FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Tuesday, September 5th, 2017
GOLF CHANNEL TOURNAMENT AIRTIMES & NOTES (SEPT. 5-10: VOLVIK WORLD LONG DRIVE CHAMPIONSHIP; INDY WOMEN IN TECH CHAMPIONSHIP; JAPAN AIRLINES CHAMPIONSHIP; OMEGA EUROPEAN MASTERS
Longest Hitters in Golf Convene Under the Lights at Volvik World Long
Drive Championship, Tonight & Tomorrow in Primetime on Golf Channel
Ko, Henderson, Thompson Headline at Indy Women in Tech Championship
PGA TOUR Champions Stage First-Ever Sanctioned Event in Japan
Noren Leads Field in Title Defense at Omega European Masters
ORLANDO, Fla. (Sept. 5, 2017) – Sixteen of the longest men in golf will convene tonight under the lights for the 2017 Volvik World Long Drive Championship, airing live and in primetime beginning at 9 p.m. ET on Golf Channel. Seven of the top-10 in the World Long Drive rankings will be on display, including two-time World Champion Tim Burke and defending champion Joe Miller. The action continues tomorrow night, where the Open (Men’s) Division and Women’s Division each will crown a World Champion. The LPGA Tour will stage the inaugural, 54-hole Indy Women in Tech Championship in Indiana, where Lydia Ko, Brooke Henderson and Lexi Thompson headline the field as they prepare for next week’s final major of the LPGA Tour season. The PGA TOUR Champions for the first time will host a sanctioned event in Japan, with the Japan Airlines Championship at Narita Golf Club. World No. 11 Alex Noren will defend his 2016 title at the Omega European Masters, alongside Race to Dubai leader Tommy Fleetwood.
WORLD LONG DRIVE ASSOCIATION
Volvik World Long Drive Championship
Dates: Sept. 5-6
Venue: WinStar World Casino and Resort, Thackerville, Okla.
Tournament Airtimes on Golf Channel (Eastern):
Tuesday 9-11 p.m. (Live) / 11 p.m.-1 a.m. (Replay)
Wednesday 9-11 p.m. (Live) / 11 p.m.-1 a.m. (Replay)
Broadcast Notes:
Open Division Round of 16 matches: (1) Ryan Reisbeck vs. (16) Wes Patterson; (8) Kevin Shook vs. (9) Mitch Grassing; (4) Tim Burke vs. (13) Stephen Kois; (5) Trent Scruggs vs. (12) Kyle Berkshire; (2) Justin James vs. (15) Bobby Bradley; (7) Paul Howell vs. (10) Steve Monroe; (3) Will Hogue vs. (14) Josh Cassaday; (6) Joe Miller vs. (11) Nick Kiefer.
Women’s Division Semifinals (Wednesday night): Sandra Carlborg (Alingsas, Sweden) vs. Alexis Belton (Ruston, La.); Phillis Meti (Auckland, New Zealand) vs. Heather Manfredda (League City, Texas)
Miller, Meti defend: Joe Miller (Open Division) and Phillis Meti (Women’s Division) look to defend their 2016 titles.
Golf Central On-Site: Golf Central will preview live event coverage both nights, with a special one hour pre-game show dedicated to analyzing the matchups along with interviews with those in the field preparing to compete.
Format: Beginning with the Round of 16 tonight, the Open Division will be contested through a single-elimination bracket, narrowing to the quarterfinals, semifinals and finals to ultimately determine a winner during Wednesday night’s telecast. The Women’s Division also will use a single-elimination match play format for the semifinals and finals on Wednesday.
A first for Women’s Division: For the first time, the Women’s Division at the Volvik World Long Drive Championship will be showcased live and in primetime on television.
New team format: Tonight’s telecast also will introduce a new team format, with the top-four in the Women’s Division having advanced earlier in the day to compete in Wednesday night’s semifinals being paired with the four highest-ranked men in the Open Division not having advanced from the Round of 32: Sandra Carlborg/Jeff Flagg; Phillis Meti/Maurice Allen; Alexis Belton/Tommy Hug and Heather Manfredda/Jason Eslinger. The four, two-person “mixed” teams will face off in a match play bracket format that will use the aggregate yardage of each team member’s longest drive in the set versus that of their opponent’s aggregate yardage.
The purse: A $270,000 purse will be paid out among those advancing to the Round of 16 in the Open Division, with the winner receiving $125,000. In the Women’s Division, those advancing to the quarterfinals will earn a portion of the $40,000 purse, with the winner receiving $20,000: (Open: 1st – $125,000; 2nd – $50,000; 3rd/4th – $19,500; 5th-8th – $7,000; 9th-16th – $3,500; Women’s: 1st – $20,000; 2nd – $8,000; 3rd/4th – $3,000; 5th-8th – $1,500).
Golf Channel Broadcast Team:
Play by Play: Bob Papa
Analysts: Michael Breed / Art Sellinger
Interviews: Jerry Foltz
Reporter: Chantel McCabe (Golf Central)
LPGA TOUR
Indy Women in Tech Championship
Dates: Sept. 7-9
Venue: Brickyard Crossing Country Club, Indianapolis, Ind.
Tournament Airtimes on Golf Channel (Eastern):
Thursday 3-6 p.m. (Live) / 8:30-10 p.m. (Replay)
Friday 3-6 p.m. (Live) / 9 p.m.-Midnight (Replay)
Saturday 12:30-3:30 p.m. (Live) / 9 p.m.-Midnight (Replay)
Broadcast Notes:
Inaugural event: This is the inaugural event for the Indy Women in Tech Championship, which will be contested as a Thursday-Saturday, 54-hole event.
“Caddie Knows Best” with Me Reid: European Ryder Cup member Mel Reid and her caddie will be featured in “Caddie Knows Best” during Thursday’s opening round coverage, where Mel will try match answers to questions posed to her caddie about her interests and habits on Tour.
Rookie feature: A rookie feature will air Friday about former Stanford standout Mariah Stackhouse.
Headlining the field: Lydia Ko, Brooke Henderson, Lexi Thompson, Na Yeon Choi, Stacy Lewis, Anna Nordqvist and Cheyenne Woods.
Golf Channel Broadcast Team:
Play-by-Play: Tom Abbott
Analyst: Karen Stupples
Tower: Jim Gallagher, Jr.
On-Course: Jerry Foltz / Kay Cockerill
PGA TOUR CHAMPIONS
Japan Airlines Championship
Dates: Sept. 8-10
Venue: Narita Golf Club, Narita, Japan
Tournament Airtimes on Golf Channel (Eastern):
Thursday 10 p.m.-12:30 a.m. (Live) / 6:30-9 p.m. (Friday Replay)
Saturday 12:30-3 a.m. (Live) / 6:30-9 p.m. (Replay)
Sunday 12:30-3 a.m. (Live) / 6:30-9 p.m. (Replay)
Broadcast Notes:
First TOUR-event in Japan: This marks the first time that the PGA TOUR Champions have staged a sanctioned event in Japan.
Headlining the field: John Daly, Lee Janzen, Scott McCarron, Colin Montgomerie, Mark O’Meara, Corey Pavin, David Toms and Tom Watson.
Golf Channel Broadcast Team:
Play by Play: Whit Watson
Analyst: Lanny Wadkins
Tower: John Mahaffey
On-Course: Billy Ray Brown
EUROPEAN TOUR
Omega European Masters
Dates: Sept. 7-10
Venue: Crans-sur-Sierre Golf Club, Crans Montana, Switzerland
Tournament Airtimes on Golf Channel (Eastern):
Thursday 5:30-7:30 a.m. (Live) / 9:30 a.m.-12:30 p.m. (Live)
Friday 5:30-7:30 a.m. (Live) / 9:30 a.m.-12:30 p.m. (Live)
Saturday 7:30 a.m.-Noon (Live) / 4-6 p.m. (Replay)
Sunday 6-11 a.m. (Live) / Noon-2 p.m. (Replay)
Broadcast Notes:
Noren defends: World No. 11 Alex Noren looks to defend his title, where he claimed his second victory of the season.
Headlining the field: Alex Noren, Tommy Fleetwood, Lee Westwood, Luke Donald, Matthew Fitzpatrick and Miguel Angel Jimenez.
Golf Channel Broadcast Team:
Studio: Jay Townsend
Play-by-Play: Dougie Donnelly
Analyst: Warren Humphreys / Ken Brown
On-Course: Julian Tutt
-NBC Sports Group-
