NBC 69 Of 69 In Martin Kaymer Shots Shown Sunday

/

Talk about German engineering! (Sam Weinman reviews the various references to the German engineering in the post-Kaymer U.S. Open win here).

Impressive balance by NBC as noted by Classic TV Sports, which tabulated the distribution of leader shots shown by the network during the U.S. Open final round.

All 69 of Kaymer's shots were shown, but more interesting was the balance of leaders and their place on the leaderboard.

Rally Killers Attack! Wie Grilled Over Her New Nail Polish, Her Pomeranian's Presence In Hospitality

/

Some pretty special stuff at Pinehurst today as Michelle Wie graciously sat down for a Q&A with the assembled scribblers and I can safely say neither of these was asked by yours truly and the identity of the questioners is unknown:

Q. You said we could ask you anything, and I notice sitting here in the front row that you have different nail polish on your fingers. Is that to help you with your grip or is there a reason for that?

MICHELLE WIE: No. It's just --

Q. Just your whim this morning?
MICHELLE WIE: Uh-huh.

And...

Q. And was that your Pomeranian I saw up on the hospitality deck there yesterday? Did you bring, is it Lola, your little doggie?

 
MICHELLE WIE: I don't know, was she out there? Yeah, I guess so. Maybe.

It's not often you get two rally killers of that quality in one session! History was made at Pinehurst today!

If you don't believe this occurred, the video of Wie's press conference can be viewed here at GolfChannel.com.

TV Roundup: 3.3 Overnight Rating, NBC's Classy Goodbye, Joe And Greg Debut Their First Fist-Bump!

/

Ed Sherman reports on the U.S. Open final round's 3.3 overnight rating down 46% from last year's 6.1 at Merion when Phil Mickelson battled Justin Rose.

Austin Karp noted on Twitter that the better comparison is to 2011 when Rory McIlroy was a runaway winner. Still a steep drop.

Sherman also reviews the telecast and calls NBC's farewell "understated, classy" and says the network deserved better than a runaway winner.

As a result, NBC did an understated, classy farewell to its signature tournament. - See more at: http://www.shermanreport.com/no-tears-no-drama-but-a-lot-of-class-nbc-espn-sign-off-on-final-u-s-open/#sthash.vcaixnYf.dpuf
As a result, NBC did an understated, classy farewell to its signature tournament. - See more at: http://www.shermanreport.com/no-tears-no-drama-but-a-lot-of-class-nbc-espn-sign-off-on-final-u-s-open/#sthash.vcaixnYf.dpuf

John Strege reviews NBC's final U.S. Open telecast where other than an Inside Baseball jab at the end thanking USGAers David Fay, Mark Carlson, Sandy Tatum but not Mike Davis:

The credits rolled, after which Hicks came on one last time. He noted that NBC had broadcast 650 hours in those 20 years, “and every second of it has been a true labor of love. It has been an honor and privilege to document our national championship of golf for all of you. We’ll miss doing that, but as we bid one last U.S. Open goodbye form Pinehurst, we’ll never forget how much fun this 20-year ride has been. Good night from Pinehurst.”

To its credit, NBC tactfully had avoided any mention of its Open denouement during the golf, leaving the stage to Kaymer. Only once did it hint that the end was in sight.

Karen Crouse stopped in the NBC truck and filed a NY Times look at all that goes on in the control room, profiling the men who headed NBC's broadcasts: Tommy Roy and Tom Randolph.

“Producing 10 hours of live golf is the greatest diet in the world,” Roy said.

His workday starts before he arrives in the truck. Roy stops by the driving range to see what players are wearing, the better to identify them on the monitors. He studies their mannerisms to improve his own performance. That is why Roy doesn’t worry about cutting to a shot of Jim Furyk when he first steps up to a putt: He knows Furyk will back off it.

Roy could empathize with the Open’s 36-hole leader, Martin Kaymer, who said it was not easy playing the first two days with Keegan Bradley, whose pre-shot routine is an elaborate body tic. It’s difficult, Roy said, to perfectly time a cut to a golfer whose pre-shot routine is unpredictable.

“Go to Elvis,” Roy shouted, referring to a deck on a replay machine. For Roy, there is no such thing as a brilliant mistake.

Back to Sunday here at Pinehurst...the past...

And the future...love the overbite for added oomph!

Speaking of fresh and innovative, Buck and Norman appeared live doing a third round recap. Unfortunately, a reader says that version is not the one that made it online. A reader caught it and backed up the DVR and transcribed the scrubbed intro from the studio host to Joe Buck.

It's certainly fresh! Not sure about innovative.

The guy threw it to Buck with this:

"Okay okay we get it.  Struggling to find time for the US Open,  well with the World Cup, and no Tiger, and a massive lead by a great player, who I am sorry – doesn’t exactly scream excitement.

But what if I told you the leader Martin Kaymer slipped a little, would that get you excited?"

12 years.

2014 U.S. Open: Your Kneejerk Reactions

/

I'm going to be hunkering down filing some things for Golf World, but before we get into some deeper questions about the week, I'm curious what the overall impression was of the U.S. Open?

Yes, it was not an interesting finish because of Martin Kaymer's dominance and the inability of players to score on a day that the USGA intended to make scoreable. I still contend you can't beat players up for three days and expect them to put on a birdie barrage, and despite the claims of a compromised setup Sunday, the course held its own. Maybe too much.

On-site the week was a home-run, with only a water truck as a USGA oversight for the dusty paths. Otherwise the course, operations and facilities ran beautifully. Kudos to all who put in long days.

Anyway, overall thoughts on Pinehurst welcomed!

Guide: 2014 U.S. Open Final Round This And That

/

Seems 76% of you think Martin Kaymer will win, and why not, he's looked unbeatable and has bounced back after hiccups.

I've just taken a quick tour of the course and sweated off today's swell breakfast. The course is "setup for scoring," according to Mike Davis though after so much defensive golf for three days, it'll be interesting to see if players bite at the two tempting driveable par-4s. That's right, two!

The third and 13th are the ones, with the 13th possibly only requiring a 3-wood. So think the par-3 6th at Merion, only easier.

Weather is perfect, forecast is sublime and there are some nice stories on the leaderboard should Martin Kaymer struggle. But it's hard to see that happening.

Your final round starting times are here. Leader Martin Kaymer goes at, gulp, 3:35.

TV and Radio times here and don't forget the feature group and other digital options online.

Leaderboard.

Hole locations.

Erik Compton: "Somebody Who Could Win This Thing."

/

Dave Kindred on two-time heart transplant recipient Erik Compton, teeing off in the second to last group Sunday at Pinehurst and trailing Martin Kaymer by five.

From Kindred's column:

Erik Compton had made five birdies in seven holes and, suddenly, surprisingly, he had introduced himself as More Than Just a Good Story.

"I'd been flying under the radar," he said, "and I was laughing at my caddie because I heard some guys cheering my name."

On the game's biggest stage, Compton had become Somebody Who Could Win This Thing.

For some background reading and viewing on Compton, here was Jim Moriarty's superb Compton profile from 2008 and Gene Wojciechowski's 2010 profile.

And a YouTube tease from the Real Sports With Bryant Gumbel feature on Compton from two years ago.