The US Open will return to NBC this year at Winged Foot after Fox Sports has asked to end its 12-year contract with the USGA, several people told The Associated Press on Sunday evening.
Three people with direct knowledge of the change say that it has come together in the past two weeks. You spoke on condition of anonymity since the deal was not announced.
An announcement was expected on Monday.
The US Open, which was originally scheduled to take place last week, was postponed to September 17th to 20th at the Winged Foot in New York when the COVID-19 pandemic shut down golf for three months.
NBC televised the US Open from 1995 to 2014. This ended when the USGA signed a $ 1 billion, 12-year contract with Fox Sports that started in 2015.
Fox broadcast its first US Open from Chambers Bay south of Seattle with Greg Norman as lead analyst. He was replaced by former PGA champion and Ryder Cup captain Paul Azinger.
One person said NBC would pay just under half the rights fee through the rest of the contract.
Two other people said the deal was taking shape this month, especially when the US Open was postponed to September in the opening month of the NFL.
One person said Fox was considering moving the US Open to FS1, an idea that was rejected by USGA CEO Mike Davis. This led to deeper discussions about the contract and how it could be resolved.
Fox Sports has always been in a difficult position right from the start of the contract as the USGA championships – especially the Open and Amateurs – were the only golf it produced.
The sources said NBC would have the past seven contract years until 2026. They didn’t say who would broadcast the first rounds of the US Open on TV. Under the previous contract with NBC, ESPN had the rounds Thursday and Friday.
ESPN now has the PGA Championship weekday rounds starting this year, with the CBS taking over the weekend.
Deal Comcast’s own NBC, along with the Golf Channel, the US Open and British Open, the Players Championship, three World Golf Championships, the Ryder Cup and the Presidents Cup. There will also be the FedEx Cup Playoffs every two years when the new media law contract begins with the PGA Tour.
NBC and Golf Channel will also have all the majors of the LPGA Tour and PGA Tour Champions.
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