FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Wednesday, May 17th, 2017
GOLF CHANNEL TOURNAMENT AIRTIMES & NOTES (MAY 18-21): REGIONS TRADITION; AT&T BYRON NELSON; KINGSMILL CHAMPIONSHIP; BMW CHARITY PRO-AM; ROCCO FORTE OPEN
Langer Defends at Regions Tradition in Alabama;
First PGA TOUR Champions’ Major of Season
Johnson, Day, Spieth, Garcia Headline Field at AT&T Byron Nelson in Texas
Jutanugarn Defends at LPGA’s Kingsmill Championship in Virginia
Web.com Tour in South Carolina for BMW Charity Pro-Am
European Tour in Sicily for Rocco Forte Open
Coming Up… NCAA Division I Women’s Golf Championships
ORLANDO, Fla. (May 17, 2017) – The PGA TOUR Champions will stage its first major of 2017, as Bernhard Langer is set to defend at the Regions Tradition in Alabama. The PGA TOUR shifts to Texas for the AT&T Byron Nelson, where Dustin Johnson, Jason Day, Jordan Spieth and defending champion Sergio Garcia headline the field. Ariya Jutanugarn – No. 3 in the current Rolex Women’s World Rankings – will defend her 2016 title at the Kingsmill Championship in Virginia, while world No. 1 Lydia Ko also is in the field. The Web.com Tour is in South Carolina for the BMW Charity Pro-Am, where professionals will be joined by celebrities, competing across three golf course venues. The European Tour is in Sicily for the Rocco Forte Open, being contested for the first time since 2012. And next week, Golf Channel will begin its comprehensive coverage of the 2017 NCAA Division I Women’s Golf Championships, as 24 teams and 12 individuals convene at Rich Harvest Farms outside of Chicago. Airing Monday-Wednesday, May 22-24 on Golf Channel, the championships will crown both an individual (Monday) and team (Wednesday) national champion.
PGA TOUR CHAMPIONS
Regions Tradition
Dates: May 18-21
Venue: Greystone Golf & Country Club (Founders Course), Birmingham, Ala.
Tournament Airtimes on Golf Channel (Eastern):
Thursday 12:30-3:30 p.m. (Live) / 2:30-5:30 a.m. (Friday replay)
Friday 12:30-3:30 p.m. (Live) / 2:30-5:30 a.m. (Saturday replay)
Saturday 3-5 p.m. (Live) / 2:30-4:30 a.m. (Sunday replay)
Sunday 3-5 p.m. (Live) / 2:30-4:30 a.m. (Monday replay)
Broadcast Notes:
First PGA TOUR Champions major of 2017: The PGA TOUR Champions stages its first major of 2017, and the first of two in as many weeks with the KitchenAid Senior PGA Championship being held next week at Trump National Golf Club in Virginia.
Langer defends: Bernhard Langer distanced himself from the field, winning by six strokes over Olin Browne to claim his sixth major title on the PGA TOUR Champions.
Headlining the field: Bernhard Langer, Vijay Singh, Miguel Angel Jimenez, Colin Montgomerie, John Daly, Steve Stricker, David Toms, Tom Lehman and Mark O’Meara.
Golf Channel Broadcast Team:
Host: Dave Marr
Play by Play: Whit Watson
Analyst: Lanny Wadkins
Tower: John Mahaffey / Arron Oberholser
On-Course: Billy Ray Brown / John Cook
PGA TOUR
AT&T Byron Nelson
Dates: May 18-21
Venue: TPC Four Seasons Las Colinas, Irving, Texas
Tournament Airtimes on Golf Channel (Eastern):
Thursday 4-7 p.m. (Live) / 11:30 p.m.-2:30 a.m. (Replay)
Friday 4-7 p.m. (Live) / 11:30 p.m.-2:30 a.m. (Replay)
Saturday 1-2:30 p.m. (Live) / 10 p.m.-2:30 a.m. (Replay)
Sunday 1-2:30 p.m. (Live) / 10 p.m.-2:30 a.m. (Replay)
Golf Central Pre and Post Round Coverage on Golf Channel (Eastern):
Thursday 3:30-4 p.m. (Live) / 11-11:30 p.m.
Friday 3:30-4 p.m. (Live) / 11-11:30 p.m.
Saturday 12:30-1 p.m. / 2:30-3 p.m. (Live) / 9-10 p.m.
Sunday Noon-1 p.m. / 2:30-3 p.m. (Live) / 9-10 p.m.
Broadcast Notes:
Garcia defends: Sergios Garcia defeated Brooks Koepka with a par on the first playoff hole to claim his ninth PGA TOUR victory.
Headlining the field: Dustin Johnson, Jason Day, Jordan Spieth, Sergio Garcia, Patrick Reed, Brooks Koepka, Matt Kuchar, Louis Oosthuizen, Ian Poulter, Charl Schwartzel and Ernie Els.
Golf Channel Broadcast Team:
Play by Play: Terry Gannon
Analyst: Frank Nobilo
Tower: Curt Byrum
On-Course: Phil Blackmar
Interviews: Damon Hack
LPGA TOUR
Kingsmill Championship
Dates: May 18-21
Venue: Kingsmill Resort (River Course), Williamsburg, Va.
Tournament Airtimes on Golf Channel (Eastern):
Thursday 9-11 p.m. (Tape delay) / 4:30-6:30 p.m. (Streaming on Golf Channel Digital)
Friday 9-11 p.m. (Tape delay) / 4:30-6:30 p.m. (Streaming on Golf Channel Digital)
Saturday 5-7 p.m. (Live)
Sunday 5-7 p.m. (Live)
Broadcast Notes:
Perry to be profiled in “Rookie Spotlight” on Friday: LPGA Tour rookie Katherine Perry will be profiled during Friday’s second round coverage as part of Golf Channel’s “Rookie Spotlight” feature.
Jutanugarn defends: Ariya Jutanugarn finished one shot ahead of Su Oh to earn her second career LPGA Tour win.
Headlining the field: Lydia Ko, So Yeon Ryu, Ariya Jutanugarn, In Gee Chun, Lexi Thompson, Shanshan Feng, Sei Young Kim, Amy Yang, Anna Nordqvist, Cristie Kerr, Brooke Henderson and Mariah Stackhouse.
Golf Channel Broadcast Team:
Play by Play: Tom Abbott
Analyst: Kay Cockerill (Thursday-Friday) / Judy Rankin (Saturday-Sunday)
Tower: Jim Gallagher Jr.
On-Course: Jerry Foltz / Kay Cockerill (Saturday-Sunday)
WEB.COM TOUR
BMW Charity Pro-Am
Dates: May 18-21
Venues: Thornblade Club; The Preserve at Verdae; Furman Golf Club, Greenville, S.C.
Tournament Airtimes on Golf Channel (Eastern):
Thursday 7-9 p.m. (Tape delay) / 2-4 p.m. (Streaming on Golf Channel Digital)
Friday 7-9 p.m. (Tape delay) / 2-4 p.m. (Streaming on Golf Channel Digital)
Saturday 7-9 p.m. (Tape delay) / 2:30-4:30 p.m. (Streaming on Golf Channel Digital)
Sunday 7-9 p.m. (Tape delay) / 4-6 p.m. (Streaming on Golf Channel Digital)
Broadcast Notes:
Headlining the field: Matt Atkins, Jonathan Byrd, Erik Compton, Robert Gamez, Andrew Landry, Shaun Micheel, Rob Oppenheim, Andrew Putnam, Cameron Wilson and Aaron Wise.
Notable Celebrities in the field: Colt Ford, Chipper Jones, Alfonso Ribeiro, Aaron Rodgers, Tim Wakefield, John O’Hurley, Larry the Cable Guy, Andy Buckley and Dan Jansen.
Golf Channel Broadcast Team:
Play by Play: Grant Boone
Analyst: Craig Perks
Tower: Steve Burkowski
On-Course: Tripp Isenhour / Gary Christian
EUROPEAN TOUR
Rocco Forte Open
Dates: May 18-21
Venue: Verdura Resort (Championship Course), Sciacca, Sicily
Tournament Airtimes on Golf Channel (Eastern):
Thursday 5:30-7:30 a.m. / 9:30 a.m.-12:30 p.m. (Live)
Friday 5:30-7:30 a.m. / 9:30 a.m.-12:30 p.m. (Live)
Saturday 8 a.m.-12:30 p.m. (Live)
Sunday 5-9:30 a.m. (Live)
Broadcast Notes:
Event returns for first time since 2012: This week marks the first time that this event will be staged since 2012, and will be the third edition overall of the Rocco Forte Open.
Headlining the field: Thomas Bjorn, Trevor Immelman, Matteo Manassero, Edoardi Molinari and Mike Weir.
Golf Channel Broadcast Team:
Host: Mike Ritz
Play by Play: Warren Humphreys
Analyst: Julian Tutt
On-Course: Gary Murphy
COMING UP…
NCAA Division I Women’s Golf Championships
Dates: May 22-24
Venue: Rich Harvest Farms, Sugar Grove, Ill.
Tournament Airtimes on Golf Channel (Eastern):
Monday 4-8 p.m. (Live, Individual National Championship)
Tuesday 11 a.m.-1:30 p.m. (Live, Team Match Play Quarterfinals)
4-8 p.m. (Live, Team Match Play Semifinals)
Wednesday 4-8 p.m. (Live, Team Match Play National Championship)
Broadcast Notes:
Teams (24): Alabama, Arizona State, Baylor, California, Clemson, Duke, Florida, Florida State, Furman, Kent State, Miami (Fla.), Michigan, Michigan State, North Carolina, Northwestern, Ohio State, Oregon, Pepperdine, Purdue, South Carolina, Southern California, Stanford, Texas, Texas Tech.
Individuals (12): Martina Edelberg (Cal State Fullerton); Bianca Pagdanganan (Gonzaga); Nadine White (Campbell); Jennifer Kupcho (Wake Forest); Laura Fuenfstueck (College of Charleston); Maya Walton (Princeton); Cara Gorlei (Arkansas); Camila Serrano (Florida International Univ.); Maddie Szeryk (Texas A&M); Julienne Soo (Oklahoma); Alex White (Brigham Young); Susie Cavanagh (Oregon State).
Format: Hosted by Northern Illinois University at Rich Harvest Farms, the 2017 NCAA Women’s Golf Championships will feature teams and student-athletes who advanced from the NCAA Regional Championships. Competing in an individual stroke-play format over 72 holes Friday-Monday, May 19-22, the top eight teams will advance to the team match-play tournament Tuesday and Wednesday, May 23-24. Two national championships – individual and team – will be decided over the three day span, May 22-24.
Coverage: Golf Channel’s live tournament coverage of the women’s championships will begin on Monday, May 22 to crown the individual national champion, as well as to track the teams attempting to qualify for the eight-team match-play tournament. Golf Channel’s coverage also will include all three rounds of the team match-play tournament on Tuesday, May 23 and Wednesday, May 24.
Golf Channel Broadcast Team:
Play by Play: Bob Papa
Analyst: Karen Stupples / Steve Burkowski
Tower: Curt Byrum
On-Course: Billy Ray Brown / Kay Cockerill / Gail Graham
Golf Central On-Site Broadcast Team:
Host: Lisa Cornwell
Analyst: Paige Mackenzie / Amanda Blumenherst
Reporter: Chantel McCabe
-NBC Sports Group-
