FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Thursday, June 2nd, 2016

GOLF CHANNEL TO AIR ENCORE TELECASTS OF DRAMATIC 2016 WOMEN’S & MEN’S NCAA TEAM CHAMPIONSHIPS IN PRIMETIME, JUNE 6-7

Women’s Final Featuring Washington’s Victory Over Stanford (Monday, June 6 at 8 p.m. ET) & Oregon Men’s Win Over Texas (Tuesday, June 7 at 8 p.m. ET)

NCAA Women’s Championships Seen by More Than 2 Million Unique Viewers; Final Ranks in Top-10 for Viewership of All Non-PGA TOUR Live Primetime Golf Telecasts in 2016

Men’s Team Championship Finals Match 2nd Most-Watched Wednesday Telecast YTD Behind PGA TOUR’s WGC-Dell Match Play Day One

ANNIKA and Haskins Award Winners to be Announced on Golf Central, Tuesday, June 7

ORLANDO, Fla., June 2, 2016 – In response to the thrilling, down-to-the-wire finishes in both the NCAA Women’s and Men’s Golf Championships – which saw the University of Washington (women) and the University of Oregon (men) capture their first golf team national championships in school history –  both championship matches will be featured in primetime encore showings next week on Golf Channel.

The women’s championship match between Washington and Stanford will air on Monday, June 6 at 8 p.m. ET, followed by the men’s championship airing the following night between Oregon and Texas on Tuesday, June 7 at 8 p.m. ET.

RECORD VIEWERSHIP: Golf Channel’s viewership for the 2016 NCAA Women’s and Men’s Golf Championships over the past two weeks (Monday-Wednesday, primetime) set multiple milestones, including:

  • Coverage of the Women’s Team Championships (Wednesday, May 25) became the most-watched Wednesday live tournament coverage on Golf Channel since the 2011 Australian Open (285,000 avg. viewers), with the exception of Presidents Cup coverage from Asia and PGA TOUR Day One Dell Match Play coverage every year.
    • Viewership ranks in the top-10 of non-PGA TOUR live primetime golf telecasts on Golf Channel in 2016
  • NCAA Women’s Championships (Monday-Wednesday, May 23-25) were seen by more than 2 million unique viewers (including all live and replay coverage)
  • The Men’s Team Championships (Wednesday, June 1) surpassed the Women’s Final by 30% and becomes the 2nd-most watched Wednesday telecast YTD behind the PGA TOUR’s Dell Match Play Day One (364,000)
    • From 9:45P-10:30P playoff coverage drew 493,000 viewers, +72% vs. the 7P-9:45P average (286,000)
    • Coverage peaked at 536,000 viewers from 10:15P-10:30P as Oregon defeated Texas in extra holes

 

WOMEN’S NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP: In the NCAA Women’s Championship final that took place on Wednesday, May 25, the Washington Huskies defeated the defending national champion Stanford Cardinal 3-2 in dramatic fashion, after the final two matches went to extra holes in a series of drastic swings of momentum.

Washington senior Ying Luo defeated Stanford’s Casey Danielson – previously undefeated in match play dating back to the 2015 NCAA Championships – on the 18th hole after a “walk-off” 45-yard hole-out, earning the second point for Washington and drawing the first of many loud celebrations. Stanford senior Mariah Stackhouse, the hero for the 2015 Stanford Cardinal in clinching their national championship, took 20 holes to defeat Washington’s Sarah Rhee in a back-and-forth match to even the championship at 2-2. In the deciding fifth match, Washington’s Julianne Alvarez defeated Stanford’s Lauren Kim on the 20th hole to clinch the national title, grabbing the attention of viewers, many of whom reacted on social media:

Michael Wilbon ✔ ‎@RealMikeWilbon
Womens NCAA golf championship btw Stanford and Washington much more exciting than Game 5 of Cavs – Raptors…

Norah O’Donnell ✔ ‎@NorahODonnell
Great competition! Who else is up late watching? @GolfChannel

MEN’S NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP: In a pressure-packed showdown that pitted three-time national champion Texas against host-university Oregon, competing on their home turf in front of large crowds all week, Oregon defeated Texas 3-2, after the deciding match took three extra holes to determine a winner. With the championship tied 2-2, Oregon’s Sulman Raza and Texas’ Taylor Funk battled 21 holes, with Raza – born and raised in Eugene, just minutes down the road from the host venue – clinching the title for Oregon by converting a birdie putt to outlast Funk.

Tim Brando ✔ ‎@TimBrando
If ya love GOLF? I do, then there’s no reason to miss the NCAA Championship in Primetime between Texas and Oregon. @GolfChannel outstanding!

ANNIKA AND HASKINS AWARD WINNERS TO BE ANNOUNCED ON GOLF CENTRAL TUESDAY, JUNE 7: Golf Channel will announce the winners of two of the most prestigious awards in college golf – the Fred Haskins Award Presented by Stifel and the ANNIKA Award Presented by 3M, on a live edition of Golf Central, Tuesday, June 7 at 6 p.m. ET. The show will include profiles on the top candidates for both awards and live interviews with the winners.

The ANNIKA Award Presented by 3M and the Fred Haskins Award presented by Stifel honor the nation’s most outstanding female and male collegiate golfers as selected by their peers. The winner of the ANNIKA Award will receive an exemption to compete in the Evian Championship, the LPGA’s final major of the season taking place in September. The winner of the Fred Haskins Award will receive an exemption to compete in the Greenbrier Classic on the PGA TOUR next month.

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, 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, both powered by Playmaker Media, 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-