FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Tuesday, November 15th, 2016

NEW YORK JETS QUARTERBACK RYAN FITZPATRICK, WORLD SERIES CHAMPION/MVP JOSH BECKETT AND DUCK DYNASTY’S WILLIE ROBERTSON TO APPEAR ON DRIVER VS. DRIVER, TONIGHT AT 10 P.M. ET

Taking Place at the American Century Championship, Stars from the World of Sports and Entertainment Participate in a Long Drive Competition Using the Final Three Drivers

Series to Narrow the Field to the Final Two at End of Tuesday’s Episode

Life Changing Grand Prize of $500,000 to be Awarded on Series Finale, Tuesday, Nov. 22. Winning Driver to Hit Retail Stores Throughout the U.S. on Black Friday (Nov. 25)

Video Preview: New York Jets’ QB Ryan Fitzpatrick Tests Out Finalists’ Drivers

Duck Dynasty’s Willie Robertson Hits Finalists’ Drivers

ORLANDO, Fla., Nov. 15, 2016 – On tonight’s new episode of Driver vs. Driver presented by Wilson (10 p.m. ET), the series will head to Lake Tahoe – site of the American Century Championship celebrity golf tournament – where the final three driver designs will be field tested and critiqued by some of the biggest names in sports and entertainment.

Former Chicago Bears linebacker and Driver vs. Driver judge Brian Urlacher will host the episode from Lake Tahoe, introducing the finalists and their drivers to fellow participants in the American Century Championship. Those testing the drivers during the episode include:

World Series Champion and MVP Josh Beckett
Pro Football Hall-of-Famer Tim Brown
ESPN NFL analyst and former NFL head coach Herm Edwards
New York Jets quarterback Ryan Fitzpatrick
Former MLB pitcher Eric Gagne
Former MLB pitcher Derek Lowe
MLB Network baseball analyst and World Series champion Kevin Millar
Olympic gold medalist alpine skier Bode Miller
Duck Dynasty’s Willie Robertson
NHL on NBC analyst and former NHL all-star Jeremy Roenick

The episode continues with representatives from some of golf’s biggest retailers and PGA of America instructors providing feedback to the finalists and the judges on the final three drivers. The episode concludes with the judges advancing two driver designs to the series finale on Tuesday, Nov. 22, where a life-changing grand prize of $500,000 will be awarded. Three days later on Black Friday (Nov. 25), the newest Wilson Staff driver inspired by the winning concept will be available for purchase at hundreds of retail and golf course pro shop stores across the country.

DRIVER VS. DRIVER “FINAL THREE”:

  • Jimmy Huynh, Brian Mar, Patrick Soriano, Sheila Pancani and Matt Ulery, Long Beach, Calif. (Prototype: Wilson Staff Magnus) – Seniors in the industrial design program at California State University.
  • Eric Sillies, Cincinnati, Ohio (Prototype: Wilson Staff Triton) – A product designer who interned at Dick’s Sporting Goods in college, helping the aesthetic direction for the 2012 Nickent golf club line.
  • Gavin Wallin, Eagle Mountain, Utah (Prototype: Wilson Staff Pivot) – A product designer who has extensive experience in golf club design with multiple manufacturers.

SERIES PREMISE: Wilson Golf issued an open call and declared an unprecedented challenge to develop an innovative concept that could be transformed into Wilson Golf’s newest driver. Driver vs. Driver viewers an exclusive inside look at the golf club design process from taking prototypes to reality, taking viewers from the company’s Global Headquarters in Chicago and its manufacturing facility in Southeast Asia to on-location at various golf events, where PGA TOUR professionals and stars from the world of sports and entertainment will test out several of the driver concepts. In addition, visits to the hometowns of the finalists will be packaged into special features interspersed throughout the series. Sports broadcaster Melanie Collins hosts Driver vs. Driver.

ABOUT WILSON SPORTING GOODS:

Chicago-based Wilson Sporting Goods Co., a subsidiary of Amer Sports, is one of the world’s leading manufacturer of sports equipment, apparel and accessories. Wilson Golf is a global leader in high performance golf equipment and uses player insights to design products that push golf innovation into new territories. Through its dedication to creating products that enable athletes at every level to perform at their best, Wilson has earned its place as a leader in sporting goods for over a century.

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 Golf Channel Digital, are leading golf digital destinations, delivering 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-