NBC’s Tommy Roy Q&A : On bathroom breaks, celebratory martinis and Tiger Vs Michael Phelps
Peter Jacobsen isn’t prone to hyperbole. So when he says he doesn’t think he’s ever met anybody who love golf more than Tommy Roy, that is quite the statement.
“He loves golf and loves the complexities of the game as as much as a tour pro does,” Jacobsen said.
Roy, a 29-time Emmy Award winner, will be at the helm of NBC and Golf Channel’s coverage of the 121st U.S. Open. Or as Jacobsen put it, “He’s the Tom Brady in the truck directing traffic. When he speaks, everybody listens.”
Roy has done it all during an illustrious 40-year career at NBC, including the 2008 Olympics when Michael Phelps claimed eight gold medals. It was a one-week stint as a gopher at the 1978 Tucson Open that gave life to his interest in television.
One of his pet peeves as lead producer is to show all 156 players in the field during the first two rounds of the biggest events, even going so far as to have a staffer checking off names.
“Last probably half dozen years we’ve nailed every one of them,” he said. “At the 2019 British Open, there was one player that we missed from the morning wave. And Molly Solomon, who’s the executive producer of both channels (NBC and Golf Channel), went over to the world feed and they found a shot of this guy and they sent it over to us and we were able to get that on and say, yup, we got all 156 on.”
Roy’s soda-guzzling intense persona is legendary. Jacobsen said his Whoop stats would be through the roof. “He gets so jacked up. And so into it, that I think when he comes down, he probably has to go home and fall asleep,” Jacobsen said.
Ahead of a busy week that includes nearly 100 hours of live tournament and studio coverage from Torrey Pines will be available across NBC, Golf Channel, and Peacock, Roy made time to speak exclusively to Golfweek in this wide-ranging Q&A.
Q: What’s your fondest memory of producing the 2008 U.S. Open at Torrey Pines?
After Tiger eagled 13 and 18 and chipped in there at 17 on Saturday, I remember getting off the air and was thinking to myself and telling anybody who would listen to me that imagine if this had been the final round – this would have been an all timer. Then we get to Sunday and the way that regulation ended there you know, it was great drama during the whole telecast but then obviously everyone remembers the “expect anything different” part and and how that went down and we nailed coverage of that pretty good. In the Monday playoff you know, usually the playoffs are everyone's kind of had enough and you wish that it had end after 72 holes and this playoff we're all looking forward to it because it could be great and then it went to sudden death. This was like a three-day stretch of unbelievable drama, you know. It was incredible.
Q: Which is more meaningful to have broadcast: Tiger winning on one leg that year or Michael Phelps breaking Mark Spitz's Olympic gold record?
TR: It's hard to pick, you know, it's like you can't pick your favorite child. My dad was a golf pro and I grew up in this game and so getting the opportunity to broadcast golf TV and then be a part of this era of golf with what Tiger has done and you know, he made it where golf is really cool. And he made it that way, and to be a part of all those great moments, but then we compare that to the swimming at the Olympics, and particularly Phelps, and in particular Beijing, and those eight golds. And to me, that's the single greatest athletic achievement in human history. You know, maybe some caveman killed five woolly mammoths. I just don't see that ever being topped. So, the cool thing about it is both these guys are winners. They get it done when things are on the line, you know, the biggest moments, they got it done. And so it was such a treat to be a part of that.
Q: What did you do during the 2015 US Open at Chambers Bay when Fox took over coverage?
TR: Watched – some – that's my answer. Q: And in subsequent years that Fox broadcast the U.S. Open. Was it kind of similar or was it too painful? TR: Yeah, it was somewhat painful. Because that that was our baby, you know. I got over it. I watched more and more as the years went by, and you know, the golf fan in me he takes over and trumps any bad feelings I may have had by the separation.
Q: Take me through the process of getting the rights back. How early were you hearing about it? And what was your initial reaction?
TR: Yeah, so first word that I got is that it was possible that we may because of the pandemic be doing just last year. That was the first possibility because of the conflict with the NFL. And could I put together a budget of how much it would cost to do it? And then then it sounded like, hey, there may be a possibility of something beyond just the one year. Q: How did you celebrate NBC/GC getting the rights back early? TR: Calling the team up and letting them know that we're back doing the USGA events once again. Yeah, I think I might have had a martini or two.
Q: You worked at the 1978 Tucson Open. Did you have an a-ha moment that week?
U.S. OPEN 2012 -- Pictured: (l-r) -- (Photo by: Tomas Ovalle/NBC)
TR: I did. The a-ha moment was when I was in the truck for the very first time. So, a little background to me know that my dad got me a job at the Tucson Open I needed. I wanted a job during the Christmas break in the Tucson was first on the schedule back then. They said I could either work at one of the portable bars on the golf course or you can take coffee to the NBC cameraman. And I had known a guy that had done this job the year before and he told me that NBC gave him use of a rental car to drive for the weekend. I knew nothing about the TV business. No aspirations to be an actor, whatever. My sole motivation for taking this NBC job was to drive the hell out of this rental car, which I did. However, when NBC went on the air on Saturday they asked me to come into the control room and help them. And so being in that control room when they went on the air, that very first time, and it was like, you know, this controlled chaos and excitement and it was just the coolest thing. And right then and there, I said, “This is what I want to do.” It’s funny because my mom, you know, she remembers all this stuff, You came home that night and said you had the greatest day ever. I guess I did.
Q: If they showed your Whoop stats, heartbeat and stuff like that, during a broadcast, what would it be?
TR: It's tough to say. I think I'm addicted to adrenaline. When you’re on the air, it's such a rush being live. They need a Whoop that tracks adrenaline, that's what they need. And then I think my doctor would probably be shocked. Q: How many Diet Cokes do you guzzle during a US or British Open telecast? TR: I am a Pepsi guy. We've had to have Pepsi brought into various venues around the world for me, because some places they don't have it. But I do drink quite a few of them, way more than a human should probably but that's what keeps me going.
Q: How do you do bathroom breaks?
NBC's Roy has been at the helm of the network's golf coverage since 1993. (Getty Images)
TR: The good news is when we do have commercials and I run out, I have perfected peeing in less than a minute, 45 (seconds). I have sat through an entire 10-hour Ryder Cup Saturday and never left the truck while guzzling a half-dozen Pepsi’s. I don't know how I made it. But I have done that.
Q: What's your plan for including gaming in the broadcast as its presence begins continues to grow and golf?
TR: That's a moving target. It's tough to say. But the interesting thing about golf, in particular, is when we go out to play, the game itself is a gamble. You know, the risk reward of the game is a gamble. And if you're going out and playing with your buddies, oftentimes, you know there's a little bit on the line that makes it even that much more fun that you can play 17 crappy holes and birdie 18 and still get all the money, so, I think it's going to be hugely popular with viewers when it becomes the norm. Tough to say exactly how we deal it. But I think it can be really important for the future. And it's a natural fit for the sport.
Q: What do you have in store for the viewer production wise at Torrey Pines?
TR: Number of hours to begin with, you know, it's basically more than double what we did last time we were there, then you throw in the digital feeds and it goes up by 100 hours. I think it's crazy. But yeah, it's, you know, what's different from now compared to 2008, of course, all the tracing technology and the visuals from drones and airplanes and the virtual graphics that we can do now to spice everything up. We have we have a scorpion crane, we have a frog cam in the pond in front of the 18th green. Just lots of little tidbits to spice it up and keep it interesting for the viewers, maybe first time viewers, you know you're in primetime. And so we expect viewership to be higher than just for daytime U.S. Open. So, try to spice it up with new toys.
Q: What's still on your wish list?
TR: Well, one day, there's gonna be holographic television. Because the one thing that golfers know is that the terrain and the undulation of the course is so crucial to understanding the shots that are being executed out there. And unfortunately, TV is still a two-dimensional medium. When the day comes and there’s holographic television and it truly is 3-D, and you step in there and be standing basically right next to the guy hitting the golf shot. That's my wish list when that becomes a reality.
Q: You didn't develop an in-house replacement for Johnny Miller. Do you feel that you've groomed or are grooming someone to replace Roger Maltbie and Gary Koch in the next few years?
TR: Well, I'm always on the lookout. So, that begins with seeing how players interact in the press room and how they handle themselves and how well-spoken they are and how forthright they are in interviews, and so I'm always on the lookout for what may come down the road.
Q: You've been at NBC since 1981 and produced golf since ‘93. How much longer do you envision doing this?
TR: As long as I have my fastball, because if I lose one mile per hour off of my fastball, I can't do what I do in the truck. And as long as it's still fun. As long as those two boxes are checked, I plan to keep doing this for a while.
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