ABC’s first-round coverage of the British Open, yesterday on ESPN, had several notable moments.
While we’re constantly reminded of the unusually taxing nature of British Open courses and conditions, ABC spent far too much time off the course. Yes, Colin Montgomerie shot a surprising 6-under, but did we need three post-round interviews with him within two hours while live play was on?
One chat session, however, proved valuable as David Duval revealed that behind those dark wraparound sunglasses and steely, robotic, exterior lives a man with a sense of humor. After Roger Twibell noted that Duval shot 69 after a slow start, Duval said, “I wasn’t slow, I got over par pretty quickly.”
The telecast’s most horrifying moment came when Curtis Strange lost control of his metaphors, creating an unfortunate verbal collision. Referencing Jesper Parnevik’s extreme divot-taking, Strange said, “He also digs a small grave at the practice tee, every day, digging a hole you could fit a small child into.” Ugh.
The best sight of the day came from ABC’s booth, where anchor Mike Tirico had returned to anchor after missing ABC’s last two golf events with a virus that caused blurred vision and excruciating headaches.
And the most important words of the day were spoken by ABC’s understated and under-rated Ian Baker-Finch, who, noting the wind, said, “You don’t play these links courses in the air, you play them on the ground.”