FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Tuesday, November 17th, 2015

GOLF CHANNEL TOURNAMENT AIRTIMES & NOTES (NOV. 18-22): RSM CLASSIC; CME GROUP TOUR CHAMPIONSHIP; DP WORLD TOUR CHAMPIONSHIP; AUSTRALIAN MASTERS

PGA TOUR Stages Final Event of 2015 with RSM Classic; Golf Channel to Feature Two Veteran TOUR Caddies as On-Course Reporters 

LPGA Tour Season Culminates with CME Group Tour Championship, with Nine Players in the Running for the Season-Long CME Globe Prize 

Race to Dubai Wraps up European Tour Season with DP World Tour Championship as McIlroy Holds Slim Lead over Willet for Season-Long Title 

Scott, DeChambeau Headline the Field at the Australian Masters, Airing in Primetime on Golf Channel Wednesday-Saturday

ORLANDO, Fla. (Nov. 17, 2015) – The PGA TOUR is in St. Simons Island, Ga., for its final event of 2015 with the RSM Classic. For the first time, Golf Channel will feature PGA TOUR caddies as on-course reporters during its telecasts (on Friday and Saturday), with Jim “Bones” Mackay (Phil Mickelson’s longtime caddie) and John “Woody” Wood (Matt Kuchar’s caddie in 2016). The LPGA Tour wraps up its season with the CME Group Tour Championship in Naples, as nine players have a mathematical chance of claiming the season-long Race to the CME Globe prize. World No. 1 Lydia Ko and World No. 2 Inbee Park each have recorded five victories in 2015, and will automatically win the race with a victory this week. The European Tour’s Race to Dubai culminates this week with the DP World Tour Championship, as Rory McIlroy holds a slim lead in the season-long standings over Danny Willett, each of whom would win the title by finishing ahead of the other this week. Five other players outside of McIlroy and Willet have a mathematical chance of claiming the Race to Dubai, though they would need a victory or second place finish to have any hope. And the Australian Masters will air in primetime on Golf Channel Wednesday-Saturday, with the PGA TOUR Australasia event featuring several of the top-ranked Australian players in the world, including Adam Scott and Steven Bowditch.

PGA TOUR

RSM Classic
Dates: Nov. 19-22
Venues: Sea Island Golf Club (Seaside Course, Plantation Course), St. Simons Island, Ga.

Tournament Airtimes on Golf Channel (Eastern):
Thursday         1-4 p.m. (Live) / 7-10 p.m. (Replay)
Friday              1-4 p.m. (Live) / 7-10 p.m. (Replay)
Saturday          1-4 p.m. (Live) / 7-10 p.m. (Replay)
Sunday            1-4 p.m. (Live) / 7-10 p.m. (Replay)

Broadcast Notes:
PGA TOUR Caddies Mackay, Wood to exchange bag for microphone as on-course reporters: Longtime PGA TOUR caddies Jim “Bones” Mackay and John “Woody” Wood will walk the fairways this week with microphone in hand, instead of the customary bag on their shoulder, serving as on-course reporters during Golf Channel’s Friday and Saturday telecasts. The two will provide viewers with their unique insight from a caddie’s perspective, as Mackay (Phil Mickelson’s longtime caddie) and Wood (looping for Matt Kuchar in 2016) have established themselves as two of the most respected caddies on TOUR. The duo also will join Golf Channel’s Morning Drive program on Friday and Saturday live from Sea Island Golf Club.
Format: The field will play one round each on the Seaside and Plantation courses on Thursday and Friday, and players making the cut on Friday will then play the Seaside Course on Saturday and Sunday for the third and final rounds.
Streb defends: Robert Streb defeated Will MacKenzie and Brendon de Jonge on the second playoff hole to earn his first career PGA TOUR victory.
Headlining the field: Zach Johnson, Bill Haas, Matt Kuchar, Chris Kirk, Kevin Kisner, Brandt Snedeker, Harris English, Graeme McDowell, Justin Thomas, Robert Streb and Davis Love III.

Golf Channel Broadcast Team:
Play by Play: Rich Lerner
Analyst: Gary Koch
Tower: Curt Byrum
On-Course: Roger Maltbie / Matt Gogel / Jim Mackay (Friday, Saturday) / John Wood (Friday, Saturday)
Interviews: Steve Sands

LPGA TOUR

CME Group Tour Championship
Dates: Nov. 19-22
Venue: Tiburon Golf Club, Naples, Fla.

Tournament Airtimes on Golf Channel (Eastern):
Thursday         4-6:30 p.m. (Tape delay) / 12:30-3 p.m. (Streaming on Golf Live Extra)
Friday              4-6:30 p.m. (Tape delay) / 1:30-4 p.m. (Streaming on Golf Live Extra)
Saturday          4-6:30 p.m. (Tape delay) / 1:30-4 p.m. (Streaming on Golf Live Extra)
Sunday            **2-4 p.m. (Live on ABC)**

Broadcast Notes:
Nine players in the running for CME Globe title: Entering the week, nine LPGA Tour players have a mathematical chance at winning the season-long race to the CME Globe: Lydia Ko (No. 1); Inbee Park (No. 2); Stacy Lewis (No. 3); Sei Young Kim (No. 4); Lexi Thompson (No. 5); Amy Yang (No. 6); So Yeon Ryu (No. 7); Anna Nordqvist (No. 8) and Shanshan Feng (No. 9), and the top-three will automatically win the race with a victory this week. Ko and Park each have recorded five victories in 2015. Currently, Ko also holds a narrow lead over Park in the Rolex Player of the Year and money title rankings, while Park leads Ko in the Race for the Vare Trophy, given to the player with the lowest scoring average over the course of the season.
Ko defends: Lydia Ko defeated Carlota Ciganda and Julieta Granada on the fourth playoff hole to earn her third victory of the 2014 season and capture the season-long Race to the CME Globe.
Headlining the field: Lydia Ko, Inbee Park, Stacy Lewis, Sei Young Kim, Lexi Thompson, Amy Yang, So Yeon Ryu, Anna Nordqvist and Shanshan Feng.

Golf Channel Broadcast Team:
Play by Play: Terry Gannon
Analyst: Judy Rankin
Tower: Tom Abbott
On-Course: Jerry Foltz / Karen Stupples

EUROPEAN TOUR 

DP World Tour Championship
Dates: Nov. 19-22
Venue: Jumeirah Golf Estates (Earth Course), Dubai, United Arab Emirates

Tournament Airtimes on Golf Channel (Eastern):
Thursday         3-8 a.m. (Live) / 10 a.m.-12:30 p.m. (Replay)
Friday              3-8 a.m. (Live) / 10 a.m.-12:30 p.m. (Replay)
Saturday          3-8 a.m. (Live) / 10 a.m.-12:30 p.m. (Replay)
Sunday            2:30-7:30 a.m. (Live) / 9:30 a.m.-12:30 p.m. (Replay)

Broadcast Notes:
Stenson defends: Henrik Stenson finished two strokes ahead of Rory McIlroy, Justin Rose and Victor Dubuisson to defend his 2013 title and earn his ninth career European Tour win.
Two-man race between McIlroy and Willett: World No. 3 Rory McIlroy holds a slim 1,613 point lead over Danny Willett at the top, though each of the top-7 players in the standings have a mathematical chance at winning the season-long title, including Justin Rose, Shane Lowry, Louis Oosthuizen, Branden Grace and Byeong-Hun An. Willet would need to finish ahead of McIlroy this week (as long as they both finish 45th or better), but the other players in the top-7 would need a win or second place finish to have any chance at surpassing McIlroy. The top-15 in the final standings at the conclusion of the week will split a $5 million bonus pool with the winner receiving $1.25 million.
Headlining the field: Rory McIlroy, Danny Willett, Justin Rose, Shane Lowry, Louis Oosthuizen, Branden Grace, Byeong-Hun An, Thongchai Jaidee, Victor Dubuisson and Henrik Stenson.

Golf Channel Broadcast Team:
Studio Host: Mike Ritz
Play by Play: Dougie Donnelly
Analyst: Warren Humphreys / Sam Torrance
On-Course: Ken Brown / Julian Tutt

PGA TOUR AUSTRALASIA

Australian Masters
Dates: Nov. 18-21
Venue: Huntingdale Golf Club, Oakleigh South, Australia

Tournament Airtimes on Golf Channel (Eastern):
Wednesday     8 p.m.-1 a.m. (Live)
Thursday         10 p.m.-1 a.m. (Live)
Friday              10 p.m.-1 a.m. (Live)
Saturday          10 p.m.- 1 a.m. (Live)

Broadcast Notes:
Kicking off “Australia’s Golf Triple Crown”: The Australian Masters is the first of three events that make up Australian golf’s triple crown, with the Australian Open next week and the Australian PGA Championship in two weeks. The only player to have won all three in the same season in Robert Allenby in 2005.
Cullen defends: Nick Cullen defeated Adam Scott, James Nitties and Josh Younger by one stroke for his second career PGA TOUR Australasia victory.
Headlining the field: Adam Scott, Steven Bowditch, Bryson DeChambeau, Nicolas Colsaerts, John Senden, Peter Lonard, Peter Senior, Cameron Smith, Craig Perry and Nick Cullen.

-NBC Sports Group-