FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Wednesday, March 30th, 2016

NBC SPORTS GROUP TOURNAMENT AIRTIMES & NOTES (MARCH 31-APRIL 3): ANA INSPIRATION; SHELL HOUSTON OPEN; MISSISSIPPI GULF RESORT CLASSIC; DRIVE, CHIP AND PUTT NATIONAL FINALS

LPGA Tour Ushers in First Major of 2016 with Elite Field at ANA Inspiration in Southern Calif., with Golf Channel’s Live Coverage Airing in Primetime 

Spieth, Fowler Headline the Field at the Shell Houston Open in Final PGA TOUR Stop Prior to The Masters

PGA TOUR Champions Shifts Down South to Mississippi Gulf Resort Classic

80 Boys & Girls (Age 7-15) Set to Compete in Drive, Chip and Putt National Finals from Augusta National Golf Club, Airing Live on Golf Channel, Sunday, April 3 at 8 a.m. ET                           

ORLANDO, Fla. (March 30, 2016) – The LPGA Tour stages the first major of 2016 beginning Thursday, with the ANA Inspiration in Rancho Mirage, Calif. Golf Channel will showcase the elite field live and in primetime, Thursday-Sunday, with Lydia Ko, Inbee Park, Lexi Thompson and Stacy Lewis headlining the field. Meanwhile the PGA TOUR holds its final event prior to the Masters with the Shell Houston Open. Jordan Spieth and Rickie Fowler headline the field, and 33 of the 92 invitees at next week’s Masters are scheduled to be in the field this week. The PGA TOUR Champions is down south for the Mississippi Gulf Resort Classic at Fallen Oaks Golf Club, with Bernhard Langer and Colin Montgomerie set to compete. And, Golf Channel will kick off its more than 85 hours of Masters themed programming April 3-10 with live coverage of the 2016 Drive, Chip and Putt National Finals, on-site from Augusta National. Coverage begins with a special pre-game show at 8 a.m. ET on Sunday, April 3, followed by live event coverage from 9 a.m.-1 p.m. ET.

LPGA TOUR

ANA Inspiration
Dates: March 31-April 3
Venue: Mission Hills Country Club (Dinah Shore Tournament Course), Rancho Mirage, Calif.

Tournament Airtimes on Golf Channel (Eastern):
Thursday         Noon-4 p.m. ; 7-9 p.m. (Live) / 12:30-3:30 a.m. (Friday replay)
Friday              Noon-4 p.m. ; 7-9 p.m. (Live) / 2:30-5:30 a.m. (Saturday replay)
Saturday          5-9 p.m. (Live) / Midnight-4 a.m. (Sunday replay)
Sunday            5-9 p.m. (Live) / 1-5 a.m. (Monday replay)

Broadcast Notes:
First major of 2016: The ANA Inspiration marks the first major championship (men’s or women’s) of 2016. The tournament, which was first held in 1972 has been played as a major since 1983.

Golf Central Special News Conference, 1:30 p.m. ET on Wednesday: On Wednesday, Golf Channel will air a special news conference show from 1:30-3 p.m. ET. Within the show (beginning at 2 p.m. ET), the Ladies European Tour (LET) will name the 2017 European Solheim Cup captain. The remainder of the show will focus on pre-tournament player news conferences from the ANA Inspiration, featuring defending champion Brittany Lincicome, and Stacy Lewis.

Final opportunity to join list of countries taking part in this summer’s International Crown: Following the conclusion of the ANA Inspiration, the top eight countries will be determined for this summer’s International Crown competition. The field of eight countries represented in the event will be decided on Monday, April 4, based on the combined world ranking of the current top-four players from each country. However, the players competing in the competition will not be finalized until Monday, June 13.

Lincicome defends: Brittany Lincicome outlasted Stacy Lewis with a par on the third playoff hole for her second career major championship win.

Headlining the field: Lydia Ko, Inbee Park, Lexi Thompson, Stacy Lewis, Sei Young Kim, Ha Na Jang, Brooke Henderson, Amy Yang, In Gee Chun, Shanshan Feng and So Yeon Ryu.

 

Golf Channel Broadcast Team:
Play by Play: Terry Gannon
Analyst: Judy Rankin / Annika Sorenstam (Thursday-Friday Noon-4 p.m. ET)
Tower: Tom Abbott
On-Course: Jerry Foltz / Karen Stupples / Jim Gallagher Jr.
Interviews: Lisa Cornwell

PGA TOUR

Shell Houston Open
Dates: March 31-April 3
Venue: Golf Club of Houston (Tournament Course), Humble, Texas

Tournament Airtimes on Golf Channel (Eastern):
Thursday         4-7 p.m. (Live) / 9:30-12:30 p.m. (Replay)
Friday              4-7 p.m. (Live) / 11:30 p.m.-2:30 a.m. (Replay)
Saturday          1-3 p.m. (Live) / 10 p.m.-Midnight (Replay)
Sunday            1-3 p.m. (Live)

Tournament Airtimes on NBC (Eastern):
Saturday          3-6 p.m. (Live)
Sunday            3-6 p.m. (Live)

Broadcast Notes:
Final event prior to the Masters next week: The Shell Houston Open is the final PGA TOUR event prior to the Masters. 92 players have received invitations to tee it up next week, and the only remaining way to join the field is with a win in Houston. 33 of the 92 Masters invitees are currently scheduled to compete this week.
Holmes defends: J.B. Holmes defeated Jordan Spieth and Johnson Wagner on the second playoff hole for his fourth career PGA TOUR win.
Headlining the field: Jordan Spieth, Rickie Fowler, Dustin Johnson, Henrik Stenson, Louis Oosthuizen, Phil Mickelson, Patrick Reed, Brooks Koepka, Charl Schwartzel and Jimmy Walker.

Golf Channel / NBC Broadcast Team:
Play by Play: Whit Watson (Golf Channel) / Dan Hicks (NBC)
Analyst: Curt Byrum (Golf Channel) / Johnny Miller (NBC)
Tower: Gary Koch / Justin Leonard
On-Course: Roger Maltbie / Mark Rolfing
Interviews: Todd Lewis

PGA TOUR CHAMPIONS

Mississippi Gulf Resort Classic
Dates: April 1-3
Venue: Fallen Oaks Golf Club, Biloxi, Miss.

Tournament Airtimes on Golf Channel (Eastern):
Friday              9:30-11:30 p.m. (Tape delay) / 4-6 p.m. (Streaming on Golf Live Extra)
Saturday          3-5 p.m. (Live)
Sunday            3-5 p.m. (Live)

Broadcast Notes:
Frost defends: David Frost defeated Kevin Sutherland and Tom Lehman for his sixth career PGA TOUR Champions win.

Headlining the field: Bernhard Langer, Colin Montgomerie, Miguel Angel Jimenez, Jay Haas, Jeff Maggert, Lee Janzen, Rocco Mediate, Kenny Perry, Jeff Sluman and Kirk Triplett.

Golf Channel Broadcast Team:
Play by Play: Bob Papa
Analyst: Lanny Wadkins
Tower: John Mahaffey / Dave Marr
On-Course: Billy Ray Brown

Drive, Chip and Putt National Finals
Date: April 3
Venue: Augusta National Golf Club, Augusta, Ga.

Airtimes on Golf Channel (Eastern):
8-9 a.m.                       Pre-Game (Live From the Drive, Chip & Putt National Finals)
9 a.m.-1 p.m.               2016 Drive, Chip and Putt National Finals

Broadcast Notes:
2016 Drive, Chip and Putt National Finals: For the third consecutive year, Golf Channel will televise live coverage of the Drive, Chip and Putt National Finals on-site from Augusta National Golf Club. Coverage will center around juniors from across the U.S. and Canada having advanced into the 80-person field (boys and girls, age 7-15) by way of local qualifying, subregional and regional qualifying events.

Pre-Game, 8-9 a.m. ET: Golf Channel’s live coverage will begin at 8 a.m. ET with a special Live From the Drive, Chip and Putt National Finals pre-game show, originating from the network’s Golf Central Live From the Masters set on the grounds of Augusta National. The show will introduce viewers to the 40 boys and 40 girls in the field.

National Finals coverage, 9 a.m.-1 p.m. ET: Beginning at 9 a.m. ET, coverage will shift to join the competition in progress with the individual Drive, Chip and Putt skills challenges across each age group. As competitors complete all three challenges, champions for each of the eight age groups will be awarded for each of the skill categories, along with the recognition of the overall champions from each age group.

NBC Sports’ Tafoya joining Golf Channel’s coverage: Michele Tafoya, Emmy award-winning sports personality and sideline reporter for NBC Sports’ Sunday Night Football, will join Golf Channel’s coverage team, reporting from Augusta National and conducting interviews with competitors in the field.

Golf Channel Broadcast Team:
Play by Play: Rich Lerner
Analyst: Peter Jacobsen
Reporter: Michele Tafoya / Charlie Rymer / Kay Cockerill / Michael Breed
Interviews: Steve Sands

-NBC Sports Group-