Despite airing on a Monday, ESPN's overnight rating for the final round of the British Open (2.6) was flat compared to Sunday coverage last year. The net's primary window last from 8:00am-3:41pm ET and saw Zach Johnson hold off Louis Oosthuizen and Marc Leishman in a four-hole playoff. Jordan Spieth, who finished one shot out of the playoff, missed a birdie chance on the 18th hole in his quest to keep his Grand Slam hopes alive. Last year's British Open final round saw Rory McIlroy hold off Rickie Fowler and Sergio Garcia. West Palm Beach was the top market for ESPN's coverage yesterday with a 5.0 local rating. ESPN yesterday also drew a 0.9 overnight for coverage from 6:00-8:00am, flat compared to early Sunday morning coverage last year (Austin Karp, Assistant Managing Editor). Golf Channel’s Paige Mackenzie said of Spieth, "He is must-see TV! There's something about the way that he plays the game that's so captivating. ... It brings you in." Golf Channel’s Lauren Thompson said, “Must-see TV? Jordan Spieth? Absolutely. That is a big, old ‘yes’ in all capital letters” (“Morning Drive,” Golf Channel, 7/21).
GETTING NOSTALGIC: GOLF.com's Gary Van Sickle wrote the British Open was the "best ESPN golf production I’ve ever seen" and noted he is "disappointed" the event will go to NBC in '17. A lot of the positive review for yesterday had to do with "having Mike Tirico and Paul Azinger in the tower most of the day." Azinger "re-established that he's the most entertaining analyst in golf," and he was among the first on-air personality "to question the R&A’s decision Saturday to resume play and continue it even while the 11th green was unplayable in the gusty winds." Scott Van Pelt and Sean McDonough also are "really good at what they do." Van Pelt "shows a lot of restraint on his rare forays into golf and is very deft at passing the ball to the experts." He is "not afraid to be self-deprecating, either." Andy North, given a "bigger role, has never been better," as he and Azinger "weren’t afraid to criticize Dustin Johnson at various points" (GOLF.com, 7/20). GOLF WORLD's John Strege writes ESPN's coverage "was exceptional," as the net "kept its focus on the golf, complemented by effective graphics, including its target line, a useful addition for camera shots from behind players on a flat links layout void of obvious sightlines." ESPN has "only one more year on its Open contract, but this telecast should leave many wishing the R&A had stayed with the network" (GOLF WORLD, 7/21 issue). In N.Y., Phil Mushnick wrote ESPN's "most telling shot" of the weekend "wasn't of golf; it was of the invisible -- the wind." Amid heavy winds Saturday, a bottle of water was "held directly over a [drinking] cup, inches away." As the water "was poured, it blew sideways." Mushnick: "Not a drop in the cup. Great TV" (N.Y. POST, 7/20).
ANGLE OF APPROACH: GOLFWEEK's Martin Kaufmann wrote yesterday "should have been one of ESPN’s finest days producing golf," as it had "all of the elements ... of a great final round." But there was "way too much chatter and way too few golf shots shown." Van Pelt was "particularly voluble." The thing that ESPN "fails to grasp, even more than its competitors at other networks, is that no one tunes in to listen to its announcers, nor does anyone tune in because it’s on ESPN." Kaufmann: "The only reason we tune in is to watch the damn tournament." One of the "best things" ESPN has is Azinger, who is "much better now on his own than he ever was when he teamed with Nick Faldo." Kaufmann: "I also liked what ESPN did graphically to illustrate the holes -- where to hit it and what to avoid. And the graphic showing the target line on some drives was helpful, though it could have been better conceived." But yesterday's telecast "didn't measure up to the moment," as it "just didn't feel special." ESPN "failed to show many important shots by leaders ... while wasting time showing Padraig Harrington looking for his lost ball or Ollie Schniederjans taking a drop." It was also "slow to move an on-course reporter to Zach Johnson’s group" (GOLFWEEK.com, 7/20). GOLF WORLD's Strege wrote it was "hard to find fault with anything that ESPN has done in this, the most difficult British Open to televise." However, Azinger on Sunday said the New Course at St. Andrews "is more than twice as old as the United States." The New Course, adjacent to the Old Course, actually was "built in 1895" (GOLFDIGEST.com, 7/19).
THE JORDAN RULES: In Dallas, Barry Horn notes after Spieth finished his final round just out of the playoff, ESPN "went to a taped interview" with him. That is "noteworthy because the network went to Spieth" as the playoff was going on. The interview was less than three minutes, but it was "telling just how much Spieth falling one shot short means to golf." It was a "Tiger Woods moment," as one golfer "appeared bigger than the game." Meanwhile, ESPN "smartly handled Spieth's last gasp effort to join the leaders" on the final hole. It "wasn't overly dramatic nor was it contrived" (DALLAS MORNING NEWS, 7/21).
A CASE OF THE MONDAYS: The GUARDIAN's Mark Tallentire noted the BBC yesterday "defended its decision not to broadcast the first six hours of play," even though the first tee time was at 7:45am local time. Instead of "clearing its schedule" yesterday, the BBC "stuck with its scheduled programming." The BBC's decision not to follow ESPN and show early coverage "is somewhat poorly timed given the corporation lost the rights" for the Open to Sky Sports earlier this year (GUARDIAN, 7/21).
