FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Friday, July 12th, 2013

GOLF CHANNEL NEWS COVERAGE OF THE OPEN CHAMPIONSHIP STARTS MONDAY, KEEPING VIEWERS INFORMED ALL WEEK WITH MORE THAN 25 HOURS OF LIVE PROGRAMMING

Golf Channel and GolfChannel.com Experts on Site at Muirfield, Scotland, and at Golf Channel Studios in U.S. 

MORNING DRIVE to Feature Player News Conferences

ORLANDO, Fla. (July 12, 2013) – Golf Channel has the season’s third major championship covered with a week of more than 25 live hours of news programming surrounding The Open Championship beginning Monday, July 15, from storied Muirfield golf course in Scotland and the network’s U.S.-based studios.

LIVE FROM MUIRFIELD:  Golf Channel’s news coverage of The Open Championship will be led by LIVE FROM, the network’s signature news program from golf’s major championships.  LIVE FROM MUIRFIELD begins with a Monday primetime show at 7 p.m. ET and will air throughout the week, and wrapping around live competition Thursday through Sunday.   The Golf Channel broadcast team will host LIVE FROM MUIRFIELD from a dedicated set on the golf course, as well as from the network studios in Orlando.  Early week telecasts will feature all scheduled player news conferences, with Golf Channel’s MORNING DRIVE show also pitching in with expanded shows on Tuesday and Wednesday.  THE GOLF FIX will air at a special time on Monday, 6 p.m. ET, when host Michael Breed will show the keys to winning links golf in windy and cold conditions.  He also will look back at the top shots from the weekend on the PGA TOUR and European Tour.  GREY GOOSE 19th HOLE also airs at a special time on Wednesday, 6 p.m. ET, and will feature a panel of experts discussing and debating the hot topics surrounding The Open Championship.

PLAYER NEWS CONFERENCES:  MORNING DRIVE and LIVE FROM MUIRFIELD will feature every scheduled player news conference staged from Muirfield.  The current schedule includes:

Monday:                                  Tuesday:                                              Wednesday:

Ernie Els                                  Tiger Woods                                       Adam Scott

Nick Faldo                               Brandt Snedeker                               The R&A

Phil Mickelson                        Rory McIlroy

Graeme McDowell                 Justin Rose

Hideki Matsuyama                Luke Donald

Matteo Manassero

BROADCAST TEAM & SPECIAL GUESTS:  Reporting from Muirfield will be the tandem of Rich Lerner and Frank Nobilo, who will be joined by Tim Rosaforte, Ken Schofield, Todd Lewis, GolfChannel.com senior writer Rex Hoggard, and contributor Alex Miceli.  Colin Montgomerie also will appear on primetime telecasts Wednesday-Sunday.  Steve Sands, Kelly Tilghman, Brandel Chamblee, Tripp Isenhour, Ryan Burr and Laura Baldesarra will host coverage from Golf Channel studios in Orlando.

Five-time Open Champion Tom Watson will join the LIVE FROM team on Tuesday’s primetime show; and Peter Alliss, one of golf’s all-time great commentators dubbed “The Voice of Golf” – and who will be calling his 53rd Open Championship for the BBC – will make multiple appearances on MORNING DRIVE and LIVE FROM throughout the week.

FEATURES:  Throughout the week, LIVE FROM producers will introduce entertaining and informative features.  A sampling includes:

Faldo at Muirfield – A retrospective on Nick Faldo’s first of two Open Championship wins at Muirfield.

Women’s Policy – A look at the male-only policy at Muirfield, a club that has no immediate plans to follow Augusta National’s lead and allow female members.

Ernie Els – Golf Channel Insider Tim Rosaforte sits down with defending Open Champion Ernie Els for an in-depth conversation.

Great Champions of Muirfield – Muirfield has hosted The Open Championship 15 times.  The list of notable champions there is long, including Ernie Els, Nick Faldo (twice), Jack Nicklaus, Tom Watson, Lee Trevino, Gary Player, Walter Hagen and Harry Vardon.

Peter Dawson – profile of the chief executive of the Royal & Ancient Golf Club.

Archie Baird – married to the great granddaughter of Willie Park, the eccentric Archie Baird reveals his cache of golf collectibles.

National Archives – As the home of golf, Scotland and its National Archives holds some secrets to golf participation in the U.S.

DIGITAL COVERAGE:  GolfChannel.com and live streaming application Golf Live Extra are teaming up to keep fans on the go up to date with all the news from The Open Championship.  A team from GolfChannel.com, including Jay Coffin, Rex Hoggard and Ryan Lavner, will feature expanded editorial content and interactive opportunities for fans themed to The Open Championship.

Live Chats

Senior Writer Jason Sobel and contributor John Hawkins will host live chats on GolfChannel.com Thursday through Sunday to keep fans up to date, answer questions and discuss the latest news:

  • Thursday, 8 a.m.-1 p.m. ET
  • Friday, 8 a.m.-1 p.m. ET
  • Saturday, 10 a.m.-2:30 p.m. ET
  • Sunday, 9 a.m.-1:30 p.m. ET

Video

GolfChannel.com users will have access to video both live and on-demand, including:

  • A series of Open Championship preview videos hosted by Hawkins.
  • Select LIVE FROM content, including player interviews and news conferences.
  • Historical films from the R&A, which feature past Open Championship competitions.

Mobile

Fans who are customers of participating cable, satellite, telco and other video subscription services, will be able to enjoy 24/7 streaming of Golf Channel content through GolfChannel.com and Golf Channel’s mobile application, Golf Live Extra, via “TV Everywhere,” the media industry’s effort to make quality content available to MVPD customers both in and out of the home and on multiple platforms.  Golf Channel’s mobile app also will feature all the on-demand content featured on GolfChannel.com.

Social

GolfChannel.com also features the Golf Channel Social Lounge (www.GolfChannel.com/social), a recently launched social center that aggregates all social media posts related to a specific event in one location on the site.  The Social Lounge currently is aggregating all content on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram mentioning @The_Open.

Golf Channel Open Championship Week Programming (all times ET):

Monday, July 15

Morning Drive                                    7-9 a.m.

The Golf Fix                                         6-7 p.m.

Live From Muirfield                            7-8 p.m.

Tuesday, July 16

Morning Drive                                    7-11 a.m.         (includes player news conferences)

Live From Muirfield                            2-4 p.m.           (player news conferences)

Live From Muirfield                            7-9 p.m.

Wednesday, July 17

Morning Drive                                    7-10 a.m.         (includes player news conferences)

Live From Muirfield                            2-4 p.m.           (player news conferences)

Grey Goose 19th Hole                          6-7 p.m.

Live From Muirfield                            7-9 p.m.

Thursday, July 18

Live From Muirfield                            7-9 p.m.

Friday, July 19

Live From Muirfield                            7-9 p.m.

Saturday, July 20

Live From Muirfield                            7-9 p.m.

Sunday, July 21

Live From Muirfield                            1:30-2 p.m.

Live From Muirfield                            7-9 p.m.