The commentary team for NBC at The Open Championship was left stunned when an unexpected visitor – a bat – swooped into the booth, causing disruption live on air, just as Rory McIlroy’s performance started generating buzz among fans.
The prestigious tournament is well underway, with England’s Matt Fitzpatrick narrowly ahead of current world No. 1 Scottie Scheffler at the time. Meanwhile, LIV Golf star Joaquin Niemann was striving to redeem himself after coming close to missing the cut.
NBC commentators Dan Hicks and Kevin Kisner were in the thick of action, detailing player progressions, only for a bat to invade the booth and throw the broadcast into disarray. While Hicks attempted to fend off the creature, Kisner took shelter under his suit jacket.
“Speaking of scattering, this is going on in our booth a moment ago. Apparently, a bat of some sort is flying around,” reported NBC veteran Mike Tirico during the live coverage. “Kevin Kisner. This is a man who is a proud hunter. He’s under his jacket. He is spooked by this bat.
“Dan Hicks trying to keep it away from him. You never know what you’re going to get in a major championship.You’re on the air for eight, nine hours. Apparently, [Brad Faxon] and [Terry Gannon] on the other side were just fine and calm. However, Kis has taken cover under his sport coat. The nicest sport coat. Dan has saved his partner and protected him.”
The NBC crew swiftly turned analysts as they dissected the curious incident wherein a bat performed “20 laps” around the arena before swooping into their booth. When tranquility finally resumed, Tirico praised his colleague Hicks for his gallantry in shielding his comrade from the unexpected intruder.
“I must say, Hicks, you are a great partner because you were protecting Kis. If that bat came anywhere, Kis is playing next week. Coming off the top ten last week. We are protecting you at all costs,” Tirico warmly acknowledged.
Beyond animal distractions, discussions at the Open Championship have recently been dominated by the snail-paced play. Jon Rahm’s caddie, Adam Hayes, didn’t hold back with officials when US Open winner J.J. Spaun received a warning and was on the edge of penalisation due to his considered approach to the game.
The lengthy rounds, exacerbated by challenging weather conditions, forced golfers such as PGA Tour sensation Viktor Hovland to voice their exasperation with the sluggish pace of play.
“It was really slow, I think almost six hours, just under six hours. That’s brutal, especially when you have to focus for so long,” Hovland said. “It’s not easy. Wind picked up there in the afternoon. Yeah, it takes a lot out of you.
“I’m not as comfortable as I feel like I should be, I think a little too much about the next shot in between the shots.
“That obviously takes a little bit more energy out of you. I’d like to be able to relax a little bit more, but that’s kind of the nature of the beast when you’re playing a major championship and you’ve got tough conditions. It’s hard to just completely take your mind off of it.”
This article first appeared on Mirror US.