FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Tuesday, October 21st, 2014
GOLF CHANNEL TOURNAMENT AIRTIME & NOTES (OCT. 22-26)
2014 FedExCup Runner-up, Former Sea Island, Ga. Resident Kirk
Defends 2013 Title at the McGladrey Classic hosted by Love III
AT&T Championship Serves as Final Opportunity for Players to Qualify for
Next Week’s Season-Culminating Charles Schwab Cup Championship
China Stages Inaugural Blue Bay LPGA
Dufner Returns from Injury at ISPS Handa Perth International in Australia; Final Chance to Qualify for European Tour’s Final Series, Race to Dubai
ORLANDO, Fla. (Oct. 21, 2014) – Chris Kirk will try to defend his 2013 title in his home state this week at the McGladrey Classic in St. Simons Island, Ga., with Matt Kuchar, Zach Johnson and Webb Simpson also headlining the field. Local Sea Island resident and 20-time PGA TOUR winner Davis Love III is the official tournament chairman and host, and also is in the field. The Champions Tour is in San Antonio for the AT&T Championship, which is the final opportunity for players to try to position themselves inside the top-30 of the season-long Schwab Cup points race, which would qualify them for next week’s season-culminating Charles Schwab Cup Championship in Arizona. The inaugural Blue Bay LPGA in China begins on Wednesday, with Michelle Wie in the field, coming off her best finish since returning from a finger injury with last week’s T-5 finish in the LPGA KEB HanaBank Championship. Jason Dufner headlines the field in Australia at the European Tour’s ISPS Handa Perth International, making his first start since withdrawing from the PGA Championship in August with a neck injury that kept him out of the FedExCup Playoffs and the Ryder Cup.
PGA TOUR
McGladrey Classic
Dates: Oct. 23-26
Venue: Sea Island Golf Club (Seaside Course), St. Simons Island, Ga.
Tournament Airtimes On Golf Channel (Eastern):
Thursday 2-5 p.m. (Live) / 8-11 p.m. (Replay)
Friday 2-5 p.m. (Live) / 8-11 p.m. (Replay)
Saturday 2-5 p.m. (Live) / 8-11 p.m. (Replay)
Sunday 2-5 p.m. (Live) / 8-11 p.m. (Replay)
Broadcast Notes:
Love’s Event: 20-time PGA TOUR winner and local resident Davis Love III serves as tournament chairman and host at the McGladrey Classic. Love also is in the field this week.
McGladrey Classic Pro-Am airing on Golf Channel on Wednesday, 5 p.m. ET: Golf Channel will air the McGladrey Classic Pro-Am on Wednesday at 5 p.m. ET as players make their final preparations for Thursday’s opening round of play.
Silvers Monday qualifies for home-state event: Savannah resident Mark Silvers Monday qualified for this week’s event and will tee it up on Thursday. Silvers, who won Golf Channel’s Big Break Greenbrier in 2012, finished 10th on the PGA TOUR Canada Order of Merit in 2014, and has status on the Web.com Tour in 2015.
Kirk defends: Chris Kirk finished one stroke ahead of Briny Baird and Tim Clark for his second career PGA TOUR win.
Headlining the field: Matt Kuchar, Zach Johnson, Webb Simpson, Chris Kirk, Harris English, Bill Haas, Erik Compton, Russell Henley, Justin Leonard, Davis Love III, and Brendon Todd.
Golf Channel Broadcast Team
Play by Play: Whit Watson
Analyst: Gary Koch
Tower: Peter Oosterhuis / Matt Gogel
On Course: Jerry Foltz / Scott McCarron
Interviews: George Savaricas
CHAMPIONS TOUR
AT&T Championship
Dates: Oct. 24-26
Venue: TPC San Antonio (AT&T Canyons Course), San Antonio, Texas
Tournament Airtimes On Golf Channel (Eastern):
Friday 5-7 p.m. (Live) / 3:30-5:30 a.m. (Saturday replay)
Saturday 5-7 p.m. (Live) / 3:30-5:30 a.m. (Sunday replay)
Sunday 5-7 p.m. (Live) / Midnight-2 a.m. (Monday replay)
Broadcast Notes:
Perry defends: Kenny Perry defeated Bernhard Langer on the first playoff hole in 2013 for his fifth career Champions Tour victory at the time.
Final opportunity to qualify for Schwab Cup Championship next week: This is the final event on the 2014 Champions Tour schedule prior to next week’s season-culminating Charles Schwab Cup Championship in Arizona. This week also marks the final opportunity for players to position themselves inside the top-30 of the season-long Schwab Cup points race that would qualify them to compete in next week’s event.
Headlining the field: Bernhard Langer, Colin Montgomerie, Fred Couples, Jay Haas, Peter Jacobsen, Corey Pavin, Tom Lehman, John Cook, Kirk Triplett, Lee Janzen and David Frost.
Golf Channel Broadcast Team:
Play by Play: Bob Papa
Analyst: Lanny Wadkins
Tower: Dave Marr / John Mahaffey
On Course: Billy Ray Brown
LPGA TOUR
Blue Bay LPGA
Dates: Oct. 22-25
Venue: Jian Lake Blue Bay Golf Course, Hainan Island, China
Tournament Airtimes On Golf Channel (Eastern):
Wednesday 11:30 p.m.-3:30 a.m. (Live) / 5:30-8 p.m. (Thursday replay)
Thursday 11:30 p.m.-3:30 a.m. (Live)
Friday 11:30 p.m.-3:30 a.m. (Live)
Saturday 11:30 p.m.-3:30 a.m. (Live)
Broadcast Notes:
New event: This is the inaugural showing of the Blue Bay LPGA, the fourth of seven consecutive events being played outside of the United States this fall. The 72-hole event features an 81-player field with no cut.
Headlining the field: Michelle Wie, Lydia Ko, Shanshan Feng, Lexi Thompson, Anna Nordqvist, Cristie Kerr, Azahara Munoz, Mirim Lee, Jessica Korda and Caroline Hedwall.
Golf Channel Broadcast Team:
Studio Host: Steve Burkowski
Play by Play: Warren Smith
Analyst: Sandy Mackenzie
On Course: Karen Stupples
EUROPEAN TOUR
ISPS Handa Perth International
Dates: Oct. 23-26
Venue: Lake Karrinyup Country Club, Perth Western, Australia
Tournament Airtimes On Golf Channel (Eastern):
Thursday 9 a.m.-1 p.m. (Tape delay)
Friday 9 a.m.-1 p.m. (Tape delay)
Saturday 6:30-10:30 a.m. (Tape delay)
Sunday 6:30-10:30 a.m. (Tape delay)
Broadcast Notes:
Final opportunity to qualify for the Race to Dubai: This is the final event of the 2014 European Tour regular season, and the last chance for players to qualify for the four-event Final Series and Race to Dubai beginning next week with the BMW Masters in China. The ISPS Handa Perth International also serves as the only event in Australia to be co-sanctioned by the European Tour and the PGA TOUR of Australasia.
Dufner returns to competition from neck injury: 2013 PGA Championship winner Jason Dufner makes his first start this week since withdrawing from the 2014 PGA Championship at Valhalla due to a neck injury that forced him to miss the entire FedExCup Playoffs as well as the Ryder Cup.
Jeong defends: Jin Jeong outlasted Ross Fisher on the first playoff hole to win the first European Tour event of his career.
Headlining the field: Jason Dufner, Victor Dubuisson, Charl Schwartzel, Geoff Ogilvy, Peter Uihlein, Oliver Goss, Thorbjorn Olesen, Stephen Bowditch, Edoardo Molinari and Jin Jeong.
Golf Channel Broadcast Team:
Play by Play: Peter Donegan
Analyst: Warren Humphreys
On Course: Lyndsay Stephen / Ossie Moore / Wayne Smith
-NBC Sports Group-
