July 11, 2012 NINETEEN MAJOR CHAMPIONS HEADLINE NBC'S U.S. SENIOR OPEN COVERAGE NBC to Air Six Hours of Live, Weekend Coverage NBC Sports Group Continues 2012 USGA Season Ratings Momentum “Indianwood reminds me of a mini-Shinnecock. The rough is up and the greens are fairly small and have a lot of slope, so playing from the fairway will be critical.” – NBC Analyst Gary Koch
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ORLANDO, Fla., / NEW YORK – July 10, 2012 – Nineteen major champions, legends of the game and some of the country’s elite amateurs headline the world-class field at the 2012 U.S. Senior Open, airing live on NBC Saturday and Sunday from 3-6 p.m. ET.

“Golf Channel on NBC’s” weekend coverage on NBC will include three hours of live tournament action each day from Indianwood Golf and Country Club in Lake Orion, Mich., complemented by news coverage on Golf Central – which will be seen nightly on Golf Channel. GolfChannel.com also will provide online coverage of the championship.

RECORD RATINGS: The U.S. Senior Open on NBC will continue NBC Sports Group’s momentum at USGA events in 2012. Last weekend, NBC scored its highest-rated third round of the U.S. Women’s Open in three years (0.8 overnight rating), up 14 percent over 2011, while Sunday’s final round (0.9) was up 13 percent. In June, NBC’s 13 hours of weekend coverage of the U.S. Open produced the most-watched third round in a decade; and the most-watched weekend coverage in four years.

TOURNAMENT BROADCAST TEAM – Host Dan Hicks and lead analyst Johnny Miller will anchor coverage from the 18^th tower. They will be joined by tower reporter Gary Koch and on-course reporters Roger Maltbie, Mark Rolfing and Dottie Pepper.



ON-SITE NEWS COVERAGE – Golf Channel’s news coverage of the U.S. Senior Open will feature live news reports, inside analysis, highlights and player interviews from the Champions Tour’s fourth major championship of 2012.

Golf Central and Golf Central Pre Game will provide daily on-site news reports from and updates from Indianwood Golf and Country Club throughout the week. Morning Drive, the network’s live, weekday morning show, will feature special guests Thursday and Friday. On the Range (Wednesday, 8-9 p.m. ET) will feature tips and instruction, while showcasing how the players are preparing on the driving range at Indianwood; and the Grey Goose 19^th Hole (Thursday and Friday night at midnight ET will feature expanded discussion on the opening rounds of the U.S. Senior Open. David Marr III will report for Golf Central throughout the week and Billy Kratzert will report for On the Range from Indianwood.

Among the 19 major champions entered in the field, nine are former U.S. Open champions: Hale Irwin, Jerry Pate, Tom Watson, Larry Nelson, Fuzzy Zoeller, Scott Simpson, Tom Kite, Corey Pavin and Steve Jones. Several are multiple major champions, including Bernhard Langer, Irwin, Watson, Zoeller and Nelson.

The U.S. Senior Open marks professional golf’s return to the Detroit area. Indianwood’s Old Course is hosting a major championship for the third time, previously hosting the 1989 and 1994 U.S. Women’s Opens. The club also hosted the 1930 Western Open, won by Gene Sarazen.


U.S. Senior Open Programming

--NBC Sports Group--