FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Wednesday, December 2nd, 2015
NBC SPORTS GROUP TOURNAMENT AIRTIMES & NOTES (DEC. 2-6): HERO WORLD CHALLENGE; AUSTRALIAN PGA CHAMPIONSHIP; NEDBANK CHALLENGE; HO TRAM OPEN; THE QUEENS
Spieth Set to Defend at Hero World Challenge with 18-man Field Featuring Six of Top-10 Players in the World on Golf Channel & NBC
Snedeker, Senden Headline Australian PGA Championship in Primetime
20 of Top-50 in the World to Compete in 30-man Nedbank Challenge Field
Inaugural Ho Tram Open on Asian Tour Headlined by Garcia, Clarke
Ladies European Tour Stages The Queens Inaugural Match Play Event
ORLANDO, Fla. (Dec. 2, 2015) – NBC Sports Group will showcase the Hero World Challenge this week, featuring World No. 1 and defending champion Jordan Spieth at Albany Resort in the Bahamas. Golf Channel will televise first and second round coverage on Thursday and Friday, and early-round coverage of the third and final rounds, with NBC broadcasting the conclusion of the final two rounds on Saturday and Sunday. Justin Leonard – former Open Champion, PLAYERS Champion and 1999 Ryder Cup hero – will take part in Golf Channel and NBC’s live coverage of the Hero World Challenge as a tower analyst. The Australian PGA Championship, co-sanctioned by the PGA TOUR Australasia and the European Tour, will air in primetime Wednesday-Saturday, with Brandt Snedeker and John Senden headlining the field. The European Tour also will stage the Nedbank Challenge beginning Thursday morning, with 20 of the top-50 in the world highlighting a 30-man field in South Africa. On the Asian Tour, Sergio Garcia and 2016 European Ryder Cup captain Darren Clarke headline the field at the inaugural Ho Tram Open in Vietnam. The Ladies European Tour also will stage a new event this week, with The Queens, a match play competition made up of nine person teams representing the Ladies European Tour, the LPGA of Japan, Korean LPGA Tour and Australian Ladies Professional Golf Inc.
PGA TOUR
Hero World Challenge
Dates: Dec. 3-6
Venue: Albany Resort, Albany, Bahamas
Tournament Airtimes on Golf Channel (Eastern):
Thursday Noon-4 p.m. (Live) / 4:30-7:30 p.m. (Replay)
Friday Noon-4 p.m. (Live) / 4:30-7:30 p.m. (Replay)
Saturday Noon-2:30 p.m. (Live) / 5:30-8 p.m. (Replay)
Sunday Noon-2 p.m. (Live) / 6-11 p.m. (Replay)
Tournament Airtimes on NBC (Eastern):
Saturday 2:30-5 p.m. (Live)
Sunday 2-5 p.m. (Live)
Broadcast Notes:
Leonard to take part in Golf Channel / NBC coverage of Hero World Challenge: 12-time PGA TOUR winner, major champion and 1999 Ryder Cup hero Justin Leonard will work as a tower analyst for Golf Channel and NBC’s live coverage of the event.
Elite field: The field includes six of the top-10 players in the world, and each of the 18 players are currently ranked in the top-43 in the world. 11 of the 12 members of the victorious United States Presidents Cup team also are in the field.
New venue: This week marks the 17th playing of the event, but the first time being held at the Albany Resort on the island of New Providence in the Bahamas. The event is not an official PGA TOUR stop, though players will receive Official World Golf Rankings points.
Spieth defends: World No. 1 Jordan Spieth separated himself from the field with a 10 shot victory at Isleworth Golf & Country Club in Florida last December.
Headlining the field: Paul Casey, Rickie Fowler, Bill Haas, J.B. Holmes, Billy Horschel, Dustin Johnson, Zach Johnson, Chris Kirk, Brooks Koepka, Matt Kuchar, Anirban Lahiri, Hideki Matsuyama, Patrick Reed, Justin Rose, Adam Scott, Jordan Spieth, Jimmy Walker and Bubba Watson.
Golf Channel / NBC Broadcast Team:
Play by Play: Terry Gannon / Steve Sands (Weekend Lead-in Coverage)
Analyst: Frank Nobilo (Golf Channel) / Roger Maltbie (NBC)
Tower: Gary Koch / Justin Leonard
On-Course: Notah Begay / Jerry Foltz
Interviews: Steve Sands
PGA TOUR OF AUSTRALASIA / EUROPEAN TOUR
Australian PGA Championship
Dates: Dec. 3-6
Venue: RACV Royal Pines Resort, Gold Coast, Australia
Tournament Airtimes on Golf Channel (Eastern):
Wednesday 8 p.m.-1 a.m. (Live)
Thursday 8 p.m.-1 a.m. (Live)
Friday 8 p.m.-1 a.m. (Live)
Saturday 8 p.m.-1 a.m. (Live)
Broadcast Notes:
Chalmers defends: Greg Chalmers defeated Adam Scott and Wade Ormsby on the seventh playoff hole for his second Australian PGA Championship title.
Final event of “Australian Triple Crown”: This week marks the third and final event of the “Australian Triple Crown,” which also features the Australian Masters and Australian Open. Australian Masters winner Peter Senior is in the field but Australian Open champion Matt Jones is not. And for the first time, the event is being co-sanctioned by the European Tour and will count as an official event.
Headlining the field: Brandt Snedeker, John Senden, David Lingmerth, Peter Senior, Cameron Smith, Peter Uihlein, Jarrod Lyle, Robert Allenby, Greg Chalmers and Paul Dunne.
Golf Channel Broadcast Team:
Studio Host: Scott Walker
Play by Play: Peter Donegan
Analyst: Ian Baker-Finch
Tower: Pat Welsh / Wayne Grady
On-Course: Ossie Moore
EUROPEAN TOUR
Nedbank Golf Challenge
Dates: Dec. 3-6
Venue: Gary Player Country Club, Sun City, South Africa
Tournament Airtimes on Golf Channel (Eastern):
Thursday 3-10 a.m. (Live)
Friday 3-10 a.m. (Live)
Saturday 4-10 a.m. (Live)
Sunday 4-10 a.m. (Live)
Broadcast Notes:
Event changes: This is the 35th edition of the Nedbank Golf Challenge and the first of two times that it will be contested during the 2016 Race to Dubai season. The event will move to November in 2016 and become the second leg of the European Tour’s Final Series. The field of 30 this week will increase to 72 next November. Following the conclusion of play on Sunday, the European Tour will take a four-week hiatus and resume in 2016 with the South African Open in Johannesburg on January 7.
Willett defends: Danny Willett defeated Ross Fisher by four shots to earn his second career European Tour win.
Headlining the field: Henrik Stenson, Martin Kaymer, Robert Streb, Charl Schwartzel, Branden Grace, Louis Oosthuizen, Danny Willett, Shane Lowry, Webb Simpson and Keegan Bradley.
Golf Channel Broadcast Team:
Play by Play: Dale Hayes / Ewen Murray
Analyst: Ken Brown / Dougie Donnelly
Tower: Tony Johnstone / Andrew Coltart
On-Course: Dave Usendorff
ASIAN TOUR
Ho Tram Open
Dates: Dec. 3-6
Venue: The Bluffs Ho Tram Strip, Vietnam
Tournament Airtimes on Golf Channel (Eastern):
Thursday 1-3 a.m. (Live)
Friday 1-3 a.m. (Live)
Saturday 1-4 a.m. (Live)
Sunday 1-4 a.m. (Live)
Broadcast Notes:
Inaugural event: This week marks the first playing of the Ho Tram Open, being contested in Vietnam, two hours southeast of Ho Chi Minh City.
Headlining the field: Sergio Garcia, Geoff Ogilvy, Darren Clarke, Thomas Bjorn, Robert Rock, Oliver Wilson, David Lipsky, Jeev Milkha Singh and Arjun Atwal.
LADIES EUROPEAN TOUR
The Queens
Dates: Dec. 4-6
Venue: Miyoshi Country Club, Aichi, Japan
Tournament Airtimes on Golf Channel (Eastern):
Saturday 2:30-5 p.m. (Tape delay)
Sunday 2-5 p.m. (Tape delay)
Broadcast Notes:
Format: The inaugural match play event features four nine-person teams comprised of members of the Ladies European Tour (captained by Laura Davies), LPGA of Japan, Korean LPGA Tour and Australian Ladies Professional Golf Inc. The format features 34 matches being contested over three days: eight fourball matches on day one, eight foursomes matches on day two, and 18 singles matches on day three, with 102 total points available. Each match is worth three points to the winning team, and one point will be given for matches ending all square.
Ladies European Tour Team: Laura Davies (captain), Hannah Burke, Karine Icher, Nanna Madsen, Catriona Matthew, Gwladys Nocera, Emily Kristine Pedersen, Melissa Reid and Marianne Skarpnord.
LPGA of Japan Team: Momoko Ueda (captain), Erika Kikuchi, Ayaka Watanabe, Misuzo Narita, Akane Iijima, Shiho Oyama, Erina Hara, Miki Sakai and Ritsuko Ryu.
Korean LPGA Team: In Gee Chun, Sei Young Kim, Sung Hyun Park, Jung Min Lee, Yoon Ji Cho, Jin Young Ko, Seon Woo Bae, Min Sun Kim, Bo-Mee Lee.
Australian Ladies Professional Golf Team: Rachel Hetherington (captain), Nikki Campbell, Nikki Garrett, Whitney Hillier, Sarah Kemp, Katherine Kirk, Stephanie Na, Sarah Jane Smith and Lindsey Wright.
-NBC Sports Group-
