Meet the three Long Islanders running the show at U.S. Open for NBC Sports
Brian Phraner, an NBC camera operator, looks on from a camera tower on the 18th green at the 2026 U.S. Open Championship at Shinnecock Hills Golf Club on Wednesday. Credit: Kathleen Malone-Van Dyke
As you’re kicking back on Sunday and watching the U.S. Open near its crowning moments on Shinnecock Hills Golf Club’s 18th hole, Brian Phraner may not be the first person you think of.
But keep Phraner in mind. The viewing experience wouldn’t be the same without him.
Phraner, 67, a Northport native and resident, is a camera operator for NBC. He runs the camera on the 18th green, and his office for the Open is perched in one of the towers behind the hole. He is responsible for following all the approach shots, all the putts and virtually anything else that happens on the 18th green – for the entire field of 156 players.
What he’s looking forward to most?
“The last putt on Sunday,” he jokingly told Newsday on Wednesday at the NBC Sports compound at Shinnecock Hills. “Because it’s normally on me. Then I know I’ll be going home soon.”
Phraner has been working for NBC for 46 years – he has 18 Emmys and also is a regular working on Saturday Night Live and The Today Show – and this week represents his 27th U.S. Open and third at Shinnecock Hills (the others in 1995 and 2004). And there’s a pretty good chance he’ll capture the shot of the tournament.
“You definitely get pumped,” he said. “If it's going to be a playoff, it's always nice. But a lot of people think it's just the last hole. We cover every golfer. We cover the whole field … It’s a long day. It's not as easy as people think, but fun, and that's what makes it go so quickly.”
Tommy Roy, NBC Sports’ coordinating producer for golf, said: “Brian is a Renaissance camera operator. He started on the entertainment side on Saturday Night Live as well as in studio with the TODAY show and came to us to do sports and had the top-notch skills to be put in position to be on the 18th hole to capture the most important shot of the entire championship.”
Phraner isn’t the only Long Islander playing a key role in NBC’s broadcast of the Open, either.
Justin Byczek – who was born and raised in Garden City, graduated from Chaminade High School and now lives in Connecticut (NBC Sports’ headquarters are in Stamford) – is NBC Sports’ executive vice president of programming and rights management.
Ken Goss, who raised his family in Setauket and also now lives in Connecticut, is NBC Sports’ executive vice president of studio and remote operations and production planning.
Byczek, 48, and his team are responsible for overseeing all of NBC Sports’ relationships with their sports properties, including the NFL, the NBA, the Premier League, Notre Dame, college football and their various golf governing bodies.
“The great privilege of this is to be part of a group and part of a company that gets to showcase championship golf on the East End of Long Island to the rest of the country and ultimately a lot of different parts of the world that are taking our production feeds,” said Byczek, who joined NBC Sports in 2008 and has been in his current role since 2020.
“That's something you take a lot of great pride in as somebody that was born and raised in Long Island.”
He helped push the USGA to maximize the TV window for Friday’s second round by moving back the tee times of some of the best players in the sport, such as world No. 1 Scottie Scheffler, who tees off at 2:09 p.m. Part of that strategy also included being mindful of fans turning to NBC immediately after the U.S.-Australia World Cup game at 3 p.m.
During the Open, Byczek is responsible for staying close with the USGA executive team on pace of play and scheduling. NBC also has a Mets-Phillies game with a 7:20 p.m. first pitch Sunday, so he’ll be in touch with MLB and – assuming the golf and trophy presentation haven’t finished – likely will have to move the start of that game to Peacock and NBC Sports Network.
Goss, 66, has an all-encompassing role, as he’s responsible for overseeing the logistical, technical and operational components for the entire NBC Sports Group. His day on Thursday started in the “wee hours” before James Nicholas hit the Open’s first tee shot at 6:35 a.m.
“This has to be spot-on from the first shot,” he said.
Like Phraner, this is Goss’ third Open at Shinnecock Hills. (FOX had the rights to the 2018 Open.) When asked about their favorite Shinnecock moments from the past, both mentioned Corey Pavin’s iconic 4-wood approach shot on the final hole in 1995 to set up the winning putt.
Phraner then was working the flanker camera – which captured super slow-motion shots of players’ reactions all around the course – and Goss was in the truck.
“I think when you capture anything that iconic, especially in a tournament like that, of course you feel good,” said Goss, who’s been with NBC for 43 years. “My goal is always that the technology works, everything technically works, so production can do what they need to do.”
While Phraner focuses on his work first and foremost, he admitted he’s had to pinch himself at certain times, including when he worked last September’s Ryder Cup at the Bethpage Black.
“It’s something different every day, and nothing is the same, and that's what makes the time go by so quickly,” Phraner said. “Variety is the spice of life, but especially with this job, it's something different every day. I guess that's the best part of it because I never really think about it.
“Next thing you know, 46 years goes by in a flash. Hopefully I'll do another 46, but I doubt it.”
Ben Dickson is Newsday Sports' general assignment reporter. He joined Newsday’s high school sports staff in 2023 after graduating from Maryland, where he covered several of the Terrapins' teams.
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