Live From the U.S. Open: 100-Foot Scorpion Cranes, Railcam Among Tech Highlights

200+ hours of coverage includes primetime on NBC

The 123rd U.S. Open tees off this morning at The Los Angeles Country Club (LACC), and, once again, NBC Sports will offer some primetime coverage on the NBC broadcast network amidst more than 200 hours of coverage across NBC, Golf Channel, USA Network, and Peacock. The 25 hours of coverage on the broadcast network will be the most ever.

100-ft. Scorpion cranes are in use at the 1st hole …

“The way it will be presented will be really cool, primetime, East Coast,” says Dan Hicks, lead play-by-play announcer, PGA TOUR, NBC Sports. “West Coast U.S. Opens are always some of my favorite ones to do because I think the eyeballs on it and the audience just get bigger because of the primetime audience out east.”

As usual, specialty cameras will provide a close look at a course that many viewers have never seen, given that the last time it hosted a U.S. Open was in 1940.

Three bunker cams on the 6th, 7th, and 14th holes will give new perspectives from the ground. Aerial coverage comprises a drone, an airplane, and cameras mounted on 100-ft. Scorpion cranes along the 1st and 11th holes. On the 15th par-3, a RailCam will provide a different look, as will a reverse-follow JitaCam on 17.

A blind tee shot on the drivable par-4 6th hole, meanwhile, will make use of an incoming TopTracer, and high-speed super-slo-mo cameras will be deployed on the 1st tee and 9th, 15th, and 18th greens.

… and at the 11th hole.

NBC Sports is also bringing a new approach with U.S. Open All Access Presented by Lexus, streaming exclusively on Peacock 3-8 p.m. ET Thursday-Saturday and 2-7 p.m. on Sunday. Providing viewers with daily whip-around coverage from Los Angeles Country Club, it is hosted by podcast host Chris Vernon and analyst and current PGA TOUR player Johnson Wagner. It complements the traditional broadcast coverage, tapping into the main telecast, Featured Groups and Holes, and range cam and featuring a variety of contributors and analysts.

Thursday and Friday coverage begins exclusively on Peacock at 9:40 a.m. ET, followed by coverage on USA Network at 1 p.m. and live primetime coverage on NBC at 8 p.m.

The NBC broadcast network will offer 10 straight hours of live coverage on Saturday 1-11 p.m. Peacock opens Sunday’s coverage at noon, and NBC’s final-round coverage starts at 1 p.m.

On Sunday evening, NBC Sports will present the “Rolex Hour” — uninterrupted coverage in partnership with Rolex — during the final hour of play on NBC, as pivotal shots are made en route to determining the U.S. Open champion.

NBC Sports will complement its comprehensive U.S. Open coverage with live Featured Groups Thursday-Sunday, showcasing two morning groups and two afternoon groups each day of the championship.

NEP production trucks are at the center of NBC Sports’ 2023 U.S. Open coverage.

Thursday Featured Groups are scheduled for 11:13 a.m. ET (Collin Morikawa, Max Homa, and Scottie Scheffler) and 4:43 p.m. (Tony Finau, Jordan Spieth, and Patrick Cantlay); Friday’s Groups, at 11:24 a.m. (Xander Schauffele, Viktor Holvland, and Jon Rahm) and 4:54 p.m. (Brooks Koepka, Hideki Matsuyama, and Rory McIlroy). Featured Groups will also be shown live on usopen.com, the new USGA mobile app, the USGA streaming app on connected-TV devices, and DirecTV. In total, there will be more than 100 hours of complementary digital coverage.

PSSI and Coastal Media Group facilities in the TV compound at the 2023 U.S. Open

Peacock will stream Featured Holes coverage this week, highlighting a trio of intriguing holes at LACC: the drivable par-4 6th hole, the 624-yard par-5 14th, and the short 124-yard 15th.

Both The Switch and BSI have a presence at the 2023 U.S. Open.

Golf Central Live From the U.S. Open on Golf Channel and Peacock surrounds the U.S. Open with approximately 40 hours of studio coverage onsite, previewing the championship and providing pre- and post-round coverage each day.