FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Thursday, August 28th, 2014
NBC SPORTS GROUP TOURNAMENT AIRTIMES & NOTES (AUGUST 28 – SEPT. 1)
NBC Sports Group Showcasing Nearly 25 Hours of Live Tournament Coverage of the Deutsche Bank Championship in Boston
LPGA Tour’s Portland Classic airing in Primetime on Golf Channel
Hotel Fitness Championship Kicks Off Four-Event Web.com Tour Finals
Langer Headlines the Field at Shaw Charity Classic in Calgary
Final Opportunity to Automatically Qualify forEuropean Ryder Cup Team at Italian Open
ORLANDO, Fla. (August 26, 2014) – NBC Sports Group will provide tournament coverage of each round of all five professional tours in action this week, including nearly 25 hours of the Deutsche Bank Championship from TPC Boston, which will contribute to the network’s more than 100 hours of live tournament and news programming of the final three FedExCup Playoffs events. Golf Channel will air early round Friday-Saturday coverage in addition to lead-in coverage on Sunday-Monday, while NBC will broadcast third and final round coverage on Sunday and Monday. Golf Channel’s Spotlight Coverage, which will focus on the finishing stretch of holes at TPC Boston, also will complement NBC’s broadcast on Sunday and Monday. The LPGA Tour’s Portland Classic will air in primetime on Golf Channel, with Suzann Pettersen defending her 2013 title. The four-event Web.com Tour Finals gets underway this week, with 25 PGA TOUR cards on the line at the conclusion of the Web.com Tour Championship next month. Bernhard Langer headlines the field at the Shaw Charity Classic, the first of two consecutive events held in Canada on the Champions Tour. On the European Tour, the Italian Open will serve as the final opportunity for players to secure an automatic bid to compete on captain Paul McGinley’s European Ryder Cup team, with nine players earning a place on the team at week’s end.
PGA TOUR
Deutsche Bank Championship
Dates: Aug. 29-Sept. 1
Venue: TPC Boston, Norton, Mass.
Tournament Airtimes On Golf Channel (Eastern):
Friday 2:30-6:30 p.m. (Live) / 11:30 p.m.-3:30 a.m. (Replay)
Saturday 3-6:30 p.m. (Live) / 11:30 p.m.-3 a.m. (Replay)
Sunday 1-3 p.m. (Live) / 11:30 p.m.-2:30 a.m. (Replay)
Monday 11:30 a.m.-1:30 p.m. (Live) / 8 p.m.-2:30 a.m. (Replay)
Tournament Airtimes On NBC (Eastern):
Sunday 3-6 p.m. (Live)
Monday 1:30-6 p.m. (Live)
Golf Channel Spotlight Coverage (Eastern):
Sunday 3-5 p.m. (Live)
Monday 1:30-5 p.m. (Live)
Broadcast Notes:
NBC Sports Group airing nearly 25 hours of live tournament coverage: NBC Sports Group will dedicate nearly 25 hours of live tournament coverage of the Deutche Bank Championship. Golf Channel will air early round Friday-Saturday coverage and lead-in coverage on Sunday-Monday, while NBC will broadcast third and final round coverage on Sunday and Monday. Golf Channel’s complementary Spotlight Coverage also will air opposite NBC’s broadcast on Sunday and Monday. Players within the top-100 of the current FedExCup standings electing to play this week will have the opportunity to qualify for the top-70 in the standings by week’s end that will become eligible to tee it up at next week’s BMW Championship outside of Denver.
Golf Channel’s Spotlight Coverage returns: Golf Channel’s Spotlight Coverage returns this week and will continue at the BMW Championship the following week. Spotlight Coverage will focus on the finishing stretch of holes – 16-18 – while complementing NBC’s live, third- and final-round coverage. Spotlight Coverage is enhanced for 2014, featuring a reverse-L on-screen graphic displaying continuous stats and player updates. Coverage will be highlighted by special production elements, including Pro Tracer, which uses graphics to track the flight of the ball in real time; and TrackMan, a technology that measures club-head speed, ball speed and carry distance.
Expanded Golf Central Pre Game on Thursday to include Rory McIlroy press conference: Golf Channel will air a special expanded Golf Central Pre Game from 1:30-3 p.m. ET on Thursday which will include Rory McIlroy’s press conference from the media center at TPC Boston, as well as additional player press conferences within the telecast window.
Friday start: Due to the holiday weekend with Labor Day falling on Monday, September 1, the Deutsche Bank Championship will begin on Friday, and conclude on Monday.
Stenson defends: Henrik Stenson finished two shots ahead of Steve Stricker for his third career PGA TOUR victory in last year’s event, before eventually going on to win the 2013 FexExCup title and the $10 million prize.
Headlining the field: Rory McIlroy, Phil Mickelson, Adam Scott, Henrik Stenson, Jim Furyk, Jason Day, Matt Kuchar, Bubba Watson, Rickie Fowler and Jordan Spieth.
NBC / Golf Channel Broadcast Team:
Play by Play: Terry Gannon (Golf Channel) / Dan Hicks (NBC)
Analyst: Frank Nobilo (Golf Channel) / Johnny Miller (NBC)
Tower: Gary Koch / Peter Jacobsen
On Course: Roger Maltbie / Mark Rolfing / Notah Begay
Interviews: Steve Sands
Golf Channel Spotlight Coverage Broadcast Team:
Play by Play: Randy Moss
Analyst: Curt Byrum
On Course: Phil Parkin / Scott McCarron
LPGA TOUR
Portland Classic
Dates: August 28-31
Venue: Columbia Edgewater Country Club, Portland, Ore.
Tournament Airtimes On Golf Channel (Eastern):
Thursday 6:30-9:30 p.m. (Live)
Friday 7-9:30 p.m. (Live)
Saturday 7-9:30 p.m. (Live)
Sunday 7-9 p.m. (Live)
Broadcast Notes:
Pettersen defends: Suzann Pettersen won by two shots over Stacy Lewis for her 12th career LPGA Tour victory.
Headlining the field: Suzann Pettersen, Na Yeon Choi, Shanshan Feng, Anna Nordqvist, So Yeon Ryu, Ai Miyazato, Charley Hull, Mo Martin, Sandra Gal, Morgan Pressel and Marissa Steen.
Tournament Broadcast Team:
Play by Play: Tom Abbott
Analyst: Judy Rankin
On Course: Jerry Foltz / Karen Stupples / Tripp Isenhour
WEB.COM TOUR
Hotel Fitness Championship
Dates: August 28-31
Venue: Sycamore Hills Golf Club, Fort Wayne, Ind.
Tournament Airtimes On Golf Channel (Eastern):
Thursday 3-6 p.m. (Live)
Friday 12:30-2:30 p.m. (Live)
Saturday 12:30-3 p.m. (Live)
Sunday 5-7 p.m. (Live)
Broadcast Notes:
Web.com Tour Finals Begin: The four-event Web.com Tour Finals begin this week, with the field consisting of players ranked 26-100 on the Web.com Tour season-long money list, along with players ranked 126-200 in the PGA TOUR FedExCup standings competing for 25 PGA TOUR cards for the 2014-15 season. Members of “The 25” – those Web.com Tour players already having secured their PGA TOUR cards for 2014-15 also are eligible to compete in the Web.com Tour Finals to try and better position themselves on the PGA TOUR priority list for qualifying to get into tournament fields.
Headlining the field: Jonathan Byrd, Chad Campbell, Ben Curtis, J.J. Henry, Tim Herron, Trevor Immelman, Heath Slocum, Y.E. Yang, Colt Knost, Sam Saunders and Casey Wittenberg.
Golf Channel Broadcast Team
Play by Play: Whit Watson
Analyst: Craig Perks
Tower: Phil Blackmar
On Course: Kay Cockerill / Rich Beem
CHAMPIONS TOUR
Shaw Charity Classic
Dates: August 29-31
Venue: Canyon Meadows Golf & Country Club, Calgary, Canada
Tournament Airtimes On Golf Channel (Eastern):
Friday 9:30-11:30 p.m. (Tape Delay) / (Live streaming on Golf Live Extra)
Saturday 9:30-11:30 p.m. (Tape Delay) / (Live streaming on Golf Live Extra)
Sunday 9-11 p.m. (Tape Delay) / (Live streaming on Golf Live Extra)
Broadcast Notes:
Mediate defends: Rocco Mediate finished seven shots clear of the field for his second career Champions Tour win in last year’s event.
Headlining the field: Bernhard Langer, Fred Couples, Rocco Mediate, John Cook, Jay Haas, Tom Lehman, Corey Pavin, Brad Faxon and Woody Austin.
Golf Channel Broadcast Team:
Play by Play: Brian Hammons
Analyst: Lanny Wadkins
Tower: Dave Marr / John Mahaffey
On Course: Billy Ray Brown
EUROPEAN TOUR
Italian Open
Dates: August 28-31
Venue: Circolo Golf, Torino, Italy
Tournament Airtimes On Golf Channel (Eastern):
Thursday 5:30-7:30 a.m. / 9:30 a.m.-12:30 p.m. (Live)
Friday 5:30-7:30 a.m. / 9:30 a.m.-Noon (Live)
Saturday 7-11 a.m. (Live)
Sunday 7-11:30 a.m. (Live)
Broadcast Notes:
Last chance to qualify for European Ryder Cup team: This week marks the final opportunity for players to automatically qualify for the European Ryder Cup team. Nine players will earn an automatic place on the team at the conclusion of play on Sunday and captain Paul McGinley will select the final three members of his 12-man team on Tuesday, September 2, airing live on Golf Channel during Morning Drive, the network’s daily news and lifestyle program.
Quesne defends: Julien Quesne won by one shot over David Higgins and Steve Webster for his second career European Tour win.
Headlining the field: Rafael Cabrera-Bello, Darren Clarke, George Coetzee, Nicolas Colsaerts, Stephen Gallacher, Padraig Harrington, Joost Luiten, Matteo Manassero and Edoardo Molinari.
Golf Channel Broadcast Team:
Studio Host: Steve Burkowski
Play by Play: Dominik Holyer / Renton Laidlaw
Analyst: Warren Humphreys
On Course: Jay Townsend