Golf

#TBT: ESPN and The Open Championship

ABC Sports announcers at the 1965 Open Championship – (l-r) Jim McKay, Byron Nelson and Chris Scheknel. Back, Bill Flemming. (ABC archives)
ABC Sports announcers at the 1965 Open Championship – (l-r) Jim McKay, Byron Nelson and Chris Scheknel. Back, Bill Flemming. (ABC archives)

Welcome to another edition of #TBT: Throwback Thursday.

ESPN is televising all four rounds of play in The Open Championship, golf’s oldest major, July 17-20 from Royal Liverpool in Hoylake, England. While 2014 marks the fifth time that ESPN has televised the entire event, The Open has been in the ESPN/ABC family of networks for more than 50 years.

Caption: Host Mike Tirico and analyst Ian Baker-Finch at the 2004 Open Championship (ABC archives)
Host Mike Tirico and analyst Ian Baker-Finch at the 2004 Open Championship (ABC archives)

ABC first aired highlights of The Open Championship (also often called the British Open) on Wide World of Sports in 1962 as legendary Arnold Palmer won on Scotland’s Royal Troon course. In 1966, ABC televised the final round live for the first time.

In the early years, many of the iconic voices of ABC Sports worked the event, including Jim McKay, Chris Schenkel and Bill Flemming. Golfing great Byron Nelson was an analyst for ABC.

Mike Tirico will anchor ESPN’s Open Championship coverage for the 18th year. ESPN will televise 11 hours of live play the first two days, and then 7.5 hours each day for the weekend rounds.

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