FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Tuesday, January 20th, 2015
GOLF CHANNEL TOURNAMENT AIRTIMES & NOTES: (JAN. 21-25)
Mickelson Makes 2015 Debut this Week at
Humana Challenge in partnership with the Clinton Foundation
Champions Tour Opens 2015 Season with
Mitsubishi Electric Championship at Hualalai
Garcia Defends Commericial Bank Qatar Masters
ORLANDO, Fla. (Jan. 20, 2014) – Phil Mickelson will make his first professional start this week since the 2014 Ryder Cup, headlining the field at the Humana Challenge in partnership with the Clinton Foundation. Golf Channel will carry live coverage of all four rounds of the event, and Patrick Reed – already having won in 2015 at the Hyundai Tournament of Champions earlier this month – is in the field defending his 2014 title. The Champions Tour begins its 2015 season at the Mitsubishi Electric Championship at Hualalai in Hawaii, with 2014 Charles Schwab Cup winner Bernhard Langer looking to capture the season-opener for the second consecutive year. On the European Tour, Sergio Garcia defends at the Commerical Bank Qatar Masters, with Henrik Stenson and Justin Rose also headlining the field.
PGA TOUR
Humana Challenge in partnership with the Clinton Foundation
Dates: Jan. 22-25
Venue: Palmer Private Course, PGA West; Nicklaus Private Course, PGA West; La Quinta Country Club (La Quinta, Calif.)
Tournament Airtimes On Golf Channel (Eastern):
Thursday 3-7 p.m. (Live) / 7:30-11:30 p.m. (Replay)
Friday 3-7 p.m. (Live) / 10:30 p.m.-2:30 a.m. (Replay)
Saturday 3-7 p.m. (Live) / 10:30 p.m.-2:30 a.m. (Replay)
Sunday 3-7 p.m. (Live) / 11 p.m.-3 a.m. (Replay)
Broadcast Notes:
Mickelson makes 2015 debut: Phil Mickelson will make his first professional start since the Ryder Cup last Fall. He is scheduled to compete in next week’s Waste Management Open as well, but it has been reported that he will skip the AT&T Pebble Beach National Pro-Am and the Northern Trust Open to spend time with family. He will be absent at Pebble Beach for the first time since 1995.
Golf Channel’s Lisa Cornwell to sit down with President Bill Clinton, scheduled to air on Golf Central Pre Game on Sunday, Jan. 25 at 1p.m. ET: Golf Channel host Lisa Cornwell will sit down with President Bill Clinton at the Humana Challenge, and the interview is scheduled to air on Golf Central Pre Game beginning at 1 p.m. ET, ahead of Sunday’s final round. This is the fourth consecutive year that President Clinton has been involved with the Humana Challenge.
Tournament format: Professionals will be paired with different amateur golfers in each of the first three days of the tournament, playing one round on each of the tournament course venues: Palmer Private Course, Nicklaus Private Course and La Quinta Country Club. The top-three gross and net amateurs from the first three rounds will qualify to play in Sunday’s final round at the Palmer Private Course.
Iraq War Veteran, Big Break The Palm Beaches Florida contestant Chad Pfeifer in the field:
Chad Pfeifer is in the field this week, a former Army corporal who was deployed to Iraq in 2006 and struck by an improvised explosive device in April 2007. With his left leg amputated above the knee due to the explosion, Pfeifer took up golf while rehabbing his injury, became a professional golfer, and finished in the top-5 at the 2014 American Century Championship in Lake Tahoe. Earlier this month, Pfeifer was announced as one of the 12 contestants in the upcoming season of Big Break The Palm Beaches Florida, premiering Monday, Feb. 2 at 9 p.m. ET on Golf Channel.
Reed defends: Patrick Reed finished two shots ahead of Ryan Palmer to cap off a wire-to-wire victory after recording three consecutive rounds of 63 before closing with a final round 71.
Headlining the field: Phil Mickelson, Patrick Reed, Keegan Bradley, Billy Horschel, Matt Kuchar, Zach Johnson, Webb Simpson, Brandt Snedeker, Jason Dufner and Bill Haas.
Golf Channel Broadcast Team:
Play by Play: Rich Lerner
Analyst: Nick Faldo
Tower: Curt Byrum / Matt Gogel
On Course: Roger Maltbie / Phil Parkin
CHAMPIONS TOUR
Mitsubishi Electric Championship at Hualalai
Dates: Jan. 23-25
Venue: Hualalai Resort Golf Club, Ka’upulehu-Kona, Hawaii
Tournament Airtimes On Golf Channel (Eastern):
Friday 7:30-10:30 p.m. (Live) / 2:30-4:30 a.m. (Saturday replay)
Saturday 7:30-10:30 p.m. (Live) / 3-6 a.m. (Sunday replay)
Sunday 7-10 p.m. (Live) / 4-6 a.m. (Monday deplay)
Broadcast Notes:
2015 season begins in Hawaii with elite field: The 40-man field includes 2013 and 2014 Champions Tour winners, Champions Tour major winners since 2010, and eight professionals by invitation with 15 or more career victories, including one PGA TOUR major.
Langer defends: Bernhard Langer finished three shots ahead of Fred Couples and Jeff Sluman to stretch his streak to eight consecutive seasons of winning at least one tournament.
Headlining the field: Bernhard Langer, Fred Couples, Tom Watson, Miguel Angel Jimenez, Davis Love III, Colin Montgomerie, Kenny Perry, Corey Pavin, Tom Lehman and Peter Jacobsen.
Golf Channel Broadcast Team:
Play by Play: Brian Hammons
Analyst: Lanny Wadkins
Tower: Mark Rolfing / John Mahaffey
On Course: Billy Ray Brown / David Marr
EUROPEAN TOUR
Commercial Bank Qatar Masters
Dates: Jan. 21-24
Venue: Doha Golf Club, Doha, Qatar
Tournament Airtimes On Golf Channel (Eastern):
Wednesday 1:30-4:30 a.m., 6 -8:30 a.m. (Live)
Thursday 1:30-4:30 a.m., 6-8:30 a.m. (Live)
Friday 4:30-8:30 a.m. (Live)
Saturday 4:30-8:30 a.m. (Live) / 11:30 a.m.-2:30 p.m. (Replay)
Broadcast Notes:
Garcia defends: Sergio Garcia made birdie on the third playoff hole to edge Mikko Ilonen for his 11th career European Tour win.
Headlining the field: Henrik Stenson, Justin Rose, Sergio Garcia, Ernie Els, Charl Schwartzel, Stephen Gallacher, Matteo Manassero, Thorbjorn Olesen, Mikko Ilonen and Peter Uihlein.
Golf Channel Broadcast Team:
Studio Host: Mike Ritz
Play by Play: Dougie Donnelly
Analyst: Ken Brown / Tony Johnstone
On Course: Jay Townsend
-NBC Sports Group-
