Several golf figures are so famous, they're known by just their first names. Arnie. Jack. Tiger. Phil. Jordan. Bryson. Yanni.
Yanni (Chryssomallis, if you're not into the whole brevity thing) appears on more golf broadcasts than any others. The twice-Grammy-nominated native of Kalamata, Greece, is one of the most prominent composers of the modern era. If you have watched golf on television in the last quarter-century or so, you have heard his music. You can probably hum a few bars. The CBS golf broadcast's theme music comes to our ears courtesy of his stylings.
In recent weeks, another great Yanni tune has reentered golfers' consciousness: "In Celebration of Man," the piece he wrote for use in NBC broadcasts of big-time golf, particularly USGA championships. It has also been adapted for the Open Championship, which Golf Channel and NBC have shown since 2016. But the original version is back on the air now that NBC has resumed broadcasting the USGA's championships. Music tends to stir strong memories, and the seven-note theme that heralds the beginning of the fanfare just hits me right in, as one of those other one-name golfers might say, "the feels."
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Chills were racing from head to toe listening to that music. Those trumpet notes just radiate championship golf and so many big moments. I found myself thinking of US Opens at Torrey Pines, Bethpage, Chambers Bay, and Pineburst during that one-minute lift of my emotional state due to a battle with cancer. Thank you Golf Advisor and thank you NBC for stepping up to resume quality coverage of the USGA’s championships.