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Weekends during major championships are reserved for in-depth golf coverage as fans stick to their screens for the same reason. But NBC Sports‘ Saturday coverage at the U.S. Open found a difficult hiccup. As Wyndham Clark’s lead carried into moving day at Shinnecock Hills, the broadcast pulled away from the live tournament for an interview segment, and the golf world has not settled well with it.

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Golf media outlet No Laying Up captured the emotion as they tweeted on X: “Been patient with the (tough) broadcast so far, but a Carson Daly interview cut-in might break me.”

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NBC aired a feature on Daly, where he talked about growing up with Tiger Woods and what makes Long Island a special venue for golf. Daly reflected on his childhood in Southern California, where he grew up playing junior golf alongside Tiger Woods. He recalled that while most kids spent their days on the beach, he and Woods were often on the golf course competing in local events.

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He noted that both share a deep connection to the game through their fathers, who introduced them to golf at a young age.

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While fans would have appreciated the interview had it been shown during a more appropriate time, the fact that it took away attention at a crucial time angered viewers. But that was not the only issue. There were other problems as well.

For instance, they barely paid attention to Peter Uilhein’s struggles on Friday. Another example would be NBC’s new experiment during the event.

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As per reporter Josh Carpenter from earlier this week: “NBC Sports is bugging caddie bibs with microphones at the U.S. Open to enhance player-caddie audio. Starting Friday.”

And viewers were unhappy with this change.

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But coming back to Daly’s interview, many fans were dejected and called it a bad decision. Let us hear it from them.

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Fans are not happy as they call out NBC

The frustration stems from how limited the viewing window already was during round three. As the 126th U.S. Open entered a pivotal stage, fans were eager to watch the world’s best player battle for position on the leaderboard.

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A fan commented, “It’s horrifically bad, dude.”

The interview came alongside several lengthy commercial breaks, further reducing the amount of live golf showing during a crucial stretch of the tournament.

Another fan commented on X, “It’s a commercial show with some golf mixed in.”

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“Just made me switch the channel in 0.1 seconds. Amazing how s***ty and out of touch these d**b****s are,” wrote another.

The backlash has become a recurring pattern for NBC. The sports channel faced a commercial backlash at the U.S. Open in 2022. Fans questioned how long they could be expected to see playing through commercials during critical moments of the championship. The network’s 2025 Oakmont broadcast also drew a similar wave of criticism over heavy ad coverage.

 Hence, a separate comment argued, “Horrible. NBC has no idea what true golf fans want.”

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The sentiment lines up with the network’s recent numbers. NBC and USA Network’s 2025 U.S. Open coverage averaged 2.9 million viewers across the week. That was down from 3.1 million in 2024. Even the final round viewership fell from 5.9 million to 5.4 million, accounting for an 8% drop.

Another fan wrote, “Legit, who is tuning in to the early Saturday coverage for this? Tough scene.”

The stakes are high at Shinnecock Hills as Scottie Scheffler is one win away from completing the career Grand Slam, and Wyndham Clark chases his second major win.

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Written by

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Roshni Dhawan

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Roshni Dhawan is a Golf Writer at EssentiallySports, covering the financial and human side of the professional game. Her reporting centers on player earnings and tournament economics, from net-worth profiles of pros such as Sahith Theegala to the prize-money breakdown at the 2026 U.S. Open, alongside explainer features that introduce readers to the tour's lesser-known names, including her profile of Harry Higgs. She also reports on everything that define a tournament week, covering on-course conduct, rules decisions, and the fan and media reaction that follows, with much of her 2026 work centered on the U.S. Open at Shinnecock Hills. Roshni's background is in research and brand strategy, which informs the accuracy and structure she brings to her coverage. She works methodically, prioritizing verification and the detail that a strong earnings or profile piece depends on.

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Riya Singhal

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