“We are watching a brand new Bryson DeChambeau this year. Re-made his golf swing, re-made the way he engages with the fans.” – Brandel Chamblee
“Rory is a little bit of an underdog and off the pace here. This storyline is not revolving around Rory McIlroy winning a major after 10 years...it may well suit Rory.” – Paul McGinley on Rory McIlroy (-4, T-2nd)
“Bryson was the star of the show today. He’s got the mentality. If you want a definition of focus, just put a ring around him.” – McGinley on Bryson DeChambeau (-7, Leader)
NBC Sports Delivers Most-Watched U.S. Open Second Round Since 2012
Mini Episodes of the GOLF Channel Podcast with Rex & Lav Post Nightly
STAMFORD, Conn. – June 15, 2024 – NBC Sports presented third round coverage of the 124th U.S. Open from Pinehurst Resort & C.C. (Course No. 2) on NBC, Peacock, and USA Network, including on-site pre- and post-round coverage on Golf Central Live From the U.S. Open on GOLF Channel and Peacock.
Sunday’s final round coverage begins at 9 a.m. ET on USA Network and continues at 12 p.m. ET on NBC and Peacock.
NBC Sports delivered the most-watched U.S. Open second round since 2012 on Friday on NBC and Peacock (1-7 p.m. ET), averaging a Total Audience Delivery of 2.38 million viewers. Click here for more info.
U.S. Open – Third Round Leaderboard
Player | Total |
Bryson DeChambeau | -7 |
Rory McIlroy | -4 |
Matthieu Pavon | -4 |
Patrick Cantlay | -4 |
Hideki Matsuyama | -2 |
Ludvig Åberg | -2 |
ON BRYSON DECHAMBEAU (-7, Leader)
Brandel Chamblee: “We are watching a brand new Bryson DeChambeau this year. Re-made his golf swing, re-made the way he engages with the fans. In the past, he could get a little bit surly – anything but, now.”
Paul McGinley on Live From: “Bryson was the star of the show today. His short game was just sensational. You can talk all you want about his big driving – and of course, it’s a big part of who he is – but boy, can he chip and putt. He’s got the mentality. If you want a definition of focus, just put a ring on him.”
Chamblee: “We talk a lot about how far he can hit the ball, but we wouldn’t be talking about him if he didn’t have the other aspects of this game.”
Dan Hicks: “I don’t think I’ve ever seen a player get this involved with the crowd, interacting this personally on every shot and reacting to the cheers.”
Chamblee on DeChambeau’s putting: “He believes you can catch an edge of the dimple, which would throw the putt off-line, so he marks his golf balls so that he can put the ball down and hit the dimple flush. Who thinks of that.”
Jim “Bones” Mackay on DeChambeau requesting to see the physio: “Bryson was just telling me that he’s got torn ligaments in both his left and right hips. He’s had them for quite some time and his right hip is currently tightening up on him.”
ON RORY MCILROY (-4, T-2nd)
McGinley on Live From: “You keep knocking on the door and the door is going to open. I like where he’s at, as long he remains patient, and how he deals with the slow play of Patrick Cantlay tomorrow...I think it’s good that he’s not playing with Bryson tomorrow. I think that he’s set up nicely. He’s playing well...it’s pretty much there. This is going to be a great day of competition tomorrow. Bryson is going to suck all of the oxygen tomorrow...Rory is a little bit of an underdog and off the pace here. This storyline is not revolving around Rory McIlroy winning a major after 10 years...it may well suit Rory.”
Paige Mackenzie on Live From: “Guess who is leading the field in strokes gained off the tee? It’s actually Rory. Whenever you get Rory McIlroy leading off of the tee, that’s when he starts to really shine...when I look at the leaderboard, he’s the only one at the top where I can see, ‘he missed that opportunity, he missed that opportunity.’ I’m begging for the (major) where it feels like perfection, where it feels like he’s left everything on the golf course, and we’re not going to wonder what could have been.”
Faxon: “Sean O’Flaherty, Rory’s manager, was flying home with him on Sunday from The Memorial. Rory got up on the airplane and said, ‘Sean, I just figured it out.’ Sean goes, ‘What did you figure out?’ Rory says, ‘I figured out my swing.’ He started standing there in the aisle making this backswing. One of the things he did this week was stand closer to the ball....he didn’t even hit a ball until Tuesday.”
Chamblee: “Earlier in the year, how many times did you see him with a wedge – and he hits more wedges than anybody – hit them long and left? That shot has been his nemesis. He has turned it around.”
John Wood: “He seems to be feeding off the crowds right now...he looks very clear of mind.”
ON MATTHIEU PAVON (-4, T-2nd)
Curt Byrum on his lie in the native area on the second shot on No. 13: “This is the worst lie I have seen here in the last three days.”
GOLF CHANNEL PODCAST WITH REX & LAV
As part of NBC Sports’ comprehensive U.S. Open coverage, new daily episodes of the GOLF Channel Podcast with Rex & Lav, hosted by GOLFChannel.com senior writers Rex Hoggard and Ryan Lavner, will post nightly. The podcast sees the two longtime scribes discuss and debate the latest news and hottest topics in the sport, and this week’s daily mini-pods will recap each round of the U.S. Open, discuss the major storylines from the championship, and look ahead to the following day’s play.
Click here to listen to the latest episode on YouTube and Apple Podcasts.
--NBC SPORTS—
