FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Wednesday, December 30th, 2015
NBC SPORTS GROUP RINGS IN THE NEW YEAR IN PRIMETIME WITH THE PGA TOUR’S BEST AT THE HYUNDAI TOURNAMENT OF CHAMPIONS AND SONY OPEN IN HAWAII ON GOLF CHANNEL
Golf Central to Provide Wraparound News Coverage On-Site in Kapalua and Honolulu
Golf Channel Analyst Mark Rolfing to Return to TV at Hyundai Tournament of Champions Following Cancer Treatment
ORLANDO, Fla., (Dec. 30, 2015) – NBC Sports Group will kick off 2016 coverage of the PGA TOUR next week with the Hawaii Swing at the Hyundai Tournament of Champions and the Sony Open in Hawaii the following week. Headlined by an elite field who qualified as a result of winning during the 2014-15 PGA TOUR season that includes World No.1 Jordan Spieth, Jason Day, Rickie Fowler and Dustin Johnson, the Hyundai Tournament of Champions will be held at the Plantation Course in Kapalua, Maui, Thursday-Sunday, Jan. 7-10, with the majority of coverage airing in primetime on Golf Channel. The PGA TOUR moves to Honolulu the following week for the first full-field event in 2016, the Sony Open in Hawaii, taking place at Waialae Country Club, Thursday-Sunday, Jan. 14-17, also airing in primetime on Golf Channel.
WEEKEND LEAD-IN COVERAGE OF HYUNDAI TOC ON NBC: For the third consecutive year, weekend coverage of the Hyundai Tournament of Champions will air on NBC leading in to Golf Channel coverage. Live coverage on NBC is scheduled for Saturday, Jan. 9 or Sunday, Jan. 10, with continuing coverage on Golf Channel. **NBC’s lead-in coverage is subject to change depending on the network’s coverage of that weekend’s NFL Wild Card game.**
GOLF CENTRAL ON THE ROAD AT HYUNDAI TOURNAMENT OF CHAMPIONS AND SONY OPEN IN HAWAII: Golf Central will complement tournament coverage of the Hawaii swing with live wraparound news coverage produced and broadcast on location from dedicated sets, including on-site for the first time at the Sony Open in Hawaii. Notah Begay, Ryan Burr, Mark Rolfing and Steve Burkowski will report on-site for Golf Central at both events, with Brandel Chamblee joining the team at the Sony Open in Hawaii.
ROLFING SET TO RETURN FOLLOWING CANCER TREATMENT: Longtime Golf Channel / NBC Sports analyst Mark Rolfing is set to return to the broadcast team at the Hyundai Tournament of Champions. In August, Rolfing was diagnosed with a rare form of salivary gland cancer and took a leave of absence following the PGA Championship for surgery and treatment. Rolfing, who lives in Maui, will serve as an analyst for both live tournament coverage and for Golf Central’s on-site news coverage.
TOURNAMENT BROADCAST TEAMS: Rich Lerner and Peter Jacobsen will call the action from the broadcast booth at the Plantation Course in Kapalua for the Hyundai Tournament of Champions. They will be joined by tower analysts Frank Nobilo and Mark Rolfing; on-course reporters Jerry Foltz and Curt Byrum; and reporter/interviewer Steve Burkowski. Steve Sands will join Jacobsen in the booth as play-by-play host at the Sony Open in Hawaii.
PGA TOUR SEASON RESET TO AIR ON NBC: On Sunday at 2:30 p.m. ET, NBC will air a half-hour special titled PGA TOUR Season Reset, recapping the first few events of the 2015-16 season and previewing the upcoming PGA TOUR schedule and storylines heading into the New Year. **Time is subject to change based on NBC’s weekend coverage of the NFL’s Wild Card game.**
COMPREHENSIVE DIGITAL COVERAGE: GolfChannel.com will provide users with comprehensive online coverage of the Hyundai Tournament of Champions and the Sony Open in Hawaii. GolfChannel.com editorial director Jay Coffin (Hyundai) and senior writer Rex Hoggard (Hyundai and Sony) will report from on-site.
HYUNDAI TOURNAMENT OF CHAMPIONS AIRTIMES (all times ET):
Jan. 7 Thursday Round 1 6-10 p.m. Golf Channel
Jan. 8 Friday Round 2 6-10 p.m. Golf Channel
Jan. 9 Saturday Round 3 TBD NBC**
Jan. 9 Saturday Round 3 3-7 p.m. Golf Channel**
Jan. 10 Sunday Final Round TBD NBC**
Jan. 10 Sunday Final Round 5-7 p.m. Golf Channel**
**NBC lead-in coverage and Golf Channel’s Saturday or Sunday coverage is subject to change based on NBC’s weekend coverage of the NFL’s Wild Card game.**
SONY OPEN IN HAWAII AIRTIMES (all times ET):
Jan. 14 Thursday Round 1 7-10:30 p.m. Golf Channel
Jan. 15 Friday Round 2 7-10:30 p.m. Golf Channel
Jan. 16 Saturday Round 3 7-10:30 p.m. Golf Channel
Jan. 17 Sunday Round 4 6-10 p.m. Golf Channel
-NBC Sports Group-
