U.S. Open Final Round Flat On Fox For Koepka's Repeat Win

The 3.6 is the U.S. Open's second-lowest figure on record for a final round -- above only a 3.3 for NBC in 14GETTY IMAGES

Fox drew a 3.6 overnight for the final round of the U.S. Open yesterday from 10:00am-6:45pm ET, which saw Brooks Koepka win for the second straight year. Koepka won by one stroke yesterday at Shinnecock Hills over Tommy Fleetwood and two strokes over Dustin Johnson. The 3.6 is flat compared to ’17, when Koepka won by four strokes at Erin Hills. The 3.6 also marks the golf major's second-lowest figure on record for a final round -- above only the 3.3 overnight that NBC drew in its last year with the event in '14, when Martin Kaymer took home the win by eight strokes in a wire-to-wire victory at Pinehurst. This year’s U.S. Open had competition over the weekend from opening FIFA World Cup matches, including a popular Mexico-Germany match yesterday. Meanwhile, Fox on Saturday drew a 2.8 overnight for U.S. Open third round coverage from 11:00am-7:45pm, up from a 2.6 last year and up from a 2.5 in ’16 (Austin Karp, Assistant Managing Editor).

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NICE WAY TO CLOSE THINGS OUT: GOLFWEEK's Martin Kaufmann wrote Fox yesterday was "finally given a day worthy of our national championship," and the net "was up to the task of presenting it." Fox seems to have "settled on a crew of analysts," led by Paul Azinger, Brad Faxon and Curtis Strange, who "have the chops to tell the story." The decision this year to "flip-flop" Shane Bacon and Shane O’Donoghue "worked out." Bacon seems "most comfortable in the anchor seat, where he gives Joe Buck a breather, and O’Donoghue’s easy Irish manner works well in the interview chair" (GOLFWEEK.com, 6/17). MORNINGREAD.com's John Hawkins writes Fox' telecast of the tournament as a whole "still lacks the polish and a few vital elements with which we’ve grown accustomed at CBS and NBC." Gradual improvement "has been made" since the net's "difficult U.S. Open debut" in '15 at Chambers Bay. However, changes "need to be made." Fox should "add a real studio show" and "find a swing analyst." The net needs to "tighten up the little stuff" and "improve the scoring graphics" (MORNINGREAD.com, 6/18).

LEFTY SPIN: Phil Mickelson on Saturday made headlines by intentionally hit a moving ball on the 13th green, resulting in a two-stroke penalty. SPORTS BROADCAST JOURNAL's Dan Mason writes Fox' Curtis Strange had "first post-round dibs at Mickelson," but he "wasn't hard enough" in his questioning. Mason: "This is where Buck had his finest moment as Fox' lead on the broadcast. He called out Mickelson and his comments as a 'perfect way to justify poor behavior'" (SPORTSBROADCASTJOURNAL.com, 6/18). THE ATHLETIC's Richard Deitsch notes Buck "didn't cover for the golfer as others might have in his lead host position" (THEATHLETIC.com, 6/18). GOLF DIGEST's John Strege noted Azinger was "more or less initially defending" Mickelson’s explanation, though Azinger eventually agreed with Buck’s conclusion that "it was spin" (GOLFDIGEST.com, 6/16). SPORTING NEWS' Michael McCarthy noted Global Golf Post's John Hopkins during yesterday's coverage called Mickelson a "chump" and "silly ass" during an interview with Fox' Holly Sonders. Due to either Hopkins' British accent or the "unhurried, professorial way he skewered Mickelson," his "brutally honest comments made even Sonders look at the camera in surprise" (SPORTINGNEWS.com, 6/17).

JOB WELL DONE: In N.Y., Andrew Marchand wrote Fox' “Brownie Points” segment is a "winner." Course reporter Ken Brown "hits the right notes, giving viewers a good feel of how a hole will play with creative demonstration methods, such as using a basketball to more easily show how a golf ball will roll." Brown’s "passion for the segments comes through" (N.Y. POST, 6/16). MORNINGREAD.com's Hawkins notes Fox yesterday ran a segment with Brown standing on the 13th green, site of Mickelson's situation, and Brown "perfectly replicated the bogey putt that caused all the fuss." Brown "let the infamous putt run its course" and the ball "wobbled in a couple of directions along the edge of the green, then caught a swale and suddenly bolted diagonally to the left, tumbling 20 or 30 yards off the putting surface before coming to rest." Viewers were "left to wonder what was more ridiculous: Mickelson’s gross breach of conduct, the ensuing explanation or the miracle shot that he never struck" (MORNINGREAD.com, 6/18).

CAN'T WIN 'EM ALL: On Long Island, Neil Best noted Fox on Friday "endured two audio-related glitches, including losing audio altogether for about eight minutes." The net also "inadvertently picked up sound of two people in the gallery having a graphic, sex-related conversation" (NEWSDAY, 6/16).