FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Monday, April 18th, 2016

GOLF CHANNEL RAMPS UP SIX WEEKS OF COMPREHENSIVE NCAA COVERAGE LEADING UP TO THE NCAA MEN’S AND WOMEN’S GOLF CHAMPIONSHIPS, MAY 20-JUNE 1

More than 100 News and Tournament Hours Planned for Women’s and Men’s Championships, Taking Place Back-to-Back Weeks at Eugene Country Club in Eugene, Ore., May 20-June 1

Golf Channel to Announce NCAA Division I Women’s and Men’s Golf Championships Selections on Monday, April 25 and Thursday, May 5

Professional Golfer and Duke Standout Amanda Blumenherst, 2008 U.S. Women’s Amateur Champion at Eugene Country Club, Joins Broadcast Team as News Analyst

EUGENE, Ore., April 18, 2016 – With the conference championships underway, Golf Channel is gearing up for six weeks of comprehensive NCAA coverage leading up to the 2016 NCAA Division I Men’s and Women’s Golf Championships, taking place May 20-June 1 at Eugene Country Club in Eugene, Oregon.

NCAA GOLF CHAMPIONSHIPS COVERAGE: Contested in back-to-back weeks May 20-June 1, Golf Channel will originate more than 100 hours of news and tournament coverage of both championships onsite, as well as expanded coverage online via Golf Channel Digital and through the network’s social media channels.

Golf Channel will dedicate its full suite of production resources to the NCAA Men’s and Women’s Golf Championships, featuring more than 25 combined hours of live tournament coverage – the majority in primetime – as well as more than 50 hours of replays. In addition, Golf Central will feature nearly 25 hours of combined pre-and post-event live news coverage produced on location, as well as daily news updates on Morning Drive and Golf Channel Digital.

Hosted by the University of Oregon at Eugene Country Club, the 2016 NCAA Men’s and Women’s Golf Championships will feature teams and student-athletes who advanced from NCAA Regional Qualifying. Competing in an individual stroke-play format over 72 holes Friday-Monday, the top eight teams will advance to the team match-play tournament Tuesday and Wednesday.

Golf Channel’s live tournament coverage of the women’s championships will begin on Monday, May 23 to crown the individual national champion, as well as to track the teams attempting to qualify for the eight-team match-play tournament. Golf Channel’s coverage also will include all three rounds of the team match-play tournament on Tuesday, May 24 and Wednesday, May 25. The same television coverage is planned for the men’s national championships the following week: Monday, May 30 – Wednesday, June 1.

Golf Channel NCAA Women’s Golf Championships Coverage

Monday, May 23 Final Round, Stroke Play 7-10 p.m. ET (Live)
Tuesday, May 24 Quarterfinals, Match Play 1:30-3:30 p.m. ET (Live)
Tuesday, May 24 Semifinals, Match Play 6:30-10 p.m. ET (Live)
Wed., May 25 Finals, Match Play 6-10 p.m. ET (Live)

Golf Channel NCAA Men’s Golf Championships Coverage

Monday, May 30 Final Round, Stroke Play 7-10 p.m. ET (Live)
Tuesday, May 31 Quarterfinals, Match Play 1:30-3:30 p.m. ET (Live)
Tuesday, May 31 Semifinals, Match Play 6:30-10 p.m. ET (Live)
Wednesday, June 1 Finals, Match Play 6-10 p.m. ET (Live)

AMANDA BLUMENHERST JOINS GOLF CHANNEL NCAA BROADCAST TEAM: One of the most decorated women’s collegiate athletes in history, Duke alum and professional golfer Amanda Blumenherst will join Golf Channel’s broadcast team as a news analyst for the 2016 NCAA Women’s Golf Championships. A three-time national player of the year (2006-’08) and four-time NCAA All-American (2006-’09), she led the Blue Devils to three ACC championships and two NCAA Team Championships. In 2008, Blumenherst also captured the U.S. Women’s Amateur championship at Eugene Country Club, defeating Azahara Munoz – then the reigning NCAA Division I individual champion – 2 and 1 in the championship match.

COLLEGE CENTRAL – GOLFCHANNEL DIGITAL COVERAGE: Golf Channel is providing comprehensive coverage leading up to and during the NCAA Men’s and Women’s Golf Championships as part of College Central, Golf Channel Digital’s home for college golf. Led by Jay Coffin, Ryan Lavner and Steve Burkowski, College Central will be the source for all things college golf, including tournament results and scores, features and columns, video highlights and breaking news.

NCAA FEATURES: Over the next six weeks, Golf Channel will deliver high-quality features and unique stories on teams and players leading up to the NCAA Golf Championships. Scheduled features include:

  • 2015 NCAA Women’s Golf Championship Remarkable Finish – A look back at the final few holes of the 2015 NCAA Women’s Golf Championship; a showdown between Mariah Stackhouse of Stanford and Hayley Davis of Baylor that would end up deciding the national title.
  • The Success of University of Southern California Women’s Golf Program – Andrea Gaston has not only produced one of the most dominant teams in women’s college golf, but also has found success finding and fine tuning some of the best individual talents in the game. A look into the accomplishments of USC Women’s Golf.
  • Alabama Crimson Tide Women’s Golf Team Looking to Capitalize on 2015 Season – Alabama’s Emma Talley claimed the individual national title last season, and she returns this year joined by a supporting cast that has their sights set on a lot more hardware.
  • Duke’s Leona Maguire’s Remarkable Freshman Year – Golf Channel will take a look back to Leona Maguire’s memorable Freshman year at Duke. As one of the top players in women’s college golf during the 2014-15 season, she earned three wins, finished second at the NCAA Individual Women’s Golf Championship and won the Annika Award as the nation’s top player in women’s college golf.
  • University of Georgia Men’s Golf Team and the Path to the PGA TOUR – The University of Georgia has sent several players to the PGA TOUR, and the next Bulldog to make it big might be waiting in the wings this season. Spotlight on Lee McCoy, and UGA’s secret in creating TOUR talent.
  • University of Southern California Seeking that Elusive National Title – The men’s golf team at USC is one of the few athletic programs on campus without a national title. However, this year the Trojans are loaded with the talent to change that and bring USC a national championship.
  • Texas’ Beau Hossler Leading Longhorns’ Charge – Many recall Beau Hossler at 2012 U.S. Open when he was at the top of the leaderboard on Friday at The Olympic Club in San Francisco.  Four years later, he is one of the best players in the country. His rise to the top at the University of Texas has been impressive, as he looks to lead the Longhorns to another national championship.
  • One-on-One with Stanford’s Maverick McNealy – Coming out of high school, few, if any, knew who Maverick McNealy was. That has changed dramatically during his time at Stanford. The 2015 Haskins Award winner is rewriting the record books in Palo Alto, and doing so by doing it his way.
  • The Consistency of the Illinois Men’s Golf Program – Perhaps no team has been more consistent over the past decade than the Fighting Illini. Once viewed as a nice program from the north, the perception has changed, while the expectations remain the same: Win the team’s first national title.

CONFERENCE CHAMPIONSHIPS NEWS COVERAGE: Golf Channel will cover the conference championships (April 15-May 1) with scores and analysis across its on-air news platforms – Morning Drive and Golf Central – and online within College Central.

REGIONAL CHAMPIONSHIPS SELECTION ANNOUNCEMENTS: Following the conclusion of the NCAA conference championships, Golf Channel will announce the teams and individuals selected by the NCAA to participate in the regional championships, the first step on the road to the NCAA Golf Championships. The men’s and women’s regional selection announcements will be made live on Golf Channel and feature live interviews and reaction from coaches and players.

  • Women’s Golf Championships Regional Selections, Monday, April 25, 6 p.m. ET: Golf Central will announce live the 72 teams and 24 individuals selected to compete in the four NCAA Women’s Regional Championships, May 5-7 (18 teams and six individuals per regional). 24 teams and 12 individuals will advance from regional sites to the national championships.
  • Men’s Golf Championships Regional Selections, Thursday, May 5, 9:30 am ET: Morning Drive will announce the 81 teams and 45 individuals selected to compete in the six NCAA Men’s Regional Championships, May 16-18 (13 teams and 10 individuals at three regionals and 14 teams and five individuals at three regionals). 30 teams and six individuals will advance from regional sites to the national championships.

REGIONAL CHAMPIONSHIPS COVERAGE: Morning Drive and Golf Central will feature scores, highlights and analysis from the women’s regional championships (Thursday-Saturday, May 5-7) and the men’s regional championships (Monday-Wednesday, May 16-18). Golf Channel Digital will provide up-to-date scoring and news coverage of the regional championships.

ABOUT THE NCAA

The NCAA is a diverse association of more than 1,100 member colleges and universities that prioritize academics, well-being and fairness to create greater opportunities for nearly a half a million student-athletes each year. The NCAA provides a pathway to higher education and beyond for student-athletes pursuing academic goals and competing in NCAA sports. More than 54,000 student-athletes experience the pinnacle of intercollegiate athletics by competing in NCAA championships each year. Visit www.ncaa.org and www.ncaa.com for more details about the Association and the corporate partnerships that support the NCAA and its student-athletes.

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 11 languages around the world. Golf Channel features more live golf coverage than all other networks combined, including tournament action from the PGA TOUR, LPGA Tour, The Open Championship, Olympics, and Ryder Cup, as well as high-quality news, instruction and original programming. Golf Channel’s digital platforms, headed by GolfChannel.com, deliver unmatched coverage of the world of golf. Fans are able to enjoy 24/7 live streaming of Golf Channel content through Golf Live Extra and NBC Sports Live Extra and select programming is simulcast via SiriusXM’s PGA TOUR Radio. 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, the world’s largest golf course ratings and review resource 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-