FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Monday, October 19th, 2015

ROUND OF 16 SET FOR 2015 WORLD LONG DRIVE CHAMPIONSHIP, AIRING LIVE TUESDAY AT 9 P.M. ET IN PRIMETIME UNDER THE LIGHTS ON GOLF CHANNEL

Remaining Field Includes Four Former World Long Drive Champions Competing for $250,000 Purse at WinStar World Casino and Resort

World Long Drive Championship Finals Airing at 9 p.m. ET on Wednesday Night

THACKERVILLE, Okla. (Oct. 19, 2015) – The field is set for the 2015 World Long Drive Championship round of 16, which will play out Tuesday night, live and in primetime at 9 p.m. ET under the lights on Golf Channel from WinStar World Casino and Resort. Earlier today, the 16 remaining competitors advanced from the round of 32 in a best-of-three, head-to-head match play bracket format, including four of the 16 advancing having previously won the World Long Drive Championship.

Round of 16 Matchups:

(1) Joe Miller (United Kingdom) vs. (4) Jason Eslinger (Forney, Texas)

(2) Will Hogue (Collierville, Tenn.) vs. (3) Adam Smith (Spring, Texas)

(1) Tim Burke (Orlando, Fla.) vs. (12) Maurice Allen (Pine Hills, Fla.)

(6) Justin Moose (Pittsburgh, Pa.) vs. (7) Justin Young (Mount Airy, N.C.)

(5) Kevin Shook (Bradenton, Fla.) vs. (8) Jeff Gavin (Hamilton, ON, Canada)

(6) Rich Moore (Aurora, Colo.) vs. (10) Jeremy Easterly (Ponte Vedra, Fla.)

(1) Jamie Sadlowski (St. Paul, AB, Canada) vs. (4) Ryan Winther (Lodi, Calif.)

(2) Jeff Crittenden (Greensboro, N.C.) vs. (11)Kari Hyokki (Sweden)

FORMAT: During Tuesday’s round of 16 and Wednesday’s coverage of the remaining eight competitors on Golf Channel, a new format will be implemented which will allow players 2 minutes, 45 seconds to hit their drives in each round, and the player who is trailing in the match will have an opportunity to hit one final ball past their opponent’s to try and advance to the next round in the bracket.

BROADCAST TEAM: Golf Channel’s Ryan Burr will provide play-by-play; Michael Breed, host of The Golf Fix, will serve as analyst; and Angela Hamann will handle interviews. Art Sellinger – long-drive pioneer, two-time national long-drive champion and founder of the Long Drivers of America – also will be on hand to provide an analyst perspective and offer additional background on the competitors.

COVERAGE: Golf Channel will feature back-to-back nights of live coverage of the World Long Drive Championship, airing in primetime from 9-11 p.m. ET. Prior to on-site event coverage each night, the network will dedicate a 60-minute Golf Central Pre-Game show, previewing the matchups with Hamann conducting interviews with players in the field preparing to compete, along with dedicated live booth segments with Burr, Breed and Sellinger looking ahead to each matchup.

Round of 32 Results:

(1) Joe Miller def. (9) Steve Monroe: 2-0

(4) Jason Eslinger def. (5) Ryan Reisbeck: 2-0

(3) Adam Smith def. (6) Landon Gentry: 2-0

(2) Will Hogue def. (7) Troy Teal: 2-0

(1) Tim Burke def. (9) Kody Zurek: 2-0

(12) Maurice Allen def. (4) Ryan Louw: 2-0

(6) Justin Moose def. (3) Patrick Hopper: 2-0

(7) Justin Young def. (2) Matt Hanger: 2-1

(8) Jeff Gavin def. (1) Jeff Flagg: 2-0

(5) Kevin Shook def. (4) Carl Wolter: 2-0

(6) Rich Moore def. (3) Ben Tuaone: 2-1

(10) Jeremy Easterly def. (2) Connor Powers: 2-0

(1) Jamie Sadlowski def. (8) Michael Knox: 2-0

(4) Ryan Winther def. (12) Jesse Pettersen: 2-1

(11) Kari Hyokki def. (3) Aaron Mansfield: 2-1

(2) Jeff Crittenden def. (7) Rob Tiettmeyer: 2-0

For full results, visit HERE.

ABOUT GOLF CHANNEL

Golf Channel is a multimedia, golf entertainment and services company based in Orlando, Fla. Serving the most-affluent audience in all of television, Golf Channel – co-founded by Arnold Palmer in 1995 and now part of NBC Sports Group – is available in more than 200 million homes in 84 countries and 13 languages around the world. Exclusive partnerships with the world’s top tours allow Golf Channel to feature more live golf coverage than all other networks combined, as well as a programming schedule distinguished by golf’s highest-quality news, instruction and original content. Watch Golf Channel anywhere: On Demand, online or across mobile and connected TVs through Golf Live Extra. Golf Channel’s digital platforms, headed by GolfChannel.com, are the leading golf destinations on the Internet, delivering unmatched coverage of the world of golf. In addition, Golf Channel connects the world to golf through a wide array of digital and lifestyle services including Golf Channel Mobile, a comprehensive app covering golf’s latest headlines, scores and analysis; GolfNow, the world’s largest online tee time booking platform and golf course technology partner, which includes the GolfNow Mobile App, featuring on-course GPS tracking, in-round scoring and game tracking; GolfAdvisor.com, a golf course ratings and review portal for golfers, by golfers; a North American network of Golf Channel Academy instructional facilities; and Golf Channel Am Tour, the world’s largest amateur golf tour.

-NBC Sports Group-