FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Tuesday, August 29th, 2017
NBC SPORTS GROUP TOURNAMENT AIRTIMES & NOTES (AUG. 31-SEPT. 4): DELL TECHNOLOGIES CHAMPIONSHIP; NATIONWIDE CHILDREN’S HOSPITAL CHAMPIONSHIP; CAMBIA PORTLAND CLASSIC; SHAW CHARITY CLASSIC; D+D REAL CZECH MASTERS; VOLVIK WORLD LONG DRIVE CHAMPIONSHIP
Top-100 in FedExCup Standings Advance to Dell Technologies Championship
with Nearly 20 Hours of Live Coverage Across Golf Channel and NBC
Web.com Tour Finals Begin with 25 PGA TOUR Cards Up for Grabs
Henderson Eyes Three-Peat at Cambia Portland Classic
PGA TOUR Champions in Canada for Shaw Charity Classic
Kaymer Headlines Field at D+D REAL Czech Masters
COMING UP…Longest Hitters in Golf Convene Under the Lights at Volvik
World Long Drive Championship, Sept. 5-6, in Primetime on Golf Channel
ORLANDO, Fla. (Aug. 29, 2017) – The second leg of the PGA TOUR’s FedExCup Playoffs kicks off this week outside of Boston at the Dell Technologies Championship, with 96 of the top-100 eligible players in the field. NBC Sports will carry nearly 20 hours of exclusive live tournament coverage across Golf Channel and NBC, beginning on Friday and continuing through Labor Day on Monday. The Web.com Tour Finals begin this week in Ohio with the Nationwide Children’s Hospital Championship. The top-75 players on the Web.com Tour money list and Nos. 126-200 in the final FedExCup regular season standings following the Wyndham Championship are eligible to compete in the four event playoff series. At the conclusion of the Web.com Tour Championship (Sept. 28-Oct. 1) a second set of 25 PGA TOUR cards will be awarded for the 2017-18 season. The LPGA Tour heads to Oregon for the Cambia Portland Classic as Brooke Henderson looks to win the event for a third consecutive year. The PGA TOUR Champions are in Canada for the Shaw Charity Classic in Alberta, where Scott McCarron, Paul Goydos and Fred Couples headline the field, along with six-time major champion, Nick Faldo. Martin Kaymer and Lee Westwood lead the field at the European Tour’s D+D REAL Czech Masters. On Tuesday and Wednesday, Sept. 5-6, the World Long Drive Association is in Oklahoma for the Volvik World Long Drive Championship, airing back-to-back nights in primetime under the lights on Golf Channel.
PGA TOUR
Dell Technologies Championship
Dates: Sept. 1-4
Venue: TPC Boston, Norton, Mass.
Tournament Airtimes on Golf Channel (Eastern):
Friday 2:30-6:30 p.m. (Live) / 11p.m.-3 a.m. (Replay)
Saturday 3-6:30 p.m. (Live) / 11 p.m.-2:30 a.m. (Replay)
Sunday 1-3 p.m. (Live) / 10 p.m.-3 a.m. (Replay)
Monday 11:30-1:30 p.m. (Live) / Midnight-5 a.m. (Replay)
Tournament Airtimes on NBC (Eastern):
Sunday 3-6 p.m. (Live)
Monday 1:30-6 p.m. (Live)
Broadcast Notes:
Friday start, Monday finish due to holiday weekend: Due to the holiday weekend, the first round of the Dell Technologies Championship begins Friday, Sept. 1, and the final round is scheduled to conclude on Monday, Sept. 4. The top-100 players in the FedExCup standings following The Northern Trust are eligible to compete, and the top-70 in the standings following Monday’s final round will advance to the BMW Championship in two weeks.
McIlroy defends: Reigning FedExCup champion Rory McIlroy made up a six-shot final-round deficit last year to take the title.
Johnson takes No. 1 spot in standings: After his playoff win on the first extra hole over Jordan Spieth, Dustin Johnson claimed the No. 1 spot in the FedExCup standings. The current top-5 include: Dustin Johnson, Jordan Spieth, Justin Thomas, Hideki Matsuyama and Jon Rahm.
Varner plays his way in: Harold Varner III competed his way into the Playoffs after a good performance at the Wyndham Championship, and his continued good play at The Northern Trust earned him enough points to jump inside the Top-100 heading into this week. He is only the fifth man in the history of the FedExCup to play his way from outside of the Top-125 heading into the Wyndham Championship and earn a spot in the second playoff event. The list includes Camilo Villegas (2015), William McGirt (2011), Padraig Harrington (2011) and Ernie Els (2011). Els is the only player from the group to advance to the BMW Championship.
Headlining the field: Dustin Johnson, Jordan Spieth, Justin Thomas, Hideki Matsuyama, Jon Rahm, Rickie Fowler, Jason Day, Jason Dufner, Phil Mickelson and Bubba Watson.
NBC Sports Broadcast Team
Play by Play: Terry Gannon (Golf Channel) / Dan Hicks (NBC)
Analyst: Frank Nobilo (Golf Channel) / Johnny Miller (NBC)
Tower: Gary Koch / Peter Jacobsen
On-Course: David Feherty / Roger Maltbie / Jim Mackay
Interviews: Steve Sands
WEB.COM TOUR
Nationwide Children’s Hospital Championship
Dates: Aug. 31-Sept. 3
Venue: Ohio State University Golf Club (Scarlet Course), Columbus, Ohio
Tournament Airtimes on Golf Channel (Eastern):
Thursday 3-6 p.m. (Live) / 10 p.m.-1 a.m.
Friday Noon-2 p.m. (Live)
Saturday 1-3 p.m. (Live)
Sunday 3-5 p.m. (Live) / 5-7 a.m. (Monday Replay)
Broadcast Notes:
Web.com Tour Finals kick off: The Nationwide Children’s Hospital Championship will be the first of four Web.com Tour Finals events, concluding with the Web.com Tour Championship (Sept. 28-Oct. 1). At the conclusion of the Web.com Tour Championship, 25 PGA TOUR cards for the 2017-18 season will be awarded to the top-25 players on the Finals money list.
Players eligible to compete: Eligible players for the Web.com Tour Finals are Nos. 1-75 on the Web.com Tour’s regular season money list, as well as Nos. 126-200 in the FedExCup standings following last month’s Wyndham Championship, plus non-members who earned enough equivalent FedExCup points to finish within the 126-200 range.
Headlining the field: Beau Hossler, Ben Crane, Ken Duke, Brice Garnett, Chesson Hadley, Matt Jones, Hunter Mahan, Rob Oppenheim, Martin Piller, Daniel Summerhays and Sam Saunders.
Golf Channel Broadcast Team
Play by Play: John Swantek
Analyst: Craig Perks
Tower: Steve Burkowski
On-Course: Phil Blackmar / Gary Christian
LPGA TOUR
Cambia Portland Classic
Dates: Aug. 31-Sept. 3
Venue: Columbia Edgewater Country Club, Portland, Ore.
Tournament Airtimes on Golf Channel (Eastern):
Thursday 7-10 p.m. (Live) / 1-4 a.m. (Friday Replay)
Friday 6:30-8:30 p.m. (Live)
Saturday 6:30-8:30 p.m. (Live)
Sunday 5-7 p.m. (Live)
Broadcast Notes:
Henderson defends: After her second-consecutive win at the event in 2016, Brooke Henderson joined the likes of Annika Sorenstam and Kathy Whitworth as the third player to win back-to-back at the Cambia Portland Classic.
“Caddie Knows Best” with Lexi Thompson: Lexi Thompson and her caddie will be featured in “Caddie Knows Best” during Thursday’s opening round coverage, where Lexi will try match answers to questions posed to her caddie about her interests and habits on Tour.
Headlining the field: Brooke Henderson, Lexi Thompson, So Yeon Ryu, In Gee Chun, Stacy Lewis, Na Yeon Choi, Gerina Piller, Juli Inkster and Christina Kim.
Golf Channel Broadcast Team:
Play-by-Play: Tom Abbott
Analyst: Judy Rankin
Tower: Jim Gallagher, Jr.
On-Course: Jerry Foltz
Interviews: Kay Cockerill
PGA TOUR CHAMPIONS
Shaw Charity Classic
Dates: Sept. 1-3
Venue: Canyon Meadows Golf & Country Club, Calgary, Alberta, Canada
Tournament Airtimes on Golf Channel (Eastern):
Friday 8:30-10:30 p.m. (Tape Delay) / 4-6 p.m. (Streaming on Golf Channel Digital)
Saturday 8:30-10:30 p.m. (Tape Delay) / 4-6 p.m. (Streaming on Golf Channel Digital)
Sunday 7-9 p.m. (Tape Delay) / 4-6 p.m. (Streaming on Golf Channel Digital)
Broadcast Notes:
Headlining the field: Fred Couples, Paul Goydos, Scott McCarron, Mark O’Meara, Vijay Singh, David Toms and Nick Faldo.
Golf Channel Broadcast Team:
Play-by-Play: Whit Watson
Analyst: Lanny Wadkins
Tower: John Mahaffey
On-Course: Billy Ray Brown
EUROPEAN TOUR
D+D REAL Czech Masters
Dates: Aug. 31-Sept. 3
Venue: Albatross Golf Resort, Prague, Czech Republic
Tournament Airtimes on Golf Channel (Eastern):
Thursday 5-7 a.m. (Live) / 9 a.m.-Noon (Live)
Friday 5-7 a.m. (Live) / 9 a.m.-Noon (Live)
Saturday 8 a.m.-12:30 p.m. (Live)
Sunday 7-11:30 a.m. (Live)
Broadcast Notes:
Ryder Cup qualifying begins: This week, eligible players will begin receiving points toward automatically qualifying for the 2018 European Ryder Cup team.
Headlining the field: Martin Kaymer, Matthew Fitzpatrick, Thomas Pieters, Darren Clarke, Lee Westwood and John Daly.
Golf Channel Broadcast Team:
Host: Mike Ritz
Play-by-Play: Dougie Donnelly
Analyst: Warren Humphreys
On-Course: Jay Townsend
WORLD LONG DRIVE ASSOCIATION
Volvik World Long Drive Championship
Dates: Sept. 5-6
Venue: WinStar World Casino and Resort, Thackerville, Okla.
Tournament Airtimes on Golf Channel (Eastern):
Tuesday 9-11 p.m. (Live) / 11 p.m.-1 a.m. (Replay)
Wednesday 9-11:30 p.m. (Live) / 11:30 p.m.-2 p.m. (Replay)
Broadcast Notes:
Miller, Meti defend: Joe Miller (Open Division) and Phillis Meti (Women’s Division) look to defend their 2016 titles.
Golf Central On-Site: Golf Central will preview live event coverage both nights, with a special hour pre-game show dedicated to analyzing the matchups along with interviews with those in the field preparing to compete.
Format: Beginning with the Round of 16 on Tuesday night, the Open Division will be contested through a single-elimination bracket, narrowing to the quarterfinals, semifinals and finals to ultimately determine a winner during Wednesday night’s telecast. The Women’s Division also will use a single-elimination match play format for the semifinals and finals on Wednesday.
A first for Women’s Division: For the first time, the Women’s Division at the Volvik World Long Drive Championship will be showcased live and in primetime on television.
New team format: Tuesday night’s telecast also will introduce a new team format, with the top-four in the Women’s Division having advanced earlier in the day to compete in Wednesday night’s semifinals being paired with the four highest-ranked men in the Open Division not having advanced from the Round of 32. The four, two-person “mixed” teams will face off in a match play bracket format that will use the aggregate yardage of each team member’s longest drive in the set versus that of their opponent’s aggregate yardage.
The purse: A $270,000 purse will be paid out among those advancing to the Round of 16 in the Open Division, with the winner receiving $125,000. In the Women’s Division, those advancing to the quarterfinals will earn a portion of the $40,000 purse, with the winner receiving $20,000: (Open: 1st – $125,000; 2nd – $50,000; 3rd/4th – $19,500; 5th-8th – $7,000; 9th-16th – $3,500; Women’s: 1st – $20,000; 2nd – $8,000; 3rd/4th – $3,000; 5th-8th – $1,500).
Headlining the field: (Open Division) Maurice Allen, Ryan Reisbeck, Justin James, Will Hogue, Tim Burke, Trent Scruggs, Ryan Steenberg, Tommy Hug, Joe Miller and Glenn Wilson, Jr.; (Women’s Division): Phillis Meti, Chloe Garner, Troy Mullins and Sandra Carlborg.
Golf Channel Broadcast Team:
Play by Play: Bob Papa
Analysts: Michael Breed / Art Sellinger
Interviews: Jerry Foltz
Reporter: Chantel McCabe (Golf Central)
-NBC Sports Group-
