European Tour Opens 2015 with South African Open Championship
ORLANDO, Fla. (Jan. 6, 2014) – Golf Channel will air exclusive coverage of the first PGA TOUR event in 2015 at the Hyundai Tournament of Champions from Maui, Hawaii, beginning Friday, Jan. 9, with the event scheduled to conclude on a Monday for the fourth consecutive season. NBC will air live coverage of the third round on Sunday from 2:30-5 p.m. ET, with third round coverage concluding on Golf Channel Sunday evening. In addition to live tournament coverage that features a select field of winners from the 2014 PGA TOUR calendar year, Golf Central – the network’s daily evening news program – will originate on-site from Kapalua Resort’s Plantation Course, offering wraparound news and analysis prior to and immediately following tournament coverage. The European Tour opens its 2015 schedule with the South African Open Championship, with Ernie Els (five-time champion of the event) acting as host and ambassador of the tournament for the first time.
PGA TOUR
Hyundai Tournament of Champions
Dates: Jan. 9-12
Venue: Kapalua Resort (Plantation Course), Kapalua, Maui, Hawaii
Tournament Airtimes On Golf Channel (Eastern):
Friday 4:30-10 p.m. (Live) / 11 p.m.-4:30 a.m. (Replay)
Saturday 1-7 p.m. (Live) / 8 p.m.-2 a.m. (Replay)
Sunday 5-9:30 p.m. (Live) / 10:30 p.m.-5:30 a.m. (Replay)
Monday 4-8 p.m. (Live) / 9 p.m.-1 a.m. (Replay)
Tournament Airtimes on NBC (Eastern):
Sunday 2:30-5 p.m. (Live)
Broadcast Notes:
Early Third Round Coverage Airing on Sunday on NBC, 2:30-5 p.m. ET: NBC will air early third round coverage on Sunday afternoon from 2:30-5 p.m. ET, with third round coverage concluding on Golf Channel Sunday evening from 5-9:30 p.m. ET.
Golf Central Road Show airing from Kapalua’s Plantation Course: Golf Channel’s daily evening news program, Golf Central, will air on-site from Kapalua’s Plantation Course this week, Thursday-Monday, Jan. 8-12. Ryan Burr will host, with Brandel Chamblee and Notah Begay offering tournament analysis, and Todd Lewis reporting on the latest news and developments throughout the weekend.
Pro-Am airing on Thursday, 8-9:30 p.m. ET: Golf Channel will air the Hyundai Tournament of Champions Pro-Am on Thursday, 8-9:30 p.m. ET as the players make their final preparations for Friday’s opening round.
Monday finish: For the fourth consecutive year, the first PGA TOUR event of 2015 will begin on Friday (Jan. 9) and conclude on Monday (Jan. 12).
Champion field: 34 of the 38 eligible PGA TOUR winners from the 2014 calendar year are in the field, including all 12 first-time winners making their first-ever start at Kapalua.
Johnson defends: Zach Johnson finished one shot clear of Jordan Spieth to earn his third win in six worldwide starts, after winning the BMW Championship and Hero World Challenge to close out 2013.
Headlining the field: Bubba Watson, Billy Horschel, Jason Day, Zach Johnson, Matt Kuchar, Chris Kirk, Patrick Reed, Jimmy Walker, Hideki Matsuyama, Chesson Hadley and Hunter Mahan.
Golf Channel, NBC Broadcast Team:
Play by Play: Steve Sands / Dan Hicks
Analyst: Frank Nobilo / Johnny Miller
Tower: Gary Koch / Mark Rolfing
On Course: Roger Maltbie / Notah Begay / Jerry Foltz
Interviews: Steve Sands / Todd Lewis
Golf Central Road Show Broadcast Team:
Host: Ryan Burr
Analyst: Brandel Chamblee / Notah Begay
Reporter: Todd Lewis
EUROPEAN TOUR
South African Open Championship
Dates: Jan. 8-11
Venue: Glendower Golf Club, Johannesburg, South Africa
Tournament Airtimes On Golf Channel (Eastern):
Thursday 3:30-5:30 a.m., 7:30-10:30 a.m. (Live) / 12:30-4:30 p.m. (Replay)
Friday 7:30-10:30 a.m. (Live), (Beginning of second round on tape delay, 5:30-7:30 a.m.)
Saturday 5:30-9:30 a.m. (Live)
Sunday 5:00-9:30 a.m. (Live)
Broadcast Notes:
Els serving as event host: Five-time South African Open champion Ernie Els will serve as host and ambassador of the event for the first time, with his charities – Els for Autism, and the Ernie Els & Fancourt Foundation – named the tournament’s charitable beneficiaries.
Madsen defends: Morten Orum Madsen won by two strokes over Jbe Kruger and Hennie Otto for his first career European Tour win.
Headlining the field: Ernie Els, Charl Schwartzel, Branden Grace, George Coetzee, Thomas Aiken, Matthew Fitzpatrick, Eduardo Molinari, David Horsey, and Morten Orum Madsen.
Golf Channel Broadcast Team:
Studio Host: Steve Burkowski
Play by Play: Warren Humphreys
Analyst: Denis Hutchinson
On Course: Julian Tutt
-NBC Sports Group-