Sunday’s 2023 U.S. Open at Los Angeles Country Club came down to the final hole. Wyndham Clark, who, earlier this year, was ranked 163rd in the world (he’s now up to 13th), won his first major title over runner-up Rory McIlroy.
The moment @Wyndham_Clark became a major champion. #USOpen pic.twitter.com/TIlB87G3o3
— U.S. Open (@usopengolf) June 19, 2023
Clark’s triumph couldn’t have been more improbable. He entered the week with just one tour victory to his name and had never finished higher than 75th in a major (he missed the cut at last month’s PGA Championship in Rochester and didn’t even qualify for the Masters).
Yet, all anyone could talk about was the audio quality of Sunday’s final round on NBC, with viewers distracted by a mysterious buzzing that never stopped.
Watching the U.S. Open and the background noise is so annoying.
— Catherine E. (@CatherineUSA1) June 18, 2023
#USOpen2023 – very difficult to hear the commentary over that constant aircraft background droning noise. Worst live coverage U.S. Open ever.
— WazzaJY (@WazzaJY) June 18, 2023
@usopengolf U.S. Open is unwatchable with the continuous buzzing sound @nbc
— Mark Zais (@MarkZais) June 18, 2023
Is anyone else tired of hearing that damn plane or whatever is in the sky over the US Open? Nauseating. #USOpen2023
— Adam Taylor (@AdamTaylor0425) June 18, 2023
I watched the end of the U.S. Open from the East coast and realized that 11pm was probably the latest I'd watch a tournament champion crowned. However, the main point of this tweet is the absolutely worst sound quality I've ever had. It would fade out, fade in – awful!
— Bob Weaver (@bobweavertwit) June 19, 2023
The plane noise on the US open broadcast is downright annoying and awful. It’s driving me nuts and ruins the enjoyment of watching. Overall @nbc @NBCSports has done a horrible job with the US Open broadcast.
— Em, Bella, and Moneypenny (@emamadden) June 18, 2023
The humming sound picked up by NBC’s microphones could have been a generator (television towers tend to require a lot of electricity), though others suspect the culprit was nearby air traffic from LAX.
If you're wondering why it sounds like there is a plane buzzing directly above Los Angeles Country Club on the US Open broadcast, it's because there is a plane buzzing directly above Los Angeles Country Club on the US Open broadcast. pic.twitter.com/bM47xJJULp
— Joe Pompliano (@JoePompliano) June 18, 2023
Either way, it drove the audience up a wall, feeling like Dennis Reynolds on an episode of Family Fight.
It’s a shame Clark’s coronation was spoiled by poor audio, making for a frustrating viewing experience. Call it an occupational hazard of staging a major tournament in the heart of America’s second-largest city.
Fortunately, for our collective eardrums, that will not be the case this week when TPC River Highlands hosts the Travelers Championship in rural Cromwell, Connecticut.
About Jesse Pantuosco
Jesse Pantuosco joined Awful Announcing as a contributing writer in May 2023. He’s also written for Audacy and NBC Sports. A graduate of Syracuse’s S.I. Newhouse School of Public Communications with a master’s degree in creative writing from Fairfield University, Pantuosco has won three Fantasy Sports Writers Association Awards. He lives in West Hartford, Connecticut and never misses a Red Sox, Celtics or Patriots game.