FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Tuesday, July 22nd, 2014
NBC SPORTS GROUP TOURNAMENT AIRTIMES & NOTES (JULY 21-27)
LPGA Tour’s International Crown Debut Event Will Determine Best Golf Nation
Snedeker Defends at RBC Canadian Open
European Tour Returns to Jack Nicklaus-Designed Tseleevo Golf & Polo Club for M2M Russian Open
Golf Channel to Feature Final Two Rounds of U.S. Girls’ Junior Amateur
The LPGA Tour hosts the inaugural International Crown, a biennial, match-play competition featuring four-player teams from eight countries to decide the world’s best golf nation. Brandt Snedeker defends his title at the RBC Canadian Open after a third-round 63 led to his sixth career PGA Tour victory and second of 2013. The European Tour returns to the Jack Nicklaus-designed Tseleevo Golf & Polo Club for the M2M Russian Open, while Golf Channel features the final two rounds of the U.S. Girls’ Junior Amateur in Arizona.
LPGA Tour
International Crown
Dates: July 24-27
Venue: Caves Valley Golf Club, Owings Mills, Md.
Tournament Airtimes On Golf Channel (Eastern):
Thursday 11:30 a.m. – 3:30 p.m. (Live) / 2-4 a.m. (Replay)
Friday 11:30 a.m. – 3:30 p.m. (Live) / 3-5 a.m. (Replay)
Saturday 3-7 p.m. (Live)
Sunday 3-7 p.m. (Live) / 1:30-4 a.m. (Replay)
Broadcast Notes:
Countries Represented: United States, South Korea, Australia, Spain, Japan, Sweden, Thailand, and Chinese Taipei make up the eight competing countries in the inaugural International Crown as determined by the Rolex Women’s World Golf Rankings.
Top Seeds: United States and South Korea represent the top seeds in each of their respective pools.
Unique Coverage Elements: Coverage of the International Crown includes special features on each participating country.
Headlining the field: Stacy Lewis, Lexi Thompson, Cristie Kerr, Paula Creamer, Inbee Park, So Yeon Ryu, Na Yeon Choi, I.K. Kim, Karrie Webb, Minjee Lee, Beatriz Recari, Azahara Muñoz, Belen Mozo, Ai Miyazato, Mika Miyazato, Anna Nordqvist, Pornanong Phatlum and Yani Tseng.
Golf Channel Broadcast Team:
Play by Play: Terry Gannon
Analyst: Judy Rankin
Tower: Jerry Foltz
On Course: Karen Stupples / Juli Inkster
PGA TOUR
RBC Canadian Open
Dates: July 24-27
Venue: The Royal Montreal Golf Club, Montreal, Canada
Tournament Airtimes On Golf Channel (Eastern):
Thursday 4-7 p.m. (Live) / 7:30 – 10:30 p.m. (Replay)
Friday 4-7 p.m. (Live) / 7:30 – 10:30 p.m. (Replay)
Saturday 1-2:30 p.m. (Live) / 10 p.m. – 2:30 a.m. (Replay)
Sunday 1-2:30 p.m. (Live) / 8 p.m. – 12:30 a.m. (Replay)
Broadcast Notes:
Tour Tradition: The RBC Canadian Open stands as the second-longest running event on the PGA TOUR, with this week serving as the 105th edition of the event.
Canadian Drought: Fifty-nine years have passed since the RBC Canadian Open last crowned a winner from the host country. Pat Fletcher was the last to accomplish the feat in 1954.
Return to Royal Montreal: Royal Montreal Golf Club hosts its 10th edition of the RBC Canadian Open this year, and its first since 2001. The RBC Canadian Open is the first major event Royal Montreal has hosted since the 2007 Presidents Cup.
Snedeker Defends: Brandt Snedeker’s three-stroke victory at Glen Abbey Golf Club in 2013 was his second of the season after he erased an eight-stroke deficit over the weekend.
Headlining the field: Dustin Johnson, Matt Kuchar, Ernie Els, Brandt Snedeker, Graeme McDowell, Luke Donald, Charl Schwartzel, Jim Furyk, Hunter Mahan, Chris Kirk, Graham DeLaet, Vijay Singh and Mike Weir.
Golf Channel Broadcast Team:
Play by Play: Brian Hammons
Analyst: Curt Byrum
Tower: Craig Perks
On Course: Rich Beem
Interviews: Scott Walker
EUROPEAN TOUR
M2M Russian Open
Dates: July 24-27
Venue: Tseleevo Golf & Polo Club, Moscow, Russia
Tournament Airtimes On Golf Channel (Eastern):
Thursday 8-11 a.m. (Live)
Friday 8-11 a.m. (Live)
Saturday 6-9 a.m. (Live)
Sunday 6-9 a.m. (Live)
Broadcast Notes:
Hoey defends: Michael Hoey used a final-round 2-under-par 70 in 2013 to seal a four-stroke victory and his fifth career European Tour win.
Tennis Star in the Field: Former men’s tennis World No. 1 Yevgeny Kafelnikov is in the field this week. He has played in multiple European Tour and European Challenge Tour events over the years but has yet to make a cut.
Headlining the field: Michael Hoey, Gregory Bourdy, Scott Jamieson, David Horsey, Soren Hansen, Damien McGrane, Soren Kjeldsen, Thomas Pieters and Yevgeny Kafelnikov.
Broadcast Team:
Studio Host: Mike Ritz
Play by Play: Dominik Hoyer
Analyst: Warren Humphreys
USGA
U.S. Girls’ Junior Amateur
Dates: July 25-26
Venue: Forest Highlands Golf Club (Meadow Course), Flagstaff, Ariz.
Tournament Airtimes On Golf Channel (Eastern):
Friday 10:30 p.m. – 12:30 a.m. (Tape Delay) / 1-3 a.m. (Replay)
Saturday 7-9 p.m. (Live) / 3-5 a.m. (Replay)
Broadcast Notes:
Fifth and Final Day Coverage: Golf Channel features the fifth and final days of the U.S. Girls’ Junior Amateur with the semifinal and final matches all receiving broadcast coverage.
Familiar Territory: The U.S. Girls’ Junior Amateur is the third USGA event hosted by Forest Highlands Golf Club. The club welcomed the U.S. Junior Amateur in 1996 and the U.S. Mid-Amateur in 2006.
Winner Exemptions: The winner of the U.S. Girls’ Junior Amateur receives exemptions into the next two U.S. Women’s Amateurs, and all U.S. Girls’ Junior Championships prior to her 18th birthday.
Champion History: Past champions of the U.S. Girls’ Junior Amateur have gone on to win 11 U.S. Women’s Amateurs and 12 U.S. Women’s Opens. Notable champions include Amy Alcott (1973), Nancy Lopez (1972, 1974), Inbee Park (2002), I.K. Kim (2005), and Lexi Thompson (2008).
Golf Channel Broadcast Team:
Play by Play: Whit Watson
Analyst: Kay Cockerill
On Course: Phil Parkin / Jane Crafter
Hole Announcer: Steve Burkowski
