SiriusXM has announced its coverage plans for The Open Championship (PGA Tour, DP World Tour) from Royal Liverpool in Hoylake, England – marking the 151st time the event has been held. The satellite broadcaster will provide listeners with 45 hours of live on-course coverage as golfers from around the world compete for the Claret Jug. The play-by-play will air starting next Thursday, July 20 through Sunday, July 24, the first two days of which will begin at 2 a.m. EST/11 p.m. PST (Wednesday, July 19). On Saturday and Sunday, the play-by-play of the proceedings will commence at 4 a.m. EST/1 p.m. PST – and commentary for all four days of action will remain on the air until the conclusion of play.
The Open Radio will be produced by The R&A and feature several former golfers and prominent on-air talent – including Ron Jones, Sophie Walker, Paul Eales and Marcus Buckland. SiriusXM personalities Maureen Madill and Carl Paulson will also serve as commentators and analysts throughout the competition. Once play concludes for the day, Will Haskett (Thursday-Friday) and Gary Williams (Saturday-Sunday) will bring listeners The Open Postgame show, which will recap all of the action and preview the day ahead. They will be joined by major champions John Cook, Hale Irwin, Scott Simpson and Dave Stockton and extrapolate their expertise for listeners to attain a better understanding of the sport.
“We’re very excited to deliver our listeners another extensive week of programming for the historic Open Championship,” said Scott Greenstein, SiriusXM’s President and Chief Content Officer, in a statement. “Our coverage will feature live shot by shot commentary from voices who are excellent at capturing and conveying the character and excitement of Open Championship golf, as well as daily programming that will deliver all the latest news from the event and interviews with the competitors in the field. No matter where you are listening from across North America, you’ll feel like you are on the grounds at Royal Liverpool.”
SiriusXM will also air two Open Championship specials before the start of play next Thursday, the first of which is called Backstory. The one-hour program explores the history of Royal Liverpool Golf Club, its layout and stature in professional and amateur golf. Additionally, two-time Open champion Padraig Harrington and caddy Ronan Flood will discuss what it was like to capture a playoff victory at Carnoustie in 2007, and the program will also tell the story of five-time Open champion Peter Thomson. The program premieres on Friday, July 14 at 3 p.m. EST/12 p.m. PST, and it will be replayed multiple times during the days following.
Rory McIlroy and Ben Curtis are featured on the second special, The Open Show, where both golfers will talk about competing in the Open Championship. McIlroy won the last Open Championship played at Royal Liverpool in 2014, while Curtis is celebrating the 20th anniversary of his Open Championship victory at Royal St. George’s. The show will also recap the duel between Henrik Stenson and Phil Mickelson at Royal Troon in 2016 and discuss the meaning of the Claret Jug trophy. Listeners can tune in to the program during its premiere on Wednesday, July 19 at 8 p.m. EST/5 p.m. PST.
This year’s field for The Open Championship includes established stars, such as Viktor Hovland, Scottie Scheffler and Jordan Spieth, all of whom are vying for a major championship in 2023. The final leg of the major championship docket also includes The Masters Tournament champion Jon Rahm, PGA Championship winner Brooks Koepka and U.S. Open champion Wyndham Clark.
