BRISTOL, Conn. — All four rounds of the British Open will air live on ESPN starting in 2010.

ESPN and the tournament's organizer, Royal & Ancient Golf, agreed to an eight-year contract, they announced today. The deal also includes digital coverage and expanded rights for ESPN International.

Same-day highlights will air on ESPN's broadcast partner, ABC, over the weekend.

British Open coverage had been split between TNT and ABC.

"It is all important to The R&A that we preserve the traditions of The Open Championship while at the same time ensuring that golf fans are able to enjoy modern state-of-the-art coverage of the event," chief executive Peter Dawson said. "We know just how much ESPN respects The Open's heritage and we are very excited by their many innovative plans to cover the Championship across the whole media spectrum, both in the United States and internationally."