FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Tuesday, June 3rd, 2014
Golf Channel to Air Six Tournaments During Span of One Weekend for First Time in 2014
PGA TOUR in Memphis for FedEx St. Jude Classic
LPGA Tour in Canada for Manulife Financial LPGA Classic
European Tour Shifts to Austria for Lyoness Open
Champions Tour Revitalizes Big Cedar Lodge Legends of Golf with New Name, Par-3 Course Venue
Web.com Tour in Ohio for Cleveland Open
United States, Great Britain & Ireland Square Off For 38th Curtis Cup
ORLANDO, Fla. (June 3, 2014) – The PGA TOUR stages the FedEx St. Jude Classic this week in Memphis, Tenn., the final tune-up before next week’s U.S. Open gets underway at Pinehurst No. 2 in North Carolina. The LPGA Tour is in Ontario, Canada for the Manulife Financial LPGA Classic, its final event as well prior to the Women’s U.S. Open in two weeks at Pinehurst. The European Tour is in Austria for the Lyoness Open, and the Champions Tour will reintroduce the “Legends of Golf” on its schedule with the Big Cedar Lodge Legends of Golf in Missouri, becoming the first-ever PGA TOUR-sanctioned event to be played on a par-3 golf course. The Web.com Tour is in Ohio for the Cleveland Open, while some of the most talented female amateur golfers in the world are on display as the United States takes on Great Britain & Ireland in the 38th Curtis Cup.
PGA TOUR
FedEx St. Jude Classic
Dates: June 5-8
Venue: TPC Southwind, Memphis, Tenn.
Tournament Airtimes On Golf Channel (Eastern):
Thursday 3-6 p.m. (Live) / 9 p.m.-Midnight (Replay)
Friday 3-6 p.m. (Live) / 9 p.m.-Midnight (Replay)
Saturday 1-2:30 p.m. (Live) / 11:30 p.m.-2:30 a.m. (Replay)
Sunday 1-2:30 p.m. (Live) / 11:30 p.m.-2:30 a.m. (Replay)
Broadcast Notes:
English Defends: Harris English finished two shots ahead of Phil Mickelson and Scott Stallings last year to earn his first career PGA TOUR win.
Headlining the Field: Phil Mickelson, Dustin Johnson, Harris English, Graeme McDowell, Rickie Fowler, Zach Johnson, Webb Simpson, Lee Westwood, Ian Poulter and Chesson Hadley.
Sanchez in the Field on Sponsor’s Exemption: Isaac Sanchez makes his PGA TOUR debut this week; competing on a sponsor’s exemption that he earned for winning Big Break NFL in December, the 20th season of Golf Channel’s competition series.
Golf Channel Broadcast Team:
Play by Play: Brian Hammons
Analyst: Frank Nobilo
Tower: Peter Oosterhuis / Matt Gogel
On Course: Billy Ray Brown
Interviews: Scott Walker
LPGA TOUR
Manulife Financial LPGA Classic
Dates: June 5-8
Venue: Grey Silo Golf Course, Waterloo, Ont., Canada
Tournament Airtimes On Golf Channel (Eastern):
Thursday Noon-2:30 p.m. (Live)
Friday 12:30-2:30 p.m. (Live)
Saturday 3-5 p.m. (Live)
Sunday 3-5 p.m. (Live)
Broadcast Notes:
Pro-Am Airing Wednesday, 5 p.m. ET on Golf Channel: Golf Channel will air the Manulife Financial LPGA Classic Pro-Am on Wednesday at 5 p.m. ET, with Stacy Lewis, Brittany Lang and Lydia Ko mic’d up as they make final preparations for Thursday’s opening round.
Big Break Atlantis’ Alvarez Featured in Rookie Spotlight: Anya Alvarez is the focus of this week’s “Rookie Spotlight,” with the former contestant on Golf Channel’s Big Break Atlantis discussing the adjustments to life on the LPGA Tour.
Park Defends: Hee Young Park edged Angela Stanford on the third playoff hole last year to grab her second career LPGA Tour victory.
Headlining the Field: Stacy Lewis, Inbee Park, Suzann Pettersen, Michelle Wie, Anna Nordqvist, Lydia Ko, Na Yeon Choi, Shanshan Feng, Cristie Kerr and Ai Miyazato.
Stoelting Competing on Sponsor’s Exemption: Jackie Stoelting, winner of Big Break Florida is in the field courtesy of a sponsor’s exemption she received for winning the 21st season of Golf Channel’s competition series last month.
Golf Channel Broadcast Team:
Play by Play: Tom Abbott
Analyst: Kay Cockerill
Tower: Curt Byrum
On Course: Jerry Foltz / Rich Beem
EUROPEAN TOUR
Lyoness Open
Dates: June 5-8
Venue: Diamond Country Club (Diamond Course), Atzenbrugg, Austria
Tournament Airtimes On Golf Channel (Eastern):
Thursday 5-7 a.m. / 9 a.m.-Noon (Live)
Friday 5-7 a.m. / 9-10:30 a.m. (Live)
Saturday 7-11 a.m. (Live)
Sunday 6:30-11 a.m. (Live)
Broadcast Notes:
Laidlaw Joins Golf Channel’s European Tour Coverage for First Time in 2014: Renton Laidlaw, one of the leading voices synonymous with Golf Channel’s coverage of the European Tour will join the tournament broadcast team this week for the first time in 2014.
Luiten Defends: Joost Luiten finished two strokes ahead of Thomas Bjorn for his second career European Tour win, becoming only the second player from the Netherlands (Robert Jan-Derksen was the first) with multiple victories on the European Tour.
Headlining the Field: Miguel Angel Jimenez, Joost Luiten, Jose Maria Olazabal, Soren Hansen, Anders Hansen, Thomas Pieters, Robert Rock, Peter Hedblom, Thomas Levet and Peter Lawrie.
Broadcast Team:
Studio Host: Ryan Burr
Play by Play: Julian Tutt
Analyst: Warren Humphreys / Renton Laidlaw
On Course: Jay Townsend
CHAMPIONS TOUR
Big Cedar Lodge Legends of Golf presented by Bass Pro Shops
Dates: June 6-8
Venues: Buffalo Ridge Golf Course (18 holes); Top of the Rock (9 hole par-3 course) Branson, Mo.
Tournament Airtimes On Golf Channel (Eastern):
Friday 10:30 a.m.-12:30 p.m. (Live) / 4:30-6:30 a.m. (Saturday Replay)
Saturday 9-11 p.m. (Tape Delay)
Sunday 9-11 p.m. (Tape Delay)
Broadcast Notes:
Revitalized Event: The long-running Champions Tour “Legends of Golf” staple event returns, with the customary two-man teams taking on a new format, as players will compete on a par-3 course for the first time ever in an official PGA TOUR-sanctioned event. The field will play one round at each of the two courses over the first two days, and the final round will be contested at the par-3 Top of the Rock course.
Hall-of-Fame Field: The Champions division will comprise of 24 former major winners, while the Legends division will include 10 of the Champions Tour’s most influential figures including: Jack Nicklaus, Gary Player, Lee Trevino, Bruce Fleisher and Larry Nelson.
Notable Teams in the Champions Field: Bernhard Langer/Tom Lehman, Tom Watson/Andy North, Fred Funk/Jeff Sluman, Mark O’Meara/Nick Price and Peter Jacobsen/D.A. Weibring.
Golf Channel Broadcast Team:
Play by Play: Bob Papa
Analyst: Lanny Wadkins
Tower: Dave Marr / John Mahaffey
On Course: Steve Flesch
WEB.COM TOUR
Cleveland Open
Dates: June 5-8
Venue: Lakewood Country Club, Westlake, Ohio
Tournament Airtimes On Golf Channel (Eastern):
Thursday 6:30-9 p.m. (Tape Delay)
Friday 6:30-9 p.m. (Tape Delay)
Saturday 7-9 p.m. (Tape Delay)
Sunday 7-9 p.m. (Tape Delay)
Broadcast Notes:
Headlining the Field: Jason Allred, Max Homa, Blayne Barber, Alex Cejka, Jason Gore, Billy Mayfair, Len Mattiace, Nick O’Hern, Rod Pampling, Sam Saunders and Casey Wittenberg.
Golf Channel Broadcast Team:
Play by Play: Whit Watson
Analyst: Craig Perks
Tower: Phil Blackmar
On Course: Tripp Isenhour
USGA
Curtis Cup
Dates: June 6-8
Venue: St. Louis Country Club, St. Louis, Mo.
Tournament Airtimes On Golf Channel (Eastern):
Friday Midnight-2 a.m. (Tape Delay) / 5-7 p.m. (Live Streaming on Golf Live Extra)
Saturday 5-7 p.m. (Live) / 2:30-4:30 a.m. (Replay)
Sunday 5-7 p.m. (Live) / 2:30-4 a.m. (Replay)
Broadcast Notes:
International Competition: The Curtis Cup features some of the most talented female amateur golfers in the world, with the United States going up against Great Britain & Ireland in the 38th edition of the event.
Format: Days 1-2 of the competition will consist of three foursomes matches and three four-ball matches, and the tournament will conclude with eight singles matches on Day 3.
Team United States: Kyung Kim, Alison Lee, Erynne Lee, Ally McDonald, Annie Park, Ashlan Ramsey, Mariah Stackhouse, Emma Talley and Ellen Port (captain).
Team Great Britain & Ireland: Eilidh Briggs, Gabriella Cowley, Annabel Dimmock, Gemma Dryburgh, Georgia Hall, Bronte Law, Stephanie Meadow, Charlotte Thomas and Tegwen Matthews (captain).
Golf Channel Broadcast Team:
Play by Play: Mike Ritz
Analyst: Karen Stupples
Tower: Phil Parkin
On Course: Jane Crafter / Steve Burkowski
-NBC Sports Group-
