The Golf Watch

ESPN slowly taking over all major championship coverage

More to come on this development over the weekend, but ESPN.com is reporting that the network will host all four rounds of the British Open starting in 2010. 

Commentators present good news

Thanks to television reporters Judy Rankin and Todd Lewis for doing their research and getting some candid responses from Greg Norman and Richard S Johnson. 

Rankin started things off earlier in the day when she told Norman that he had qualified for next year's Masters with a T-4 finish.  This was immediately following Norman's statement that he doubted he'd be playing much after the next few tournaments.  Norman said:

Oh really?  That surprised me, I wasn’t even thinking about anything like that.  But that’s good to know.

On the other side of the pond, TGC's Todd Lewis told Richard Johnson after his win at the U.S. Bank Championship that he had qualified for not only the Mercedez Benz next year, but also the PGA Championship.  Johnson said:

Am I really?  I didn’t know.  Wow, that’s awesome.

The quotes don't do justice to their reactions, but they were elated.

ABC chooses to show Van de Velde replay, rather than Garcia walking up 18th live

During ABC's telecast of the British Open, Sergio Garcia had just hit his second shot in the greenside bunker on the par-4 18th hole, and needed to get up and down in order to win the Open Championship in regulation.  Typically, a network shows the potential winner walking up to the 18th green live.  However, as ABC had done a number of times during the weekend, they showed footage of Jean Van de Velde's collapse in 1999.  Finally, the Van de Velde replay was cut midway and ABC showed a recording of Garcia walking up to the green, but only for 20 seconds.  Then they switched to a live shot of Garcia in the bunker.