Latest news with #U.SOpen
USA Today
18 hours ago
- Entertainment
- USA Today
Our Q&A with ESPN's Chris Berman: Boomer gives us his best golf nicknames
Chris may no longer be broadcasting the U.S Open on ESPN as he did for many years but he's still very present in the world of golf. He's an unofficial ambassador at The Sentry, where he has a home in Kapalua and doesn't mind bragging about the time he won the pro-am with Xander Schauffele as his partner. His other longtime home is in Connecticut and he's been involved with the Travelers Championship, the Tour's annual stop at TPC River Highlands in Cromwell for longer than Sammy Davis Jr. As is custom, Berman will serve as emcee of the trophy ceremony on Sunday. Berman, 70, has extended his contract with ESPN through 2029, which would make him ESPN's first employee to celebrate their 50th anniversary with the company. The 2027 Super Bowl will be the 45th that Berman will have worked for ESPN. Berman joined ESPN on Oct. 1, 1979, and is a six-time National Sportscaster of the Year and a member of several Halls of Fame, including the Sports Broadcasting HOF, the National Sports Media Association HOF and Cable HOF. Golfweek caught up with him earlier this year and shared some of our favorite nicknames he coined, including from the world of baseball: Luis Funky Cold Medina, Bert Be Home Blyeven and Oddibe Young Again McDowell. Golfweek: You're part of the furniture at the Sentry and Travelers Championship. Where does your love of golf stem from? Chris Berman: I never really played when I was young. My dad had a set of clubs in the garage and he maybe played three times a year. He'd rather spend time with his boys. But I always liked it, I always watched the Bing Crosby, the Masters and then the U.S. Open in 1974 at Winged Foot was a big deal. I was a freshman in college, I think, and one of my dad's business associates lived near the third green. I snuck on the course all four days and that kind of got me going a little bit. Seve was my guy. Late in my 20s, when we were all working late at ESPN on weekends, some of us would get together and play at a public course at 10 o'clock on a weekday and then roll into work at 4. GWK: Why do you think golf appeals to athletes from so many sports? CB: I think it's the ultimate challenge because you're testing yourself. The ball is stationary. NFL kickers and hockey players are the best golfers as a group. Maybe because the puck can be stationary and of course in kicking the ball is stationary. Sterling Sharpe worked with us on TV. He never played golf until after he retired. He's like a scratch. But not every great athlete is a good golfer. I think they like the challenge of being able to improve. More: Former U.S. Open host Chris Berman signs extension with ESPN, will reach 50 years GWK: You're beloved for your clever player nicknames but what player got the most upset with the one you coined for him? CB: Nobody really in golf. Let me think of the golf nicknames back when I was on the air every day. We had Ground Control to David Toms. He liked it. He'd smile at it. I think he was more kidding, but Mark Lye was Mark 'Unplayable' Lye. He thought I was making fun of his golf game for about 10 seconds. I said, No, it's a golf term. When Jose-Maria Olazabal first arrived on the scene, we didn't know how to pronounce his last name. We thought it was Oh-loz-uh-ball, and I go, Oh my goodness, it's the greatest golf name ever. Two strokes for a lost ball, you know? And well, it's Oh-lah-thah-bull. I went, shoot, that doesn't work, damn it. Curtis Strange was insert your favorite song. People are Strange, you know, Strange Brew. He liked it because he's a music guy. Joey Sindelar, who I played in the Travelers pro-am with 12-13 times and we became good friends, he was Joey Seven Deadly Sin-delars. When Xander won (the Travelers in 2022), he demanded that I give him a nickname. I had to chew on it. I went Xander Killing Me Schauffele With His Song, which I think is not bad. He and I won the Sentry pro-am, though I can't take too much credit for that. [As emcee at Travelers media day, Berman attempted to coin one for Scottie Scheffler on the spot. 'I'll be better in June, but off the year you had last year, there's no other way to describe it but 'Top Scheffler.' That's OK? Is that all right for now? Is that like a ball mark on the green?' 'That's great. If it's good with you, it's good with me. That's more your forte than mine,' Scheffler said.] For Max Homa, I've used Homa is Where my Heart is or Homa Sweet Homa, which anybody could come up with; they're interchangeable. Sam Burns, you can usually go Third-Degree Burns for Sam, I don't know that I've used it yet. I did use Jon CD-Rahm. I don't think I've gone for the easy one with Jason Day. You know, it's a Beautiful Day or something, as opposed to Glenn 'All' Day, which was not my nickname, but it was very apropos. Adam Scott, I didn't do because it's 'Great, Scott,' that's too easy. Davis Love III was, Might as well face it, you're addicted to Love. You know, a lot of rock and roll ones. [He texted later with two current pros that were top shelf: Patton 'Street Car Named' Kizzire and Sahith It's Not Just the Party, It's Theegala.] None of mine are derogatory. I'll give you a baseball one that he really wasn't that pissed, but a long time ago Kevin Bass, who played for Houston and a lot of other places, an All-Star a few times, he brought it to my attention that he wasn't fond of my nickname. We were at the batting cage and he goes, 'Can I talk to you for a minute, Chris, because you call me Kevin Large-mouth Bass.' I said, 'Yeah, the fish.' He goes, 'I know, but it makes me sound like a complainer. I said, 'OK, that's actually very fair. I certainly had no intention.' He goes, 'I'm sure you didn't, but it makes me sound like I'm a big mouth and pain in the ass in the clubhouse or whatever.' You know, it kind of stunned me for a minute. We were friendly, and just to show you how quote-unquote upset he was, I said, 'Well, how about Kevin Small-mouth Bass?' He goes, 'Perfect. Go with it.' So that was an easy negotiation. GWK: Were you too loud for golf? CB: Oh, hell no. The golfers loved it. Professionally, I've never had more fun in my life. I always covered the U.S. Open with Andy North in the evening, prime time, and that's different. You're trying to bring people in that haven't watched it all day, a lot of casual sports fans. And you know, nobody is for everybody. People complained about Johnny Miller and he forgot more golf than you and I and 100 of our best friends combined would ever know, right? I'll give you an example. In 2010, they shaved the left side by the green at Pebble on 14. Y.E. Yang hit a shot and it just trickled down the left side into that collection area. And so he took a putter, which you and I would probably do, and putted it up the hill, and it got to the top, and it stayed there for a second, and then it rolled right back down like miniature golf, right back to his feet. He stares at it, he's pissed. He goes to the bag and he gets a wedge to chip with from almost the exact same spot. We've all been there. And he chips it up there, pretty good shot until it runs out of steam. It rolls back down to his feet, and you can see the smoke coming out of his ears. But he's looking at his caddie. He's looking at the bag, he's looking at the ball. He's really annoyed. He doesn't even grab a club for a good 30+ seconds. So, I said, 'And now, what, the ball retriever?' I wasn't trying to make fun of him. He hadn't made a move yet for a club. A couple of golf scribes didn't think that was appropriate. Later that night in the Tap Room, Lee Westwood comes over. He said, 'When you said the ball retriever, I fell off my bloody couch laughing.' So there's your answer. I wasn't trying to make fun of him. It was like, we've all been there. But I wasn't trying to be anybody that I wasn't. I was just trying to do the best job. But that's why they have different flavors of ice cream. Not everyone likes vanilla, chocolate or smurf. GWK: What's the course you've never played that you most want to play? CB: I've played Augusta once and St. Andrews once. Seminole is one I'd like to do. I've never played Pine Valley, which is in the northeast, so I should really get there. Pebble Beach is my favorite. That's where God waits for a tee time. I've told them this for a while, but I used to say when I completely retire, I'd like to own the concession and drive the beverage cart at Pebble Beach. That would be fun.
Yahoo
13-06-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Auburn star Jackson Koivun shines in U.S Open debut
A sensational two-year stretch for Auburn sophomore golfer Jackson Koivun continued this week. The two-time reigning SEC Golfer of the Year teed off at the US Open in Oakmont, Pennsylvania early Thursday morning, becoming the first Auburn Tiger to participate in the hardest major on the PGA Tour since Jason Dufner eight years ago. Koivun, who has made the cut in all three PGA Tournament events he's played this year, is one of 15 amateur golfers in the field this weekend. He finished in a tie for third (+2) among all 15 in the field after the first round on Thursday, with only San Diego State's Justin Hastings (E) and Arizona sophomore Zach Pollo (E) ahead of him. Advertisement The 20-year-old was agressive throughout the late morning and early afternoon on Thursday. Koivun's scorecard didn't feature a par until his sixth hole of the day, as the decorated Tiger began his round with a bogey on hole No. 10, followed by a pair of birdies, a bogey on hole No. 13, and another birdie on 14. He settled in from there, playing even golf by making par on the final four holes of the back nine. Unfortunately a double-bogey on Koivun's first hole of the front nine dampened what was a spectacular first half performance for the young Tiger. A wild bunker shot halted his momentum, leading to just one birdie over Koivun's final 13 holes of play, and a +2 finish on the day. With only 10 golfers in the entire field under par after the first 18 holes of action, Koivun's round one finish is not only very respectable, but puts him in position to possibly tee off alongside PGA Tour veterans like Ludvig Åberg, Xander Schauffele, and Keegan Bradley, who all hover around the sophomore on the day one leaderboard. If Koivun can replicate or improve upon his day one scorecard, he will likely make his fourth consecutive PGA Tour cut with the projected line hovering around five strokes over par after the first day of action at Oakmont Country Club. Advertisement Contact/Follow us @TheAuburnWire on X (Twitter), and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Auburn news, notes, and opinion. You can also follow Brian on Twitter@TheRealBHauch This article originally appeared on Auburn Wire: Auburn golf: Jackson Koivun shines in U.S Open debut
USA Today
13-06-2025
- Sport
- USA Today
Auburn star Jackson Koivun shines in U.S Open debut
Auburn star Jackson Koivun shines in U.S Open debut A sensational two-year stretch for Auburn sophomore golfer Jackson Koivun continued this week. The two-time reigning SEC Golfer of the Year teed off at the US Open in Oakmont, Pennsylvania early Thursday morning, becoming the first Auburn Tiger to participate in the hardest major on the PGA Tour since Jason Dufner eight years ago. Koivun, who has made the cut in all three PGA Tournament events he's played this year, is one of 15 amateur golfers in the field this weekend. He finished in a tie for third (+2) among all 15 in the field after the first round on Thursday, with only San Diego State's Justin Hastings (E) and Arizona sophomore Zach Pollo (E) ahead of him. The 20-year-old was agressive throughout the late morning and early afternoon on Thursday. Koivun's scorecard didn't feature a par until his sixth hole of the day, as the decorated Tiger began his round with a bogey on hole No. 10, followed by a pair of birdies, a bogey on hole No. 13, and another birdie on 14. He settled in from there, playing even golf by making par on the final four holes of the back nine. Unfortunately a double-bogey on Koivun's first hole of the front nine dampened what was a spectacular first half performance for the young Tiger. A wild bunker shot halted his momentum, leading to just one birdie over Koivun's final 13 holes of play, and a +2 finish on the day. With only 10 golfers in the entire field under par after the first 18 holes of action, Koivun's round one finish is not only very respectable, but puts him in position to possibly tee off alongside PGA Tour veterans like Ludvig Åberg, Xander Schauffele, and Keegan Bradley, who all hover around the sophomore on the day one leaderboard. If Koivun can replicate or improve upon his day one scorecard, he will likely make his fourth consecutive PGA Tour cut with the projected line hovering around five strokes over par after the first day of action at Oakmont Country Club. Contact/Follow us @TheAuburnWire on X (Twitter), and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Auburn news, notes, and opinion. You can also follow Brian on Twitter@TheRealBHauch
Yahoo
13-06-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Bryson DeChambeau Gets Candid About Decision That Nearly Led to Penalty at US Open
Bryson DeChambeau Gets Candid About Decision That Nearly Led to Penalty at US Open originally appeared on Athlon Sports. The consensus around this year's U.S Open at Oakmont Country Club is that the course is as difficult as any. Advertisement With unpredictable greens, rough that has the best players in the world looking like amateurs and difficult hole lengths, it wouldn't be shocking if the mindset of some of this year's 156-man field is just to limit the damage when possible. For world No. 10 player, and face of the LIV Golf League, Bryson DeChambeau, he almost made things extra difficult for himself on Thursday. On the par-5 4th four, DeChambeau's tee shot ended up in a bunker. On his next shot, he escaped the bunker but found more trouble, as his ball ended up on a crosswalk. This led to DeChambeau taking a drop, but in what was a near-disaster for his score, he did so incorrectly. Bryson DeChambeau lines up a putt on the Streicher-Imagn Images DeChambeau's caddie picked up the ball and placed it on the forward side of the crosswalk. A decision that the USGA rules revealed was not allowed, but also initiated the process of a drop. Advertisement If he didn't take the drop, the official revealed he would have been assessed a one-stroke penalty. However, his issues didn't end there as after taking the official's advice, DeChambeau placed the ball on the ground. An act that led to the official alerting him he had to physically drop the ball, and not place it. Had he hit the ball after placing it down, it would have been a two-stroke penalty. Following the near-disaster, that saw him nearly penalized twice, DeChambeau muttered "That was dumb." Despite all of the issues he had on this one shot, he still ended up recording a par on the hole. As for the rest of his day, it wasn't as smooth as DeChambeau likely would have hoped. Advertisement The 2024 U.S. Open winner racked up five bogeys, and finished the day 3-over, which currently has him tied for 60th. Related: Patrick Reed Records Rare Achievement at US Open This story was originally reported by Athlon Sports on Jun 12, 2025, where it first appeared.
Yahoo
11-06-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
11 Investigates: What goes into keeping the best golfers in the world safe at the U.S. Open
The best professional golfers in the world are in Oakmont this week for the U.S. Open. RELATED COVERAGE >>> 2025 U.S. Open at Oakmont Country Club: What you need to know So, what goes into keeping them safe on and off the golf course? Chief Investigator Rick Earle spoke with the USGA about security efforts for the game's biggest stars. Advertisement Earle learned it's a big job that's been in the planning stages for months. Fans will see police officers and security guards on the golf course and there will be even more security around some of the bigger names, especially during the final round of the tournament. 'They're going to have that added level of security in and around their areas, just knowing that they draw the crowds. Obviously, once they come on site, they're going to have that security detail that they need in and around the player-centric areas on the golf course itself,' said Eric Steimer, the USGA senior director of U.S. Open Championships. Steimer said rope lines will be set up to keep fans at a safe distance from the golfers, but he says there's plenty of prime viewing. Advertisement 'We'll establish rope lines where fans can follow their favorite golfers all 18 holes, sit in some great grandstand locations that provide panoramic views,' Steimer said. Local and state police, along with nearly 300 private security guards, will be on hand. Some officers will blend in with the crowd. 'We have undercover officers, escort details, as well as a lot of security position out on the golf course,' Steimer said. 'Someone like Scottie Scheffler, Rory McIlroy, they may have some private security with them,' said John Hudson, a retired Secret Service agent and security consultant. Hudson is very familiar with Oakmont Country Club. Advertisement During the last U.S Open in 2016, he operated a drone for the Allegheny County District Attorney's office. Hudson told Earle that fans will notice a heightened level of security on the final day of the tournament. 'Probably on the last day, Sunday, when you have the foursomes that tee off that match, the higher profile shooters, you'll have security with that, that package as well, walking along the fairways,' Hudson said. The USGA is also relying on drones this time around, as well as a network of surveillance cameras and metal detectors to secure the sprawling 380-acre golf course. They want to ensure that, in the end, the best players in the world concentrate on one thing and one thing only. Advertisement 'Really, once they're out there competing for our national championship, we want to make sure their focus stays on that and not on security,' Steimer said. The USGA told Earle that information about where the golfers stay while they're in Pittsburgh and what they do and where they go outside the course is all kept confidential. Download the FREE WPXI News app for breaking news alerts. Follow Channel 11 News on Facebook and Twitter. | Watch WPXI NOW
