Golf Channel to Cover U.S. Open Qualifiers

Will report from 11 sectional venues

By John Eggerton -- Broadcasting & Cable, 5/24/2012 1:12:20 PM

Golf Channel will cover the sport's so-called "longest day" with a long day of its own.

On the Monday (June 4) of qualifying for the U.S. Open Championship, the channel will provide coverage from 7 a.m. to midnight as golfers try to qualify in sectional play at 11 locations. The coverage will be anchored from Golf Channel's Orlando studios, but will include dedicated shows and updates throughout the day from reporters and cameras at all those locations.

Golf Channel will provide more than 50 hours of news coverage of the U.S. Open from the Olympic Club June 14-17, complementing co-owned NBC's 15.5 hours of tournament coverage over four days.

On a conference call with reporters Thursday, analyst Johnny Miller talked about the ability of a junior golfer to qualify in those sectionals, get to the Open and have a chance of winning. He was speaking from experience, having qualified for the 1966 Open at Olympic as a college freshman, playing with Jack Nicklaus on national TV and tying for eighth place overall and claiming low amateur honors.