FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Wednesday, March 4th, 2020
NBC SPORTS GROUP TOURNAMENT AIRTIMES & NOTES (March 5-8)
McIlroy, Koepka Lead Field at Arnold Palmer Invitational presented by Mastercard; Live Tournament Coverage Airing on GOLF Channel, NBC
Triplett Defends at Hoag Classic in Southern California, with Live Coverage Airing Friday-Sunday on GOLF Channel
Kaymer Headlines the Field on European Tour at Qatar Masters
ORLANDO, Fla. (March 3, 2020) – The PGA TOUR is in Central Florida for the Arnold Palmer Invitational presented by Mastercard, with world Nos. 1 and 3 leading the field in Rory McIlroy and Brooks Koepka. Nearly 20 hours of live tournament coverage will air Thursday-Sunday across GOLF Channel and NBC. Golf Central also will originate live from on-site at Bay Hill Club & Lodge throughout the week, leading into and immediately following live tournament coverage. The PGA TOUR Champions are in Southern California this week for the Hoag Classic, where Kirk Triplett will defend amongst a field that includes Bernhard Langer, Fred Couples, Scott Parel and Brett Quigley. On the European Tour, Martin Kaymer leads the field at the Qatar Masters.
PGA TOUR
Arnold Palmer Invitational presented by Mastercard
Dates: March 5-8
Venue: Bay Hill Club & Lodge, Orlando, Fla.
Tournament Airtimes on GOLF Channel (Eastern):
Thursday 2-6 p.m. (Live) / 7-11 p.m. (Replay)
Friday 2-6 p.m. (Live) / 8:30 p.m.-12:30 a.m. (Replay)
Saturday 12:30-2:30 p.m. (Live) / 9 p.m.-2 a.m. (Replay)
Sunday 12:30-2:30 p.m. (Live) / 9 p.m.-2 a.m. (Replay)
Tournament Airtimes on NBC (Eastern):
Saturday 2:30-6 p.m. (Live)
Sunday 2:30-6 p.m. (Live)
Golf Central Airtimes on GOLF Channel (Eastern):
Thursday Noon-2 p.m. / 6-7 p.m. (Live)
Friday Noon-2 p.m. (Live) / 8-8:30 p.m.
Saturday 10:30 a.m.-12:30 p.m. (Live) / 8-9 p.m.
Sunday 10:30 a.m.-12:30 p.m. (Live) / 8-9 p.m.
PGA TOUR LIVE on NBC Sports Gold (Eastern):
Thursday 7 a.m.-2 p.m. (Featured Groups)
• Rory McIlroy/Francesco Molinari/Justin Rose (7:54 a.m. ET)
• Jason Day/Brooks Koepka/Adam Scott (8:06 a.m. ET)
Friday 7 a.m.-2 p.m. (Featured Groups)
• Bryson DeChambeau/Phil Mickelson/Patrick Reed (8:06 a.m. ET)
• Second group to be voted on via “Fan Vote Friday” Twitter poll
Broadcast Notes:
Golf Central originating from Bay Hill throughout the week: GOLF Channel’s Golf Central news coverage will originate from on-site at Bay Hill Club & Lodge throughout the week, featuring live news and analysis prior to and immediately following live tournament coverage Thursday-Sunday.
Arnold Palmer Invitational opening ceremony airing live at 11 a.m. ET on Wednesday: For the fourth consecutive year, GOLF Channel will provide live coverage of the Arnold Palmer Invitational opening ceremony, where TOUR players in the field will convene to honor Arnold Palmer’s legacy. Live coverage of the ceremony will air at 11 a.m. ET on Wednesday as part of a Golf Central special.
Three spots available in the field at The Open: For the second consecutive year, the tournament is being staged as part of The Open Qualifying Series, with the top-three finishers (inside the top-10) not previously qualified earning an exemption into the field at The Open in July at Royal St George’s in England.
Molinari defends: Francesco Molinari finished two shots ahead of Matthew Fitzpatrick to capture his third PGA TOUR victory in 10 months.
Headlining the field: Rory McIlroy, Brooks Koepka, Adam Scott, Patrick Reed, Tommy Fleetwood, Xander Schauffele, Justin Rose, Bryson DeChambeau, Tony Finau and Hideki Matsuyama.
NBC Sports Broadcast Team:
Play by Play: Dan Hicks / Steve Sands
Analyst: Paul Azinger / Peter Jacobsen
Tower: Gary Koch / David Feherty
On-Course: Roger Maltbie / Notah Begay / Jim “Bones” Mackay
Interviews: Steve Sands / Steve Burkowski
Essays: Jimmy Roberts
Golf Central Broadcast Team:
Host: Rich Lerner / Ryan Burr / Cara Banks / Gary Williams
Analyst: Brandel Chamblee / Mark Rolfing / Notah Begay / Trevor Immelman / Tripp Isenhour
Reporter: Todd Lewis / Steve Burkowski
Insider: Jaime Diaz
PGA TOUR CHAMPIONS
Hoag Classic
Dates: March 6-8
Venue: Newport Beach Country Club, Newport Beach, Calif.
Tournament Airtimes on GOLF Channel (Eastern):
Friday 6-8 p.m. (Live) / 12:30-2:30 a.m. (Saturday replay)
Saturday 5:30-8 p.m. (Live) / 3-5 a.m. (Sunday replay)
Sunday 5:30-8 p.m. (Live) / 2-4 a.m. (Monday replay)
Broadcast Notes:
Triplett defends: Kirk Triplett defeated Woody Austin with an eagle on the second playoff hole to earn his seventh PGA TOUR Champions win.
Headlining the field: Bernhard Langer, Fred Couples, Scott Parel, Brett Quigley, Miguel Angel Jimenez, Ernie Els, Retief Goosen, David Toms, Tom Lehman, Mark O’Meara and Jose Maria Olazabal.
GOLF Channel Broadcast Team:
Play by Play: Bob Papa
Analyst: Lanny Wadkins
On-Course: Billy Ray Brown / Phil Blackmar
EUROPEAN TOUR
Qatar Masters
Dates: March 5-8
Venue: Education City Golf Club, Doha, Qatar
Tournament Airtimes on GOLF Channel (Eastern):
Thursday 2:30-4:30 a.m. / 6-9 a.m. (Live)
Friday 2:30-4:30 a.m. / 6-9 a.m. (Live)
Saturday 4-8:30 a.m. (Live)
Sunday 5-9:30 a.m. (Live)
Broadcast Notes:
Harding defends: Justin Harding finished two shots clear of the field to win for the first time on the European Tour.
Headlining the field: Martin Kaymer, Justin Harding, Haotong Li, Matthias Schwab, Jorge Campillo, Eddie Pepperell, Wu Ashun, Joost Luiten, Alexander Levy and Shubhankar Sharma.
GOLF Channel Broadcast Team:
Play by Play: Dominik Holyer
Analyst: Andrew Coltart / Richard Boxall
On-Course: Tim Barter / Anthony Wall
Interviews: Shane O’Donoghue
-NBC Sports Group-
