Winged Foot homecoming for NBC sports
Dan Hicks was playing the 15th hole of Winged Foot’s West Course along with fellow member Pete Bevacqua, the president of NBC Sports Group, when Bevacqua called him over.
“We hit our balls over to the right side,” Hicks recalled. “He says, ‘Hey, I’m going to tell you something but you’ve got to keep it to yourself.’ I’m like, ‘Geez, what is he going to drop on me here?’ He says, ‘We’re on the goal line of getting the U.S. Open back.’ And I’m telling you the hair on my arms went up. I just looked at him incredulously and said, ‘Pete, I don’t even know what to say.’ I was just struck by the whole awesomeness of doing the U.S. Open again.”
The U.S. Open, as well as every other USGA event, had been on FOX since 2015 until the COVID-19 outbreak created scheduling problems that couldn’t be resolved. NBC, the longtime home of the Open, would regain the rights through 2026, making this year a home game for Bevacqua, Hicks, commentator Jimmy Roberts, Tommy Roy, NBC’s lead golf producer and Golf Channel executive Molly Solomon, all Westchester county residents.
At the same time, however, it cost Mark Loomis, the executive producer of golf on FOX. Loomis grew up on Winged Foot. He won the junior club championship there and his son, Ben, is the current junior club champ. His memories include being called onto the green by Gary Player during a U.S. Open practice round in 1974 and being right there when Fuzzy Zoeller waved his white towel as Greg Norman forced a playoff during the ’84 Open.
“I feel for these guys at FOX Sports. A lot of them are friends of mine and Mark Loomis is a very good friend of mine,” Hicks said. “When I joined the club, he was a part of helping me and introducing me to the members. He had a chance to do a U.S. Open. COVID comes, knocks it into September, still thinks he’s going to do it and then the rug gets pulled out from under them in that deal. I know this is business but I can’t help but feel awful for him because I know how much he was looking forward to it.”
Hicks knows how fortunate he is. “You think on the back nine of your career that you’re never going to do something again,” he said. “We were very happy with the (British) Open Championship and it’s been incredible but to do the U.S. Open again at this stage is dream-like stuff.”