U.S. Open 2024: Local news station punches in weather update at the worst possible time, literally cutting off the final putt
U.S. Open 2024: Local news station punches in weather update at the worst possible time, literally cutting off the final putt
After Bryson DeChambeau's bunker shot at the 72nd hole rolled out to three feet below the hole, his second U.S. Open trophy was all but secured. A straight, uphill putt to finish it off. We didn't even have to watch it to know it was going in, dead center.
Then again, after watching Rory McIlroy miss two bunnies on 16 and 18, not to mention watching DeChambeau miss a short one at 15, nothing was a given on Pinehurst No. 2's slick greens on Sunday. There was still plenty of suspense as DeChambeau lined up his three-footer, especially on a local news station in Cleveland, Ohio.
On WYKC, a NBC affiliate in Northeast Ohio, as DeChambeau made one last practice stroke before striking the final putt, an "excessive heat warning" update popped up on the screen. It would have been one thing if it was an update in the upper right or left corner of the television. Hell, if it was right in the center of the screen, it would have been fine, too. Instead, the update punched in in perhaps the worst possible spot it could have -- directly over the cup. Talk about an absolute vibe-killer:
Woof. Somebody is getting fired.
Brutal stuff. Our thoughts and prayers are with whoever had to answer the phone at WYKC last night. Ruining the final putt of the U.S. Open on Father's Day? The dads of Northeast Ohio deserve so much better.
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