FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Wednesday, March 7th, 2018
NBC SPORTS GROUP TOURNAMENT AIRTIMES AND NOTES (MARCH 8-11) – VALSPAR CHAMPIONSHIP, TOSHIBA CLASSIC AND INDIAN OPEN
Woods and McIlroy to Make Valspar Championship Debuts, Headline Strong International Field
Toshiba Classic Returns to PGA TOUR Champions After One-Year Hiatus
Sharma Headlines Field at European Tour’s Indian Open
ORLANDO, Fla. (March 07, 2018) – The PGA TOUR returns to Florida this week for the Valspar Championship as Tiger Woods and Rory McIlroy make their first appearances in the event, joined by a strong international field featuring Jordan Spieth, Sergio Garcia and defending champion Adam Hadwin. The PGA TOUR Champions’ Toshiba Classic returns to the schedule after a one year hiatus. Jay Haas is the defending champion from the 2016 Toshiba Classic, when he became the second-oldest winner in Tour history at age 62. The European Tour heads to India for the Indian Open, a co-sanctioned event between the European Tour and the Asian Tour.
PGA TOUR
Valspar Championship
Dates: March 8-11
Venue: Innisbrook Resort & Golf Club (Copperhead Course) – Palm Harbor, Fla.
Tournament Airtimes on Golf Channel (Eastern)
Thursday 2-6 p.m. (Live) / 7-11 p.m. (Replay)
Friday 2-6 p.m. (Live) / 8:30 p.m.-12:30 a.m. (Replay)
Saturday 1-3 p.m. (Live) / 9 p.m.-Midnight. (Replay)
Sunday 1-3 p.m. (Live) / 9 p.m.-2 a.m. (Replay)
Tournament Airtimes on NBC (Eastern)
Saturday 3-6 p.m. (Live)
Sunday 3-6 p.m. (Live)
Golf Central Pre and Post Round Coverage on Golf Channel (Eastern):
Thursday Noon-2 p.m. / 6-7 p.m. (Live)
Friday Noon-2 p.m. / 8-8:30 p.m. (Live)
Saturday Noon-1 p.m. / 8-9 p.m. (Live)
Sunday Noon-1 p.m. / 8-9 p.m. (Live)
Broadcast Notes:
Player news conference show airing Today at Noon ET: Today at Noon ET, Golf Channel will air a special news conference show from the Valspar Championship featuring media interview sessions with Tiger Woods, Jordan Spieth, Rory McIlroy and Henrik Stenson.
Woods, McIlroy make tournament debuts – Tiger Woods and Rory McIlroy will make their first appearances at the Valspar Championship. Woods’ first competitive start at Innisbrook was in 1996, teaming up with Kelli Kuehne to take second place in the JCPenney Classic.
Hadwin defends: Adam Hadwin defeated Patrick Cantlay by one stroke in 2017 for his first career PGA TOUR win.
Headlining the field: Tiger Woods, Jordan Spieth, Rory McIlroy, Ernie Els, Jim Furyk, Sergio Garcia, Bill Haas, Adam Hadwin, Davis Love III, , Justin Rose, Sam Saunders, Adam Scott, Henrik Stenson and Steve Stricker.
Golf Channel/NBC Broadcast Team
Play by Play: Steve Sands (Golf Channel Saturday/Sunday lead-in); Dan Hicks (Golf Channel, NBC)
Analyst: Frank Nobilo (Golf Channel Saturday/Sunday lead-in); Gary Koch (Golf Channel, NBC)
Tower: Peter Jacobsen, David Feherty
On-Course: Roger Maltbie, Notah Begay, Jim “Bones” Mackay
Interviews: Steve Sands
PGA TOUR Champions
Toshiba Classic
Dates: March 9-11
Venue: Newport Beach Country Club, Newport Beach, Calif.
Tournament Airtimes on Golf Channel (Eastern)
Friday 6-8 p.m. (Live) / 12:30-2:30 a.m. (Replay)
Saturday 5:30-8 p.m. (Live) / 5:30-7:30 a.m. (Sunday Replay)
Sunday 5:30-8 p.m. (Live) / 2-4 a.m. (Monday Replay)
Golf Channel Broadcast Team
Play by Play: Bob Papa
Analyst: Lanny Wadkins
Tower: John Mahaffey
On Course: Billy Ray Brown, Arron Oberholser
Broadcast Notes:
Toshiba Classic returns to PGA TOUR Champions schedule: The Toshiba Classic returns to the schedule in 2018 after not being contested in ’17 in order to move back to its traditional March date previously held from 1995-2014.
Headlining the field: Bernhard Langer, Tom Watson, Mark Calcavecchia, John Cook, Fred Couples, John Daly, Jay Haas, Miguel Angel Jimenez, Jerry Kelly, Tom Lehman, Colin Montgomerie, Jose Maria Olazabal, Vijay Singh and David Toms
EUROPEAN TOUR
Indian Open
Dates: March 8-11
Venue: DLF Golf & Country Club (Gary Player Course), New Delhi, India
Tournament Airtimes on Golf Channel (Eastern)
Thursday 12:30-2:30 a.m. / 4-7 a.m. (Live) / 7-10 a.m. (Replay)
Friday 12:30-2:30 a.m. / 4-7 a.m. (Live) / 7-10 a.m. (Replay)
Saturday 2:30-7 a.m. (Live) / 7-10 a.m. (Replay)
Sunday Midnight-5:30 a.m. / 7:30-10 a.m. (Replay)
Broadcast Notes:
Chawrasia defends: S.S.P. Chawrasia defeated Gavin Green by seven strokes to earn his fourth career European Tour victory and win back-to-back Indian Opens.
Headlining the field: Shubhankar Sharma, Arjun Atwal, Thomas Bjorn, S.S.P. Chawrasia, Darren Clarke, Emiliano Grillo, Gavin Green, Andrew Johnston, Anirban Lahiri, Jeev Milkha Singh.
Golf Channel Broadcast Team
Host: Scott Walker
Play by Play: Dougie Donnelly
Analyst: Dom Boulet, Warren Humphreys
On-Course: Dale Hayes
-NBC Sports Group-
