CARNOUSTIE, SCOTLAND — Rich Lerner, Brandel Chamblee, and Frank Nobilo are seen on the Golf Channel set during previews of the 147th Open Championship at Carnoustie Golf Club on July 17, 2018. | Photo by Andrew Redington/Getty Images
Golf Channel’s ‘Golf Central’ is live from every major championship during the week leading up to the tournament.
There is only one way for golf fans to prepare for the U.S. Open, let alone any major championship.
And all you have to do is flip on your television.
Golf Channel’s Live from the U.S. Open airs every night of major weeks at 7 p.m. ET, with Rich Lerner hosting the show.
Lerner is joined by renowned golf journalist Brandel Chamblee and former Ryder Cup captain turned broadcaster Paul McGinley.
During the show, these three talk about everything related to the U.S. Open and the sport of golf itself: the structure and layout of the Los Angeles Country Club, pre-tournament favorites, player press conferences, the PGA Tour’s partnership with the Saudi Public Investment Fund (PIF), and McGinley’s favorite topic of discussion, the weather.
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LOS ANGELES — Shane Lowry of Ireland and Viktor Hovland of Norway walk on the 11th hole during a practice round prior to the 123rd U.S. Open Championship at The Los Angeles Country Club.
A brilliant essayist, Lerner always weaves the local culture into the show with various teases and features. During Monday night’s telecast, he discussed the history of golf in Los Angeles, how Los Angeles Country Club is one of the most private clubs in the world, and even touched on local celebrities not knowing where LACC is.
Lerner makes you feel like you are in Los Angeles alongside him.
Chamblee, a renowned critic of LIV Golf, continued to slam the Saudi-backed league and the partnership between the PGA Tour and the PIF, calling it one of “the worst things to ever happen in professional golf.”
But Chamblee did not just lament where the professional game is now and where it is headed.
He touched on why Brooks Koepka is one of the world’s best players and argued that Rory McIlroy still has the game to win a major, despite struggling on Sundays throughout 2023.
McGinley noted that LACC reminds him of courses he has played in the famous Sandbelt region in Southeastern Australia. Consequently, he feels an Australian has a good chance to win the U.S Open for the first time since 1981—when David Graham won at Merion in Philadelphia.
Of course, the weather is always an important topic of discussion. Temperatures in the low-70s and subtle wind will keep the course dry, and it will get firmer and faster as the weekend wears on. McGinley is incredibly excited to see how the weather impacts this championship.
But Live from the U.S. Open is much more than that.
Todd Lewis, Rex Hoggard, Jamie Diaz, and many other reporters and writers for the Golf Channel all contribute with excellent reports and conduct brilliant interviews with numerous players in the field.
They have a pulse on what the world’s best players feel, which helps the casual fan resonate with them.
John Wood, a former caddy turned broadcaster, walks golf fans through various holes and how players may attack them.
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LOS ANGELES — Brooks Koepka of the United States plays a shot on the sixth hole during a practice round prior to the 123rd U.S. Open Championship at The Los Angeles Country Club on June 12, 2023.
Wood did a brilliant job outlining the par-4 6th hole, a treacherous little hole that measures 320 yards. He explained where players could place their tee shots if they want to lay up or how to attack the green off the tee if they so desire.
The Live From crew also detailed the par-3s at LACC, which are beautiful, whacky, and will surely test the world’s best this week.
So if you want to have a solid grip on the 123rd U.S. Open, and have superior knowledge of the championship when watching with friends and family, tune into Golf Channel at 7 p.m. ET and soak in everything Live From the U.S. Open has to offer.
Well, that and follow our coverage here at SB Nation’s Playing Through.
