During SiriusXM Radio's Sunday coverage of the U.S. Open, one of the voices relayed an anecdote about the sheer size and scale of a major golf tournament, saying twice as many broadcast personnel can be on-site compared to the Super Bowl. In football's crown jewel, there is only one ball whereas Oakmont featured 156 in play. A stadium centralizes things to a higher degree than the expansive challenge of having eyes and ears over eight miles of unforgiving terrain. Golf also presents a more nuanced test when it comes to storytelling and narrative arcs as the winning moment can come from any direction instead of two distinct teams.
On a weather-delayed Father's Day, that reality was never more obvious as contender after contender yo-yoed on the leaderboard. The course claimed championship dreams with brutal efficiency, offering 72 opportunities for catastrophe and nearly as many chances to rebuild the wreckage of a double- or triple-bogey.
