his win sat for an interview with ESPN's Tom Rinaldi, who noted the net "inquired about having Darren Clarke be a member of our commentary team before this championship.” Clarke laughed and said, “Sorry, I couldn’t do it because I was too busy out on the golf course. I was all geared up to fill you guys with a load of information about how the golf course was playing, what clubs they’re hitting. But unfortunately, I played a little bit too well. So I’m sorry I couldn’t do it this time” ("British Open," ESPN, 7/17).
