{"id":18210,"date":"2026-06-09T05:48:01","date_gmt":"2026-06-09T05:48:01","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/golf\/18210\/"},"modified":"2026-06-09T05:48:01","modified_gmt":"2026-06-09T05:48:01","slug":"what-is-golfs-longest-day-rich-lerner-explains-why-u-s-open-2026-qualifying-remains-one-of-golfs-most-special-events-international-sports-news","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/golf\/18210\/","title":{"rendered":"What is Golf\u2019s Longest Day? Rich Lerner explains why U.S. Open 2026 qualifying remains one of golf\u2019s most special events | International Sports News"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"WhatWhat is Golf\u2019s Longest Day? Rich Lerner explains why U.S. Open 2026 qualifying remains one of golf\u2019s most special events (Image via Getty) For most golf fans, the U.S. Open begins when the tournament starts. But for hundreds of players chasing a spot in the field, the journey starts much earlier on what many call Golf\u2019s Longest Day. On Monday, golfers competed in final qualifying events across North America for the 2026 U.S. Open. More than 600 players, including PGA Tour professionals, former major champions, amateurs, and even everyday workers, battled for the remaining places in the championship field. Covering all of it was Golf Channel\u2019s lead studio host Rich Lerner, whose workday stretched from early morning until after midnight.Speaking to The Hollywood Reporter during a break in coverage, Rich Lerner said the day is one of the most important events on Golf Channel\u2019s calendar. The network aired 10 hours of live coverage from 10 qualifying sites, with reporters spread across locations from Purchase, New York, to York, Ontario. While the schedule is demanding, Lerner said the event feels more exciting than exhausting because of the unique stories that unfold throughout the day.<\/p>\n

Rich Lerner says U.S. Open qualifying showcases golf\u2019s open spirit<\/p>\n

Rich Lerner described Golf\u2019s Longest Day as a reflection of what makes the U.S. Open different from almost every other sporting event. According to Lerner, the day is not focused on television ratings or famous names. Instead, it is about giving every eligible golfer a chance to earn a place in one of the sport\u2019s biggest championships.\u201cThis is one that we really look forward to, because this one is part of our DNA,\u201d Lerner told The Hollywood Reporter. \u201cThis one says we are all about the sport of golf and nothing else in a way that no other day does.\u201dThroughout the day, viewers followed players with very different backgrounds. Some were established professionals, while others were little-known competitors trying to achieve a lifelong dream. One of the most talked-about examples was UPS driver Nick Barrett, who competed at the Rockville, Maryland, qualifying site against experienced tour players.Lerner believes that is what makes the event special.\u201cThe democratic nature of the Open is as pure as sports get,\u201d he said. \u201cYour station in life, your bank account, none of that matters. And that is, I think, what is so beautiful about the game and this particular championship.\u201dHe added that many fans tune in not to watch stars but to discover someone new. By the end of the day, those unexpected stories often become the biggest reason people keep watching.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"What is Golf\u2019s Longest Day? Rich Lerner explains why U.S. Open 2026 qualifying remains one of golf\u2019s most…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":18211,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[5293,7605,7602,7430,7604,7603,7601,1288,7600],"class_list":["post-18210","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-u-s-open-championship","tag-2026-u-s-open","tag-golf-qualifying-events","tag-golf-stories","tag-golfs-longest-day","tag-live-golf-coverage","tag-pga-tour-professionals","tag-rich-lerner-golf-channel","tag-u-s-open-championship","tag-u-s-open-qualifying"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/golf\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/18210","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/golf\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/golf\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/golf\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/golf\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=18210"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/golf\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/18210\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/golf\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/18211"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/golf\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=18210"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/golf\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=18210"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/golf\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=18210"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}