Sizing up the TV coverage from the Arnold Palmer Invitational ... and away we go. When Tiger Woods' final putt dropped on Saturday afternoon and he walked off the 18th green nursing a one-shot lead over Graeme McDowell, NBC knew exactly what was at stake going into Sunday's final round. After 924 days, the network was on the verge of covering one of the most highly anticipated final rounds since last year's U.S. Open, when Rory McIlroy made history at Congressional, blitzing the field by an impressive eight shot. It was historic stuff -- not just because Tiger Woods was ending a two-plus year winless drought in official events, but also because NBC had the opportunity to wrap a nice bow on the most tumultuous stretch in Woods' life. Sure, plenty of other people would talk about what the win meant for Woods after the final putt had dropped, but NBC had the opportunity to be the first -- a scary proposition when you think about it. Like an announcer trying to nail the championship-winning call, NBC's Dan Hicks and Johnny Miller had to nail the moment. Because whether they liked it or not, Woods' final hole was going to be one people would remember. So let's set the scene: Tiger coverts his par putt on the 17th and starts to walk off the green with an expressionless look on his face. Johnny Miller sizes up the magnitude of the final hole, albeit in an awkward sort of way.
No comments:
Post a Comment