FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Tuesday, January 17th, 2017

GOLF CHANNEL TOURNAMENT AIRTIMES & NOTES (JAN. 19-25): CAREERBUILDER CHALLENGE; ABU DHABI HSBC CHAMPIONSHIP; MITSUBISHI ELECTRIC CHAMPIONSHIP AT HUALALAI; SINGAPORE OPEN; BAHAMAS GREAT ABACO CLASSIC

Mickelson Hopes to Make 2017 Debut this Week at CareerBuilder Challenge

Johnson, Stenson, Fowler Headline Field at Abu Dhabi HSBC Championship

Toms to make PGA TOUR Champions Debut at Mitsubishi Electric Championship at Hualalai, in Primetime on Golf Channel Thursday-Saturday

Singapore Open being Staged as Open Qualifying Series Event for 1st time, as Four Invitations Available this Week for 146TH Open at Royal Birkdale

Web.com Tour Continuing Sunday-Wednesday Tournament Format at Next Week’s Bahamas Great Abaco Classic (January 22-25)

ORLANDO, Fla. (Jan. 17, 2017) – The PGA TOUR kicks off its West Coast swing this week with the CareerBuilder Challenge in La Quinta, Calif., where tournament ambassador Phil Mickelson hopes to make his 2017 debut, despite undergoing two sports hernia surgeries in recent months. On the European Tour, two of the top-5 players in the world – Dustin Johnson (No. 3) and Henrik Stenson (No. 4) – will tee it up at the Abu Dhabi HSBC Championship, where Rickie Fowler will defend. The 2017 PGA TOUR Champions season begins at the Mitsubishi Electric Championship at Hualalai in Hawaii, where David Toms will make his debut on the over-50 circuit. For the first time, the Singapore Open is being staged as an Open Qualifying Series event, with four spots in the 146TH Open at Royal Birkdale available for those (not previously qualified) finishing in the top-12 this week. The Web.com Tour will stage the second of two Sunday-Wednesday events in the Bahamas, beginning January 22, with the Bahamas Great Abaco Classic.

PGA TOUR

CareerBuilder Challenge
Dates: Jan. 19-22
Venues: PGA West (Stadium Course); PGA West (Nicklaus Tournament Course); La Quinta Country Club, La Quinta, Calif.

Tournament Airtimes on Golf Channel (Eastern):
Thursday         3-7 p.m. (Live) / Midnight-3 a.m. (Friday replay)
Friday              3-7 p.m. (Live) / 10:30 p.m.-12:30 a.m. (Replay)
Saturday          3-7 p.m. (Live) / 10:30 p.m.-12:30 a.m. (Replay)
Sunday            3-7 p.m. (Live) / 8 p.m.-Midnight (Replay)

Golf Central Pre and Post Round Coverage on Golf Channel (Eastern):
Thursday         2-3 p.m. (Live)
Friday              2-3 p.m. (Live) / 10-10:30 p.m. (Live)
Saturday          2-3 p.m. (Live) / 10-10:30 p.m. (Live)
Sunday            2-3 p.m. (Live) / 7-8 p.m. (Live)

Broadcast Notes:
Mickelson looking to make 2017 debut: Phil Mickelson told Golf Channel Insider Tim Rosaforte that he hopes to make his 2017 debut this week despite two sports hernia surgeries in recent months, but that he “won’t know till Tuesday evening or Wednesday. It’ll be a last-minute decision.” This also is the first year in which Mickelson will serve as official ambassador to the event.
Course rotation: The tournament will feature the same course rotation that was first introduced in last year’s event, with players competing in one round across each of the three courses and the PGA West stadium course hosting the final round of competition. The format will be a 72-hole event for the sixth consecutive year (formerly 90 holes over five days), with 156 professionals playing the pro-am rounds with different individual amateurs.
Dufner defends: Jason Dufner made par on the second playoff hole to outlast David Lingmerth and earn his fourth career PGA TOUR win.
Headlining the Field: Patrick Reed, Phil Mickelson, Zach Johnson, Bill Haas, Kevin Kisner, Emiliano Grillo, Jon Rahm, Andrew Johnston, Jason Dufner and Bryson DeChambeau.

Broadcast Team:
Play by Play: Dan Hicks / Steve Sands
Analyst: Johnny Miller / David Feherty
Tower: Gary Koch
On-Course: Roger Maltbie / Notah Begay / Kay Cockerill (Rounds 1-2)
Interviews: Steve Sands / George Savaricas

EUROPEAN TOUR 

Abu Dhabi HSBC Championship
Dates: Jan. 19-22
Venue: Abu Dhabi Golf Club, Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates

Tournament Airtimes on Golf Channel (Eastern)
Wednesday     10:30 p.m.-3:30 a.m. (Live) / 3:30-6 a.m. (Thursday replay)
Thursday         6-8 a.m. (Live) / 10 a.m.-2 p.m. (Replay)
Friday              3-8 a.m. (Live) / Noon-2 p.m. (Replay)
Saturday          3:30-8 a.m. (Live) / Noon-2 p.m. (Replay)
Sunday            3:30-8 a.m. (Live) / Midnight-2 a.m. (Monday replay)

Broadcast Notes:
Fowler defends: Rickie Fowler finished one shot ahead of Thomas Pieters for his second European Tour win.
Headlining the Field: Dustin Johnson, Henrik Stenson, Rickie Fowler, Branden Grace, Thomas Pieters, Martin Kaymer, Danny Willett, Alex Noren, Matthew Fitzpatrick and Graeme Storm.

Broadcast Team:
Studio Host:  Mike Ritz
Play by Play: Dougie Donnelly
Analyst: Tony Johnstone
On-Course: Ken Brown / Julian Tutt

PGA TOUR CHAMPIONS

Mitsubishi Electric Championship at Hualalai
Dates: Jan. 19-21
Venue: Hualalai Golf Course, Ka’upulehu-Kona, Hawaii

Tournament Airtimes on Golf Channel (Eastern)
Thursday         7-10 p.m. (Live) / 10 a.m.-Noon (Friday replay)
Friday              7-10 p.m. (Live) / 10 a.m.-Noon (Saturday replay)
Saturday          7-10 p.m. (Live) / 10 a.m.-Noon (Sunday replay)

Broadcast Notes:
Toms making PGA TOUR Champions debut: David Toms will make his PGA TOUR Champions debut this week, after turning 50-years-old on January 4.
PGA TOUR Champions kicks off 2017 schedule: This week’s event officially kicks off the 2017 PGA TOUR Champions season, and is the first of 26 official events which will conclude with the three-event Charles Schwab Cup Playoffs for the second consecutive year. The field this week consists of 49 players having qualified by: 1) winning a PGA TOUR Champions major in the past five seasons 2) having won a PGA TOUR Champions event in the past two seasons 3) sponsor exemptions.
Waldorf defends: Duffy Waldorf finished one stroke ahead of Tom Lehman to claim his second career PGA TOUR Champions win.
Headlining the Field: Bernhard Langer, Fred Couples, Colin Montgomerie, Miguel Angel Jimenez, John Daly, Tom Watson, David Toms, Vijay Singh, Mark O’Meara and Woody Austin.

ASIAN TOUR

Singapore Open
Dates: Jan. 19-22
Venue: Sentosa Golf Club (Serapong Course), Sentosa Island, Singapore

Tournament Airtimes on Golf Channel (Eastern)
Wednesday     8-10:30 p.m. (Live)
Thursday         10 p.m.-Midnight (Live)
Saturday          12:30-3:30 a.m. (Live)
Sunday            12:30-3:30 a.m. (Live)

Broadcast Notes:
Second Open Qualifying Series Event: This year, the Singapore Open is being contested as part of The Open Qualifying Series for the first time, with the top-4 players finishing in the top-12 (not having previously qualified) earning exemptions into the field at Royal Birkdale in July.
Song defends: Younghan Song finished one shot ahead of Jordan Spieth to claim his first victory as a professional.
Headlining the Field: Adam Scott, Sergio Garcia, Ernie Els, K.T. Kim, Yuta Ikeda, Adilson da Silva, Siddikur Rahman, Younghan Song and Hideto Tanihara.

WEB.COM TOUR

Bahamas Great Abaco Classic
Dates: Jan. 22-25
Venue: The Abaco Club on Winding Bay, Great Abaco, Bahamas

Tournament Airtimes on Golf Channel (Eastern)
Sunday            Noon-2 p.m. (Live)
Monday           3-5 p.m. (Live) / 6-8 p.m. (Replay)
Tuesday           3-5 p.m. (Live) / 6-8 p.m. (Replay)
Wednesday     3-5 p.m. (Live) / 6-8 p.m. (Replay)

Golf Central Pre and Post Round Coverage on Golf Channel (Eastern):
Monday           2:30-3 p.m. (Live) / 5-6 p.m. (Live)
Tuesday           2:30-3 p.m. (Live) / 5-6 p.m. (Live)
Wednesday     2:30-3 p.m. (Live) / 5-6 p.m. (Live)

Broadcast Notes:
Inaugural event the 2nd of two Sunday-Wednesday Bahamas tournaments on Web.com Tour: Next week marks the second consecutive event on the Web.com Tour to be played in the Bahamas, with each following a Sunday-Wednesday format.

Broadcast Team:
Play by Play: Grant Boone
Analyst: Craig Perks
Tower: Steve Burkowski
On-Course: Tripp Isenhour / Gary Christian

-NBC Sports Group-