FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Tuesday, August 20th, 2019
FEDEXCUP PLAYOFFS CONCLUDE THIS WEEK WITH DEBUT OF NEW FORMAT AT TOUR CHAMPIONSHIP; WEEKLONG COVERAGE ACROSS NBC SPORTS
$15 Million on the Line for the 2019 FedExCup Champion
GOLF Films’ The Legend of East Lake Premieres Tonight at 10 p.m. ET
Trailer: GOLF Films’ The Legend of East Lake
ORLANDO, Fla. (Aug. 19, 2019) – Beginning today, NBC Sports kicks off weeklong comprehensive coverage surrounding the culminating event of the PGA TOUR’s FedExCup Playoffs, the TOUR Championship. Taking place at historic East Lake Golf Club in Atlanta, the TOUR Championship is being contested for the first time in the month of August, with $15 million on the line for the winner.
Following Justin Thomas’ victory on Sunday at the BMW Championship, the top-30 in the FedExCup Playoffs standings advance to East Lake for the TOUR Championship. GOLF Channel and NBC will combine to air more than 20 hours of live tournament coverage of the TOUR Championship Thursday-Sunday. Complementing NBC Sports’ linear live tournament coverage of the Playoffs, PGA TOUR LIVE coverage on NBC Sports Gold Thursday and Friday morning will lead into live coverage on GOLF Channel (1-6 p.m. ET). GOLF Channel and NBC will combine to air six hours of live coverage on both Saturday and Sunday (Aug. 24-25).
NBC SPORTS BROADCAST TEAM: Dan Hicks and Paul Azinger will anchor GOLF Channel and NBC’s coverage in the broadcast booth Thursday-Sunday, rotating with Terry Gannon and Justin Leonard. David Feherty, Gary Koch, Jimmy Roberts and Steve Sands will report from tower positions, with Notah Begay, Jim “Bones” Mackay and Roger Maltbie reporting from the course. Sands will conduct post-round interviews when not in the tower, and Jimmy Roberts will contribute with essays and features. Mike Tirico joins the team as host for all four rounds of coverage.
Preceding and surrounding live coverage, GOLF Channel and GOLF Channel Digital will deliver comprehensive coverage of TOUR Championship week highlighted by wraparound news coverage, premieres and special presentations.
2017 TOUR CHAMPIONSHIP WINNER XANDER SCHAUFFELE JOINS FEHERTY, TONIGHT, 9 P.M. ET: Four-time PGA TOUR winner Xander Schauffele joins David Feherty on his self-titled, Emmy nominated series Feherty, tonight at 9 p.m. ET. The interview with the 2017 PGA TOUR Rookie of the Year centers around a number of subjects, including his relationship with his father (also his swing coach); becoming the first PGA TOUR rookie to win the TOUR Championship in 2017; his runner-up finishes at the 2018 Open and 2019 Masters; his wins at The Greenbrier and the Sentry Tournament of Champions and reflecting on his year spent on the Korn Ferry TOUR.
THE LEGEND OF EAST LAKE, TONIGHT AT 10 P.M. ET; WEDNESDAY, 8 P.M. ET: Tonight at 10 p.m. ET, and Wednesday at 8 p.m. ET, GOLF Films will premiere its latest project, The Legend of East Lake, chronicling the storied history of East Lake Golf Club – from its beginnings in the early 1900s to its revitalization in the last 20 years – along with the life and career of Bobby Jones, East Lake Golf Club’s most legendary member. The film features interviews with Jones’ family, Atlanta historians, longtime East Lake Golf Club members and real estate developer Tom Cousins, founder of the East Lake Foundation and the man behind the revitalization of East Lake Golf Club, the East Lake Community and its impact on similar communities throughout the United States. The film also will take a look back to Tiger Woods’ historic win at the 2018 TOUR Championship.
PAYNE STEWART AWARD CEREMONY, TUESDAY AT 7 P.M. ET: Hosted by NBC Sports’ Dan Hicks and taking place at the Southern Exchange in Atlanta, GOLF Channel will televise the Payne Stewart Award ceremony live, from 7-8 p.m. ET as a Golf Central Special. World Golf Hall of Fame member Hale Irwin is the 2019 honoree of the Payne Stewart Award presented by Southern Company in acknowledgement of his exceptional character, sportsmanship and unwavering commitment to charitable impact. The Payne Stewart Award is presented annually by the PGA TOUR to a professional golfer who best exemplifies Stewart’s steadfast values of character, charity and sportsmanship. Todd Lewis will host GOLF Channel’s coverage of the ceremony from Atlanta, with NBC Sports’ Dan Hicks emceeing the ceremony. From 6-7 p.m. ET on Tuesday, GOLF Channel will conduct multiple live interviews within Golf Central in previewing the ceremony. GOLF Channel also will air an updated version of the Emmy-nominated GOLF Film Payne (2014) Tuesday at 3 p.m. ET, focusing on how the late Stewart’s charismatic spirit is being passed down to future generations of professionals.
VANTAGE POINT WITH MIKE TIRICO, WEDNESDAY AT 9 P.M. ET: A new episode of Vantage Point with Mike Tirico will air live at 9 p.m. ET on Wednesday originating from East Lake Golf Club on-site at the TOUR Championship. The roundtable style show hosted by Tirico will preview the storylines on the eve of the TOUR Championship and will feature panel discussions reflecting on the first year of golf’s newly enhanced schedule and discussing the current state of the game. Panelists joining Tirico for Vantage Point include Azinger, Hicks, Leonard and Sands.
GOLF CHANNEL AND SKY SPORTS COLLABORATE FOR ON THE RANGE: GOLF Channel and Sky Sports are teaming up for collaborative news coverage of the TOUR Championship with a special edition of On The Range, airing live both in the U.S. and live on Sky in the U.K. Hosted by GOLF Channel’s Todd Lewis and Sky Sports’ Sarah Stirk, On the Range airs Wednesday at 2:30 p.m. ET for 90 minutes leading into an hour-long Golf Central at 4 p.m. ET.
COMPREHENSIVE NEWS COVERAGE: Golf Channel’s news programs, Golf Central and Morning Drive, will provide comprehensive wraparound news coverage of the TOUR Championship with interviews, highlights, on-site reports and features. Lewis will report on-site throughout the week at the TOUR Championship. In-studio pre-and-post round coverage (Thursday-Sunday) will feature analysis from Brandel Chamblee and Mark Rolfing.
DIGITAL AND SOCIAL MEDIA COVERAGE: GOLF Channel Digital will have comprehensive editorial coverage of the FedExCup Playoffs with columns and daily blogs. Rex Hoggard will report on-site at the TOUR Championship.
GOLF Channel’s social media platforms – Twitter, Facebook and Instagram – will provide expanded social coverage surrounding the final stretch of the season, beginning Monday in Atlanta with GOLF Channel social media host Alexandra O’Laughlin on-site at the TOUR Championship’s kick-off event, Tee-It-UP ATL, taking place at the College Football Hall-of-Fame.
GOLF Channel and NBC also will integrate social media content throughout its live tournament telecasts, incorporating social media posts from players and fans. News and tournament action surrounding the FedExCup Playoffs can be accessed at any time on any mobile device and online via GOLF Channel Digital. Fans also can stream NBC Sports’ coverage of live golf via NBC Sports.com and the NBC Sports App.
GOLF CHANNEL DIGITAL PROJECT: TIGER WOODS, “THE COMEBACK”: GOLF Channel Digital’s team of writers examined what it took for Tiger Woods to get back to a place where he could win again, both at the TOUR Championship and at the Masters. The comprehensive stories will post simultaneously on Tuesday online at www.GolfChannel.com/TheComeback.
- The personal comeback from humiliation and shame. (Jaime Diaz)
- The public comeback to attain acceptance and eventual adoration. (Randall Mell)
- The comeback from injuries and physical pain. (Rex Hoggard)
- The comeback to becoming a champion, against a younger, bolder breed of player he inspired. Will Gray)
- The comeback from the loss of his most precious competitive commodity: Fear. (Ryan Lavner)
NBC SPORTS’ TOUR CHAMPIONSHIP TOURNAMENT COVERAGE (ET):
TOUR Championship (Aug. 22-25)
Thursday, Aug. 22 11:30 a.m.-1 p.m. (Featured Groups) PGA TOUR LIVE
1-6 p.m. (Live) GOLF Channel
Friday, Aug. 23 11:30 a.m.-1 p.m. (Featured Groups) PGA TOUR LIVE
1-6 p.m. (Live) GOLF Channel
Saturday, Aug. 24 1-2:30 p.m. (Live) GOLF Channel
2:30-7 p.m. (Live) NBC
Sunday, Aug. 25 Noon-1:30 p.m. (Live) GOLF Channel
1:30-6 p.m. (Live) NBC
-NBC Sports Group-
