TNT Presents Its Last Open Championship

This week, TNT will air its last Open Championship until at least 2014 when ESPN takes over for four round start-to-finish coverage next year. But until we get to July 2010, we have TNT for four round coverage this year.

Here’s what you can expect for the next four days.

TNT to Present 28 Hours of Televised Coverage of the 138^th Open Championship

PGA.com to feature extensive complementary online coverage July 16 – 19

Turner Network Television (TNT) will provide 28 hours of televised coverage of the 138th Open Championship live from Ailsa Course at Turnberry in Scotland. The network will air exclusive coverage of the first round from 6:30 a.m. to 7 p.m. ET on Thurs., July 16 featuring the end of the round for Tiger Woods’ group including Lee Westwood and Japanese teen sensation Ryo Ishikawa as well as full round coverage of 2007 & 2008 Open Championship winner Padraig Harrington, along with Jim Furyk and Geoff Ogilvy, when they tee off at 9:20 a.m. ET. Exclusive coverage continues with the second round from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. ET on Fri., July 17 featuring full round coverage of Woods, Westwood and Ishikawa who tee off at 9:20 a.m. ET. Coverage continues with the third and fourth rounds from 7 a.m. to 9 a.m. ET on Sat., July 18 and 6 a.m. – 8 a.m. ET on Sun., July 19.

In addition to extensive television coverage, Turner Sports will host Open Championship LIVE, a video player on PGA.com that will broadcast live feeds directly from the tournament. The site will host three channels of the Open Championship that will showcase streaming content including a simulcast of the TNT telecast on Thursday and Friday, with two hours of bonus coverage, as well as “Close Up Coverage” of groups at holes #9, 10 and 11 in a produced feed.

2009 Open Championship on TNT Programming Schedule

Thurs., July 16, 6:30 a.m. ET/PT, Preview Show

Thurs., July 16, 7 a.m. – 7 p.m. ET/PT, First Round Coverage

Fri., July 17, 7 a.m. – 7 p.m. ET/PT, Second Round Coverage

Sat., July 18, 7 – 9 a.m. ET/4 – 6 a.m. PT, Third Round Coverage

Sun., July 19, 6 – 8 a.m. ET/3 – 5 a.m. PT, Final Round Coverage

Open Championship LIVE Schedule: Thurs., July 16 and Fri., July 17

Channel #1: 4 a.m. – 2:30 p.m. ET, World Feed & TNT Simulcast

Channel #2: 4 a.m. – 3 p.m. ET, Close Up Coverage: Holes 9, 10 & 11

Channel #3: On-Demand, Inside the Ropes

Sat., July 18

Channel #1: 5 a.m. – 9 a.m. ET, World Feed & TNT Simulcast

Channel #3: On-Demand, Inside the Ropes

Sun., July 19

Channel #1: 6 a.m. – 8 a.m. ET, World Feed & TNT Simulcast

Channel #3: On-Demand, Inside the Ropes

I’ll be sad to see TNT leave the Open Championship. It offered some very good coverage.