NOTES AND QUOTES – NBC SPORTS' COVERAGE OF THE 125TH U.S. OPEN (THIRD ROUND)
Sunday's Final Round Coverage Begins at 9 a.m. ET on USA Network and Continues on NBC and Peacock at Noon ET
'He answered a lot of questions about himself today – but tomorrow will be the biggest day of his career.' – Dan Hicks on Sam Burns (-4, Leader)
'It really seems like physically and mentally that Adam Scott is in complete control of his game and his mind.' – Smylie Kaufman on Scott (-3, T-2nd)
'If he were to go on to win tomorrow, remember that shot today.' - Terry Gannon on Viktor Hovland's shot from the rough on No. 17 to a few feet
Mini Episodes of the GOLF Channel Podcast with Rex & Lav Post Nightly
STAMFORD, Conn. – June 14, 2025 – NBC Sports presented third round coverage of the 125th U.S. Open from Oakmont Country Club on NBC, Peacock, and USA Network, including on-site post-round coverage on Golf Central Live From the U.S. Open on GOLF Channel.
Sunday's final round coverage begins at 9 a.m. ET on USA Network and continues on NBC and Peacock at noon ET.
Saturday's coverage included a visit to the broadcast booth by 18-time major winner Jack Nicklaus, who won his first major title at the 1962 U.S. Open at Oakmont.
125th U.S. Open – Third Round Leaderboard
ON SAM BURNS (-4, Leader)
Hicks: 'He answered a lot of questions about himself today – but tomorrow will be the biggest day of his career.'
Terry Gannon on his par at No. 7: 'That's a U.S. Open par.'
Kisner on his pre-shot routine: 'He does his routine almost every single shot I've ever seen him hit. He's always trying to keep that club face outside of his hands and he checks it with his eyes before he goes back to set and hit his shot. That routine gets him super comfortable with where he's putting the golf club on every swing.'
Brad Faxon on Burns' putting following birdie on No. 13: 'Scottie Scheffler has said that Sam is one of these guys that has good fundamentals, good instincts and he putts very reactionary. That's a good compliment from the best in the world.'
Kisner on Burns' long birdie putt left short from the front of No. 16: 'The guys have been leaving this putt short all day long.'
Jim 'Bones' Mackay: 'It's funny – as the guys were walking up to the green, someone in the crowd was yelling that the guys have been short from the front of this green all day long.'
ON ADAM SCOTT (-3, T-2nd)
Hicks following Scott's birdie on No. 13: 'You get the feeling that Adam Scott is kind of a favorite? That was a heck or a roar.'
Kaufman prior to his birdie on No. 17 to tie for the lead: 'This is a putt you almost expect to make has a player. Just a cup or two out on the right side, but I think that Adam Scott is licking his chops here. It really seems like physically and mentally that Adam Scott is in complete control of his game and his mind.'
ON J.J. SPAUN (-3, T-2nd)
Begay III: 'He's just been really solid in a lot of areas of the game…Really seems to be comfortable with his golf swing, but more important he's been comfortable in the moment.'
Hicks: 'There is confidence in that putter.'
Faxon: 'I think hearing what he said about his experience at the PLAYERS, playing against Rory when he said he was the most nervous he's ever been, particularly in the playoff on Monday morning...I really think that experience is going to help him down the stretch at Oakmont.'
ON VIKTOR HOVLAND (-1, 4th)
Faxon following his missed birdie on No. 7: 'It gets frustrating when you hit good shots and you don't make (the putts), you just have to remind yourself, 'I can keep doing this. I'm going to keep hitting good putts. I have to go through my process.''
Hicks after his birdie on No. 10: 'That's why Hovland says he has been in a good state of mind. Even though you're going to pick up bogeys like he did early in the round, he knows he's hitting well and he doesn't get into panic mode.'
Kisner: 'I love this look in his face. He's just so stoic.'
Smylie Kaufman: 'I talked to his caddie Shay Knight and he said just about every iron he has hit today, there's been a little bit more juice in it. There's been about four or five extra yards that there haven't expecting.'
Terry Gannon on Hovland's shot from the rough on No. 17 to a few feet: 'If he were to go on to win tomorrow, remember that shot today.'
ON TYRRELL HATTON (+1, T-6th)
Kisner: 'He always seems to be around in these majors on the weekend.'
Hicks: 'U.S. Open, Tyrrell Hatton, and Oakmont? Sign me up. Around this place, it could send even Hatton to a whole new level.'
ON SCOTTIE SCHEFFLER (+4, T-11th)
Hicks on Scheffler's putting today: 'He just hasn't been able to continue that really good putting streak that he's had by winning three of his last four starts.'
Scheffler to Cara Banks post-round on the mental grind of Oakmont: 'Collin, Viktor and I were laughing in scoring yesterday because there was one instance yesterday where Collin kind of walked through my line because he got flustered by chipping it over the green. Viktor did the same thing on the hole before because he had played a little hockey and then I had messed up some scores on Collin's card so we're sitting there laughing in scoring like, 'What are we doing out there?' Maybe once or twice a year you mess up somebody's score, and I messed up two of Collin's yesterday so it's challenging in a lot of different senses and it's especially challenging when you're not hitting the ball where you're looking, but overall, I still have an outside chance going into tomorrow.'
ON RORY MCILROY (+10, T-49th)
Begay III on Rory McIlroy's performance: 'I give him a little bit of a pass with the career Grand Slam. Now he's just trying to figure out, 'What are my goals now?' For a decade, it was, 'I need to win The Masters.' What does he want his new set of goals to be to make his mark on the game?'
JACK NICKLAUS WITH MIKE TIRICO
Nicklaus to Tirico on winning his first major at the 1962 U.S. Open at Oakmont: 'I remember playing very well and managing my game. Barbara and I were 22-year-olds at the time. It was fun. Jackie with us was eight months old. It's a lot of things to remember but I remember I played basically 17 weeks in a row coming into the U.S. Open.'
Nicklaus on playing with Arnold Palmer at Oakmont in 1962: 'People have asked me that a thousand times. I never heard the people. I was a 22-year-old kid with blinders on. I had one focus of mine at that's to win a golf tournament…I felt like this was my year and I came in here not realizing, or just dumb enough, to (not) know that there was a guy named Arnold Palmer that lived in western Pennsylvania. But anyway, I played well and Arnie played well. A lot of guys played well that week, we shot one-under par. That was a good score at a U.S. Open. And it still is.'
Nicklaus on the mental approach of playing major events: 'The one thing you have to do is be patient. You know that you can't force things at a U.S. Open. When you force things, that's when you make mistakes, that's when you get killed…I always liked golf courses where par was important. I never liked a golf course where 20-under par was something that you strived for. It then became a putting contest, and you really can't play that way. You have to play a total different mindset on that type of a golf course. But here, Oakmont's a challenge. It's the roughest stuff, the fairways are appropriate width, the greens are usually firm and fast. It's what an Open should be.'
ON OAKMONT
Brandel Chamblee on the 2025 U.S. Open: 'It was kind of sleepy for the first two-and-a-half days or so. It's like the whole championship took a couple of Ambien. Then it was like the girl in Pulp Fiction that got stabbed with the adrenaline – it woke right up.'
Mike Tirico on Oakmont: 'With the set up, it is the way the game is played today and the classic test of golf and where the two intersect. And that's why the leaderboard has some throwbacks there, guys who won majors ten, 12 years ago. It's an interesting mix. It's cool. It's not the same thing week-in, week-out and that's what makes all of it, plus the national championship on the line, so entertaining.'
Kevin Kisner on if Oakmont is the toughest U.S. Open course: 'I'd rate it as the toughest mental test. I think it's relentless, it's exhausting. All day you're on the grind and just over and over again mentally, you just get beat up. I love that the premium here is driving the golf ball in the fairway, and that starts right there at the first…I really love the idea of what the USGA tries to accomplish and that's get every club in the bag dirty. I think that's a cool motto to try to accomplish.'
Notah Begay III on the changing conditions at Oakmont: 'The golf course has changed a little bit with all the moisture that came overnight. The greens are more receptive and the fairways softer…It really favors the players that trap the ball a little bit more.'
Gary Koch on making adjustments mid-tournament: 'So much of golf, at this level, is about knowing how to correct yourself. It's not like other sports where you have a manager or coach.'
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--
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Newsweek
31 minutes ago
- Newsweek
How to Watch LAFC vs Esperance Sportive de Tunisie: Live Stream FIFA Club World Cup, TV Channel
Based on facts, either observed and verified firsthand by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources. Newsweek AI is in beta. Translations may contain inaccuracies—please refer to the original content. After a hard-fought 2-0 loss to Chelsea in their Group D opener, LAFC now turn their attention to African giants ES Tunis in a pivotal clash on Friday at GEODIS Park in Nashville. It's a golden chance for the Black & Gold to snag their first points of the tournament and keep their knockout round hopes alive. Denis Bouanga celebrates scoring his team's second goal in extra time during a play-in match between LAFC and Club America for the final spot in the 2025 FIFA Club World Cup, at BMO Stadium in... Denis Bouanga celebrates scoring his team's second goal in extra time during a play-in match between LAFC and Club America for the final spot in the 2025 FIFA Club World Cup, at BMO Stadium in Los Angeles, California, on May 31, 2025. More Photo by FREDERIC J. BROWN/AFP via Getty Images How to Watch LAFC vs Esperance Sportive de Tunisie: Date: Friday, June 20, 2025 Time: 6:00 PM ET Stream: DAZN (WATCH FOR FREE) ES Tunis is coming off a 2-0 loss to Flamengo as they look to bounce back. Led by Algerian Youcef Belaïli and goalkeeper Bechir Ben Saïd, they have the firepower to make things difficult for LAFC on Friday. Steve Cherundolo's squad should be feeling confident. Against Chelsea, LAFC held their own for long stretches and created quality chances. If Denis Bouanga or David Martínez had their way, things could have ended very differently. That performance proved LAFC can hang with Europe's elite. This is a great Club World Cup matchup; make sure to tune in and catch all the action. You can view this game with a free subscription (720p and ads) to DAZN, which can be upgraded to premium HD image quality without advertisements. Live stream every 2025 FIFA Club World Cup with DAZN: Start your subscription now! Regional restrictions may apply. If you purchase a product or register for an account through one of the links on our site, we may receive compensation.
USA Today
42 minutes ago
- USA Today
2025 PFL World Tournament 6 live results, highlights of semifinal bouts
PFL continues second-round action Friday with 2025 PFL World Tournament 6, and you can stay up to date with live results and highlights throughout the event beginning at 5:30 p.m. ET. 2025 PFL World Tournament 6 takes place at INTRUST Bank Arena in Wichita, Kan., and broadcasts live on ESPN and ESPN+. The event features semifinal tournament bouts in the men's lightweight and bantamweight divisions and women's flyweight. In the main event, UFC veteran Kevin Lee (20-8) makes his PFL debut against 2024 PFL champion Gadzhi Rabadanov (25-4-2). In the co-feature, former Bellator champion Liz Carmouche (23-8) takes on undefeated Elora Dana (8-0). 2025 PFL World Tournament 6 results MAIN CARD (ESPN, ESPN+, 8:30 p.m. ET) PRELIMINARY CARD (ESPN+, 5:30 p.m. ET) 2025 PFL World Tournament 6 weigh-in gallery
USA Today
an hour ago
- USA Today
Fanatics Sportsbook Promo: Score up to $300 in Bonus Bets for Travelers, MLB & More
If you enjoy watching the world's best golfers make birdies instead of bogeys, then this week's Travelers Championship is going to be much more satisfying than last week's U.S. Open. And if you seek a satisfying betting experience, then you need to know all about the Fanatics Sportsbook promo that fills your world with bonus bets, No Sweat Bets or profit-boost tokens. Your road to potential riches depends, in part, on the road you live on. If you're a new bettor playing in Michigan, New Jersey or Pennsylvania, you're assured of $300 in bonus bets when you place $30 in first bets over a three-day stretch. If you're a new bettor in Arizona, Colorado, Illinois, Indiana, Louisiana, Massachusetts, Maryland, North Carolina, Ohio, Tennessee, Virginia or West Virginia, you'll gain $250 in bonus bets just for playing $50 in first bets over five days. New bettors in all states where Fanatics Sportsbook is live (except New York) can choose the flagship Fanatics Sportsbook offer that sends you as much as $1,000 in No Sweat Bets over a 10-day span. Bettors in New York, meanwhile, receive one 100% profit-boost token each day for 10 straight days. At last year's Travelers Championship — which also was played the week after the U.S. Open — Scottie Scheffler shot 22-under-par to take home the title and a bunch of money. Because this week's Travelers is a Signature Event with a $20 million purse, Scheffler and most of the PGA Tour's other big-name golfers are competing at TPC River Highlands. Get the Fanatics Sportsbook app — one of the industry's easiest-to-use sports betting apps — so you can track how the odds are moving during today's second-round action and on through the weekend. And keep an eye out for U.S. Open champ J.J. Spaun, who charmed a lot of golf and non-golf fans with how things played out Sunday at Oakmont Country Club. Ready to capitalize on one of the lowest-risk, highest-reward sportsbook promos out there? Tap any BET NOW button, take a minute to answer a few questions and then the Fanatics Sportsbook promo will point you toward your bevy of bonus bets, No Sweat Bets or profit-boost tokens. And check out the special golf betting promos crafted just for the Travelers Championship. Fanatics Sportsbook Promo: Score Up to $300 Bonus or $1000 in No Sweat Bets With the NBA and NHL crowning its champions this week and the NFL still a month away from training camp, MLB gets to enjoy more of the professional sports spotlight. There are going to be a lot of eyes on San Francisco tonight because, coincidentally enough, the Boston Red Sox visit the San Francisco Giants just five days after trading super slugger Rafael Devers to the Bay Area. In other MLB action today, the New York Mets and Philadelphia Phillies open a huge three-game series that could lead to a new NL East leader by Sunday. And if you enjoy watching dominant pitchers, check in on the Houston Astros' game at the Los Angeles Angels tonight because the Astros are sending Hunter Brown to the hill. He's 8-3 with a 1.88 ERA and 105 strikeouts in 86 innings. Check Fanatics Sportsbook's MLB odds to find Brown's over/under for whiffs. There's plenty of CONCACAF Gold Cup and FIFA Club World Cup action today. There's also a bit of a reunion happening in the WNBA. Paige Bueckers, the No. 1 pick in the WNBA draft, and her Dallas Wings will be in Connecticut tonight to face the Sun. Expect a ton of UConn fans to be there to root for their fave. The Fanatics Sportsbook promo makes it easy for you to have a fistful of bonus bets, No Sweat Bets or profit-boost tokens to play on this weekend's events. Hit the closest BET NOW button to start the swift sign-up process. How to Unlock the Fanatic Sports Promo Welcome Offers In just a few simple steps you can lock in your Fanatics Sportsbook promo. The Fanatics Sportsbook promo bet-and-get offers require a $10 qualifying bet on odds of -500 or better. In MI, NJ and PA, that qualifying bet returns $100 in bonus bets each day for three days. In AZ, CO, IL, IN, LA, MA, MD, NC, OH, TN, VA and WV, the $10 qualifying wager earns $50 in bonus bets each day for five days. If you choose either of these options, you will be automatically opted-in on Day 1 but you must opt-in manually on the subsequent days. Those in DC, IA, KS, KY, VT and WY, plus those in the above listed states, can get the No Sweat Bets offer instead of the bet-and-get offer can chose any bet at -500 odds or better to be your No Sweat Bet for up to $100 daily over a 10-day period. If that wager settles as a loss, Fanatics will provide a bonus-bet refund. Bettors in New York get a 100% profit boost daily for 10 days. Bonus bets provided by any of the Fanatics Sportsbook promo offers will be deposited within 72 hours of placing your qualifying bet. Divide up your bonus bets however you choose but use them within seven days of being deposited before they expire.
