FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Tuesday, October 10th, 2017

GOLF CHANNEL TOURNAMENT AIRTIMES & NOTES (OCT. 12-15): CIMB CLASSIC; SAS CHAMPIONSHIP; ITALIAN OPEN; KEB HANA BANK CHAMPIONSHIP

Thomas Looks to Win CIMB Classic for Third Straight Year after Recently
Being Named PGA TOUR Player of Year; Live Coverage Airing in Primetime 

Final Opportunity to Qualify for Charles Schwab Cup Playoffs at SAS
Championship in North Carolina; “Wild Card Weekend” On the Line

Garcia, Rahm Lead Field at European Tour’s Italian Open 

LPGA in South Korea for KEB Hana Bank Championship

 

ORLANDO, Fla. (October 10, 2017) – Justin Thomas – recently named 2017 PGA TOUR Player of the Year – headlines the field at the CIMB Classic in Malaysia, looking to win the event for the third consecutive year. The PGA TOUR Champions are in North Carolina for the final regular season event at the SAS Championship before the Tour begins the first of three Charles Schwab Cup Playoff events next week featuring the leading 72 players on the regular season money list at week’s end. The SAS Championship also will allow one additional player entry into the Playoffs outside of the top-72 on the money list if he finishes in the top-10 this week. On the European Tour, Sergio Garcia and Jon Rahm headline the field at the Italian Open, a Rolex Series event. The LPGA Tour’s Asia swing gets underway this week as Lexi Thompson, Brooke Henderson and Michelle Wie lead the field at the KEB Hana Bank Championship in South Korea.

PGA TOUR

CIMB Classic
Dates: Oct. 12-15
Venue: TPC Kuala Lumpur (West Course), Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia

Tournament Airtimes on Golf Channel (Eastern)
Wednesday     10:30 p.m.-2:30 a.m. (Live) / 4:30-8:30 p.m. (Thursday replay)
Thursday         10:30 p.m.-2:30 a.m. (Live) / 5:30-8:30 p.m. (Friday replay)
Friday              11 p.m.-3 a.m. (Live) / 5:30-8:30 p.m. (Saturday replay)
Saturday          11 p.m.-3 a.m. (Live) / 6-10 p.m. (Sunday replay)

Broadcast Notes:
Limited field event: The 78-man field features five of the top-20 players in the world in Hideki Matsuyama, Justin Thomas, Paul Casey, Rafa Cabrera-Bello and Louis Oosthuizen. The 72-hole event also features no cut.
Thomas defends: Justin Thomas defended his 2015 title last year, earning his first of his five wins in the 2016-17 season. Thomas will looks to earn a third straight victory at the event this week.
Headlining the field: Hideki Matsuyama, Justin Thomas, Paul Casey, Rafa Cabrera-Bello, Louis Oosthuizen, Branden Grace, Adam Hadwin, Xander Schauffele and Si Woo Kim.

Golf Channel Broadcast Team
Play by Play: Rich Lerner
Analyst: Frank Nobilo
Tower: Phil Blackmar
On Course: Arron Oberholser

PGA TOUR CHAMPIONS

SAS Championship
Dates: Oct. 12-15
Venue: Prestonwood Country Club, Cary, N.C.

Tournament Airtimes on Golf Channel (Eastern):
Friday              2:30-5 p.m. (Live) / 3-5 a.m. (Saturday replay)
Saturday          2:30-5 p.m. (Live) / 3-5 a.m. (Sunday replay)
Sunday            2:30-5 p.m. (Live) / Midnight-2 a.m. (Monday replay)

Broadcast notes:
Final regular season event: The SAS Championship is the final regular season event of the 2017 season. The leading 72 players on the money list at week’s end will advance to the three-event Charles Schwab Cup Playoffs.
“Wildcard weekend”: A player who finishes outside of the top-72 on the money list yet finishes inside the top-10 at the SAS Championship would earn themselves a spot in the Playoffs.
Garwood defends: Doug Garwood finished four shots ahead of Bernhard Langer to claim his first career PGA TOUR Champions victory.
Headlining the field: Bernhard Langer, Scott McCarron, Colin Montgomerie, Vijay Singh, Kenny Perry, Kevin Sutherland, Paul Goydos, Jerry Kelly, David Toms and John Daly.

Golf Channel Broadcast Team
Play by Play: Whit Watson
Analyst: Lanny Wadkins
Tower: John Mahaffey
On Course: Billy Ray Brown

EUROPEAN TOUR

Italian Open
Date: Oct. 12-15
Venue: Golf Club Milano, Parco Reale di Monzo, Italy

Tournament Airtimes on Golf Channel (Eastern)
Thursday         4 a.m.-Noon (Live)
Friday              4 a.m.-Noon (Live)
Saturday          6:30-11:30 a.m. (Live)
Sunday            6:30-11:30 a.m. (Live)

Broadcast notes:
Molinari defends: Francesco Molinari looks to defend in his home country of Italy. He became the first Italian to win his national open twice since the event’s inception in 1972.
Headlining the field: Jon Rahm, Sergio Garcia, Alex Noren, Tommy Fleetwood, Francesco Molinari, Tyrrell Hatton, Matthew Fitzpatrick and Danny Willett.

Golf Channel Broadcast Team
Host: Scott Walker
Play by Play: Dominik Holyer
Analyst: Warren Humphreys
Tower: Dale Hayes / Tony Johnstone
On Course: Julian Tutt

LPGA TOUR

LPGA KEB Hana Bank Championship
Dates: Oct. 12-15
Venue: Sky 72 Golf Club (Ocean Course), Incheon, South Korea

Tournament Airtimes on Golf Channel (Eastern)
Thursday         Noon-4 p.m. (Tape delay) / 8:30-10 p.m. (Replay)
Friday              Noon-2:30 p.m. (Tape delay) / 8:30-10:30 p.m. (Replay)
Saturday          11:30 a.m.-2:30 p.m. (Tape delay) / 8:30-10:30 p.m. (Replay)
Sunday            11:30 a.m.-2:30 p.m. (Tape delay) / 10 p.m.-Midnight (Replay)

Broadcast notes:
Ciganda defends: Carlota Ciganda outlasted Alison Lee on the first playoff hole to earn her first LPGA Tour win.
Headlining the field: So Yeon Ryu, Sung Hyun Park, Lexi Thompson, Brooke Henderson, Michelle Wie, Ariya Jutanugarn, Anna Nordqvist, Brittany Lincicome and Cristie Kerr.

Golf Channel Broadcast Team
Play by Play: Peter Donegan
Analyst: Sandra MacKenzie
On Course: Karen Stupples

 

-NBC Sports Group-