NBCUniversal extended its U.S. media rights deal with the USGA through 2032, the parties announced Tuesday.
Under the deal’s terms, NBC will remain the broadcast home of the U.S. Open, U.S. Women’s Open and U.S. Senior Open, with Versant, the new independent media company set to be spun off from NBCUniversal owner Comcast Corp., acquiring media rights to USGA championships for USA Network and Golf Channel.
The agreement provides for 25 hours of U.S. Open broadcast coverage on NBC annually, including an additional hour of prime-time coverage on Thursday and Friday. USA Network will air early-round coverage of the U.S. Open and U.S. Women’s Open, while Golf Channel will carry coverage of the U.S. Senior Open and eight other USGA championships.
The USGA elected to remain with NBC following offers from other suitors, including a serious bid from Netflix, and the deal was expected to be worth close to the $93 million annual price tag of the current contract, which was originally signed by Fox Sports in 2013 before that network opted out and sold the remainder to NBC, the online media outlet Puck reported.
“We definitely put a value on a partner we knew,” USGA CEO Mike Whan told Sports Business Journal. “We trust NBC and Versant in how they showcase the brand and our vision.”
The new elements of the agreement will begin in 2027 following the conclusion of the current contract in 2026. READ MORE
Kiara Romero has won the Mark H. McCormack Medal as the leading female player in the 2025 World Amateur Golf Ranking.
Romero, a 19-year-old San Jose, California, resident, is a rising junior at the University of Oregon. She won the 2023 U.S. Girls’ Junior and advanced to the quarterfinals of the recent U.S. Women’s Amateur at Bandon Dunes. She rose to No. 1 after Lottie Woad turned professional last month.
As the McCormack Medal winner, Romero will receive exemptions into the 2026 U.S. Women’s Open at Riviera Country Club and the 2026 AIG Women’s Open at Royal Lytham & St Annes, provided she remains an amateur.
“It’s an incredible honor to win the McCormack Medal,” said Romero. “This is a really nice reminder of how far I’ve already come in my golf career. I know how special winning this medal is, and I hope I can follow in the footsteps of the inspiring players who have won it before me.” READ MORE
Four of Europe’s Ryder Cup heroes – Sir Nick Faldo, Ian Woosnam, Sandy Lyle and Sam Torrance – will contest a match on Tuesday at The Belfry to mark the 40th anniversary of Europe’s first Ryder Cup victory. The match will take place in advance of the DP World Tour’s Betfred British Masters at the same venue.
The four members of the 1985 European team that prevailed at The Belfry will compete over five holes (Nos. 10, 11, 16, 17 and 18) on the Brabazon Course in a four-ball match, with Faldo and Woosnam taking on Lyle and Torrance. READ MORE
TAP-INS
Plans for Coul Links, a proposed Mike Keiser golf development in the Scottish Highlands, are facing an uphill battle for approval after a government agency report concluded with an “outright rejection” of the project on conservation grounds, Scotland’s Sunday National newspaper reported. READ MORE
Josh Burack, a sports marketing executive who served as CEO and commissioner of the Asian Tour from 2016-2018, died in Brisbane, Australia, following a battle with pancreatic cancer, according to multiple reports. He was 54. READ MORE
Compiled by Mike Cullity