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Tim Tebow Joins ‘Feherty Live’ From The Super Bowl Saturday At 10 P.M. On Golf Channel

admin — Fri, 03 Feb 2012 19:41:15 +0000

NBC’s Golf Channel Brings the Wit and Irreverence of

David Feherty to Super Bowl Week for Live Stage Performance

‘Feherty Live’ Takes Place Friday, Feb. 3, at Indianapolis Repertory Theater; Performance Also to be Produced as TV Special to Air on Golf Channel Saturday, Feb. 4, at 10 p.m. ET

Tebow Joins Famed Golfer and Indiana Native Fuzzy Zoeller, Along with Football Greats Joe Theismann and Steve Mariucci

Singer-Songwriter Josh Kelly also to Perform

EDITOR’S NOTE: “Feherty Live” will take place at the Indiana Repertory Theater at 7 p.m. local time. There will be a reception preceding the show with food and beverage from 5:30-6:30 p.m. Media are invited to attend. Please RSVP to Katie Schilling, kschilling@golfchannel.com or 407-355-4591, for directions and details.

ORLANDO, Fla. (Feb. 2, 2012) – Tim Tebow, quarterback of the Denver Broncos and the source of “Tebow-mania” that swept the country during the recent NFL season, has been added to the guest list for Feherty Live this week at the Super Bowl. The stage show, which will be taped Friday before a live audience at the Indianapolis Repertory Theater during Super bowl XLVI week in Indianapolis, will air Saturday at 10 p.m. ET on Golf Channel.

Tebow is the latest celebrity guest to join in on the off-beat humor and compelling interviews which have become the trademark of golf funnyman David Feherty’s self-titled Golf Channel series. Also celebrating the super week with Feherty on stage will be one of golf’s all-time characters and Indiana native Fuzzy Zoeller, Super Bowl-winning quarterback and current NFL Network analyst Joe Theismann, and former NFL coach and NFL Network analyst Steve Mariucci.

A college football superstar, Tebow continues to be the subject of media frenzies for his part in resurrecting the Broncos this past season and leading the team to its first playoff appearance in six years. The feat made him a worldwide sensation and an iconic personality that transcends the sport. In addition to great conversation with the featured guests, Feherty Live also will include taped features of Feherty roaming Indianapolis and taking in the entire Super Bowl atmosphere – including Media Day with the New York Giants and New England Patriots, and candid conversation with fans.

Feherty, whose critically acclaimed Golf Channel series has been described as “a cross between Oprah Winfrey and Johnny Carson” by The New York Times, has been dubbed “one of the funniest men in the game” by Yahoo! Sports. The second season of Feherty premieres Feb. 27 at 10 p.m. ET on Golf Channel.

MCA recording artist and country singer-songwriter Josh Kelley will be the musical guest and will entertain the audience throughout Feherty Live. Kelley is best known for the top-5 hit “Amazing,” but his music has been incorporated into TV shows, such as MTV’s The Hills, ABC’s Brothers and Sisters and CW’s Smallville. Kelley is having success in Nashville with his hit “Georgia Clay” from his debut country album. He’s also an avid golfer who played golf at the University of Mississippi – where he was a roommate with Eli Manning – and remains a single-digit handicap.

GOLF Channel Hit Series ‘Feherty’ Expands To One Hour For Second Season Beginning Feb. 27

admin — Fri, 27 Jan 2012 18:16:14 +0000

Special ‘Feherty Live’ Show from Super Bowl XLVI to Air on Sat., Feb. 4

‘Feherty’ Teams With New Season of ‘The Haney Project’ for All-New Monday Nights on Golf Channel

“Feherty has been a definite success. He’s been able to bring out comments from his guests that in some cases they held in check their whole career. Since he’s been through so much he has the ability to bring out the human side of the players. They have a tendency to answer from their heart and from raw emotion. The show has really been interesting and exciting that way.” – Johnny Miller

ORLANDO, Fla. (Jan. 25, 2012) – The second season of Golf Channel’s hit primetime series, Feherty, will premiere Monday, Feb. 27 and will build on a successful first season with more shows and – by viewer demand – longer episodes. Feherty will expand to an hour and moves to a new night, shifting to the 10 p.m. ET Monday timeslot where it will follow a new season of The Haney Project to form a potent Monday primetime lineup.

The premiere of the second season will get a boost from a special Feherty Live show from Super Bowl XLVI and the most popular interviews from season one airing in the weeks leading to the 2012 premiere.

Feherty, which originally debuted in June as Golf Channel’s most-watched original series in the network’s 17-year history, has been called “a cross between Oprah Winfrey and Johnny Carson” by The New York Times, “must-see TV” by the Orange County Register, and “a show that has all the ingredients to be a breakout hit” by The Augusta Chronicle. David Feherty, called “one of the funniest men in the game” by Yahoo! Sports, returns as host of his series filled with his unmistakable wit, irrepressible personality and blunt humor.

Before the new season of Feherty premieres begin, viewers will be treated to a special Feherty Live from the Super Bowl and new, one-hour versions of the most popular shows from 2011, including surprisingly heartfelt conversations with Tom Watson and Johnny Miller.

“We were blown away by the positive reaction our viewers had to this show and their appreciation for the truly heartfelt moments David was able to pull from each interview,” said Golf Channel President Mike McCarley. “People know David as funny and a bit irreverent, but they never knew how much emotion would come from this series. The one comment we heard repeatedly from viewers was ‘give us more’ – so that’s exactly what we plan to do in season two.”

Super Bowl Bound: Before the Monday, Feb. 27 premiere, Golf Channel will host a super celebration of the new season by traveling to Indianapolis, Ind., during Super Bowl week to produce a special stage show titled Feherty Live, with Feherty performing before a live theater audience and welcoming a slate of guests from the world of sports and entertainment. The performance also will air on Golf Channel as a one-hour show, Saturday, Feb. 4 at 10 p.m. ET.

Bonus Shows: Never-before-seen footage shot for two popular “Feherty” episodes from season one will be added and re-aired as hour-long shows in the two weeks leading to the Feb. 27 premiere of season two. Those episodes include interviews with multiple major championship winners Johnny Miller (Feb. 13, 10 p.m. ET) and Tom Watson (Feb. 20, 10 p.m. ET).

“The footage left on the cutting room floor for both of these episodes was as good as what made air, but we had to accommodate the 30-minute format,” said Keith Allo, Golf Channel vice president of Original Productions. “Our viewers now will be able to enjoy the original with twice the compelling content. It will be a great way to lead into the start of the new season.”

Feherty Programming Leading to Season Two Premiere (all times Eastern):
Feherty Live from Super Bowl XLVI Sat., Feb. 4, 10 p.m.
Feherty Live (replay) Mon., Feb. 6, 10 p.m.
Feherty – Johnny Miller Mon., Feb. 13, 10 p.m.
Feherty – Tom Watson Mon., Feb. 20, 10 p.m.
Feherty – Season Two Premiere Mon., Feb. 27, 10 p.m.

What the stars are saying about Feherty:

“I’m a big fan of David on TV and when I got a chance to do his show, I was not disappointed. It was awesome.” – Charles Barkley

“David has the gift of allowing an interview to flow to get the most out of his subjects. He’s really found his niche. I’ve done many interviews, but I must say working with my good friend David and Golf Channel was probably the best I’ve ever experienced.” – Greg Norman

No topic is off limits in this “unfiltered” series which shares revealing interviews with well-known personalities from all walks of life – from golf and sports to entertainment and politics – along with unique stories and anecdotes from the brilliant yet zany mind of David Feherty. Shot in settings both intimate and personal to the guests, Feherty displays an uncanny interview style that engages his subjects and brings out answers both honest and revealing. During the first season, Feherty went one-on-one with the likes of Greg Norman, Tony Romo, Tom Watson, Charles Barkley and Don Cheadle.

Feherty has made a name for himself in the sports world for his unabashed candor, extensive knowledge of the game, and his propensity to say whatever is on his mind. A native of Northern Ireland and a former European Tour and PGA TOUR professional, he’s become more famous off the golf course as a golf commentator, columnist and author. His career as an on-course reporter and interviewer for CBS Sports has spanned more than 300 tournaments, including such prestigious events as the Masters and PGA Championship on CBS. He writes a monthly column for GOLF Magazine and is a New York Times bestselling author of four books, A Nasty Bit of Rough, Somewhere in Ireland a Village Is Missing an Idiot, An Idiot for All Seasons, and David Feherty’s Totally Subjective History of the Ryder Cup. He also is a co-announcer with CBS’ Jim Nantz on EA Sports’ Tiger Woods PGA Tour video game series.

About Golf Channel

Golf Channel is a multimedia, golf entertainment and services company based in Orlando, Fla. The Golf Channel cable network, co-founded by Arnold Palmer and part of the NBC Sports Group, is available in more than 120 million homes worldwide through cable, satellite and wireless companies. Exclusive partnerships with the world’s top tours allow Golf Channel to feature more live golf coverage than all other networks combined, added to a programming schedule distinguished by golf’s best news, instruction and original programming. Golf Channel’s digital platform of businesses is led by www.GolfChannel.com, a leading golf destination on the Internet, delivering unmatched coverage of the world of golf, as well as services that help the recreational player with how to play, what to play and where to play golf.

Woods, Mcilroy and Donald Featured Grouping In Tonight’s Expanded Live Coverage Of Abu Dhabi HSBC Golf Championship Beginning At 10:30 P.M. ET

admin — Wed, 25 Jan 2012 18:26:12 +0000

Westwood, Kaymer and Garcia Featured in Live, First Round Abu Dhabi Coverage Continuing 4 a.m. ET

Golf Central to Prepare Viewers for Live Tournament Action at 10 p.m. ET

Watson and Mickelson Headline Farmers Insurance Open Field at Torrey Pines Golf Course

Abu Dhabi HSBC Golf Championship
Dates: Jan. 25-29
Venue: Abu Dhabi Golf Club, Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates

Airtimes: Wednesday 10:30 p.m.-3:30 a.m. and 4-8 a.m. (Live) / 10:30 a.m.-2:30 p.m. (Thursday Replay)
Friday 4-8 a.m. (Live) / 10:30 a.m.-2:30 p.m. (Replay)
Saturday 4-8 a.m. (Live) / 8 a.m.-Noon (Replay)
Sunday 4-8 a.m. (Live) / 8 a.m.-Noon (Replay)

Golf Channel Tournament Broadcast Team
Steve Burkowski (Studio Host)
Renton Laidlaw (Play-by-Play)
Warren Humphreys (Analyst)
Ken Brown (Tower)
Paul Eales (On Course)
Steve Sands (Interviews)

Broadcast Notes:
· Expanded Round One Live Tournament Coverage – Live tournament coverage of the opening round at Abu Dhabi will air tonight (Wednesday) from 10:30 p.m.-3:30 a.m. ET, and continuing from 4-8 a.m. ET. Tiger Woods, Luke Donald and Rory McIlroy will be the featured grouping during the 10:30 p.m. broadcast. Lee Westwood, Martin Kaymer and Sergio Garcia will be the featured grouping during the 4 a.m. live broadcast.
· Expanded news coverage from Abu Dhabi – Golf Channel’s Steve Sands and Rex Hoggard will report live and on-site throughout the week at Abu Dhabi. Golf Central will air a special Pre Game show tonight (Wednesday) at 10 p.m. ET prior to live tournament coverage at 10:30 p.m. ET. Sands will contribute to the live tournament telecast in addition to daily reports for Morning Drive and Golf Central.
· Headlining the field— Former World. No. 1 Tiger Woods headlines the field in Abu Dhabi with World No. 1 Luke Donald, Rory McIlroy, Lee Westwood, Martin Kaymer, Sergio Garcia, Charl Schwartzel, Graeme McDowell, Darren Clarke, Padraig Harrington, Colin Montgomerie, K.J. Choi, Jason Day, Miguel A. Jimenez, Alvaro Quiros, Francesco Molinari, Edoardo Molinari, Tom Lewis, Todd Hamilton and Ben Curtis.

Farmers Insurance Open
Dates: Jan. 26-29
Venue: South Course, Torrey Pines Golf Course, La Jolla, Calif.
North Course, Torrey Pines Golf Course, La Jolla, Calif.

Airtimes: Thursday 3-6 p.m. (Live) / 8:30-11:30 p.m. (Replay)
Friday 3-6 p.m. (Live) / 8:30-11:30 p.m. (Replay)
Saturday 1-2:30 p.m. (Live) / 9:30-11:30 p.m. (CBS Replay)
Sunday 1-2:30 p.m. (Live) / 9:30-11:30 p.m. (CBS Replay)

Golf Channel Broadcast Team
Terry Gannon (Play-by-Play)
Nick Faldo (Analyst)
Peter Oosterhuis (Tower)
Peter Kostis (Tower)
Phil Parkin (On Course)
Todd Lewis (Interviews)

Broadcast Notes:

· Mickelson and Watson headline field — Defending champion Bubba Watson and San Diego native Phil Mickelson headline the field this week at the Farmers Insurance Open.
· Weekend Lead-in Coverage Begins Saturday – Golf Channel will air live, weekend tournament coverage beginning at 1 p.m. ET Saturday and Sunday for 90 minutes. Golf Central Pre Game will deliver expanded weekend coverage with one-hour shows at Noon ET and a half hour show at 2:30 p.m. ET leading into CBS Sports live coverage.
· Headlining the Field— San Diego native Phil Mickelson, defending champion Bubba Watson, Rickie Fowler, Ernie Els, Nick Watney, Dustin Johnson, Ryo Ishikawa, Keegan Bradley, Camilo Villegas, Angel Cabrera, Robert Allenby, Anthony Kim, Hunter Mahan, Justin Rose, Vijay Singh, Bill Haas and Jhonattan Vegas.

-NBC Sports Group-

Golf Channel Kicks Off 2012 PGA Tour Television Coverage With Hyundai Tournament Of Champions

admin — Fri, 06 Jan 2012 03:29:09 +0000

Miller and Faldo to Share Broadcast Booth

Golf Channel to Air 17 ½ Hours Live Hours in Primetime

2012 European Tour Season Begins in South Africa

“Having Johnny Miller and Nick Faldo share the booth will be very entertaining. Can’t wait to be involved in the broadcast.” – Golf Channel analyst Curt Byrum

“In its second year as title sponsor, Hyundai Tournament of Champions gets a Monday night finish. A stroke of genius that will give the opening event a unique television time slot to start the season. The true sports fan will enjoy golf and college football in the same night.” – Golf Channel analyst Frank Nobilo

Hyundai Tournament of Champions
Dates: Jan. 6-9
Venue: Plantation Course, Kapalua Resort, Kapalua, Hawaii

Airtimes: Friday 5:30-10 p.m. (Live) / 10:30 p.m.-3 a.m. (Replay)
Saturday 5:30-10 p.m. (Live) / 10:30 p.m.-3 a.m. (Replay)
Sunday 5:30-10 p.m. (Live) / 10:30 p.m.-3 a.m. (Replay)
Monday 4-8 p.m. (Live) / 9 p.m.-1 a.m. (Replay)

Golf Channel Tournament Broadcast Team
Terry Gannon / Dan Hicks (Play-by-Play)
Nick Faldo / Johnny Miller (Analyst)
Frank Nobilo (Tower)
Mark Rolfing (Tower)
Curt Byrum (On Course)
Jerry Foltz (On Course)
Kelly Tilghman (Show Host / Interviews)

Broadcast Notes:

· Faldo and Miller to Share Broadcast Booth – Johnny Miller and Nick Faldo, the two preeminent names in golf television today, will work as co-analysts for the first time at the Hyundai Tournament of Champions.
· More than 17 Hours of Live Tournament Coverage – Golf Channel’s coverage will include 17 ½ live hours from Hawaii – with the majority in primetime – featuring a Monday finish for the first time.
· Aimpoint presented by Fidelity featured – Aimpoint presented by Fidelity, Golf Channel’s Emmy award-winning technology that predicts the line of a putt and where players must aim to hole out, will be featured on holes 13 and 18 at the Plantation Course at Kapalua.
· Wraparound News Coverage at Kapalua – Golf Central and Golf Central Pre Game will broadcast live and on-site from the Plantation Course Thursday-Monday. Steve Sands and Brandel Chamblee will host Golf Central, joined by the network’s team of reporters and anchors.
· Opening Drive Special Thursday – Thursday at 6 p.m. ET, Golf Central will kick off the 2012 PGA TOUR season with a two-hour Opening Drive special, featuring Golf Channel and Golf Channel on NBC personalities previewing the Hyundai Tournament of Champions and discussing the hot topics heading into the 2012 season in a roundtable format. The special also will feature several PGA TOUR professionals competing in a closest-to-the-pin competition on the 11^th hole at the Plantation Course at Kapalua, benefiting a number of area charities. Throughout the show, Kelly Tilghman and Jerry Foltz will interview players as they prepare for the 2012 PGA TOUR season, and Terry Gannon will sit down with Johnny Miller to get his predictions on the 2012 season.

Africa Open
Dates: Jan. 5-8
Venue: East London Golf Club, East London, South Africa

Airtimes: Thursday 9 a.m.-1 p.m. (Tape Delay)
Friday 9 a.m.-1 p.m. (Tape Delay)
Saturday 9 a.m.-1 p.m. (Tape Delay)
Sunday 9 a.m.-1 p.m. (Tape Delay)

Broadcast Notes:

· Headlining the Field – Defending champion Louis Oosthuizen, Retief Goosen and several of South Africa’s top International players, including George Coetzee, Jaco van Zyl, Jbe Kruger and Branden Grace are scheduled to compete in the European Tour’s 2012 kickoff event.

-NBC Sports Group-

Relive Golf’s Biggest Moments For The Holidays In Primetime On Golf Channel

admin — Fri, 23 Dec 2011 18:32:49 +0000

Look Back at Tiger Woods and Rocco Mediate’s Historic Showdown at the 2008 U.S. Open

Final Rounds of 2011 U.S. Open, World Golf Championship Events and Top 2011 PGA TOUR Finishes

Solheim Cup and Presidents Cup Final Days to Air Saturday and Sunday

Ring in 2012 at Stroke of Midnight with ‘New Year, New Rules’ Special

ORLANDO, Fla., Dec. 22, 2011 – Golf Channel’s primetime treat this holiday season are tournament replays of golf’s biggest moments from 2011 – from Adam Scott winning the WGC-Bridgestone Invitational amid a media frenzy, to Rory McIlroy capturing his first major championship at the U.S. Open to Bill Haas’ miraculous up-and-down from the water to win the TOUR Championship by Coca-Cola.

Airing in primetime for the next two weeks, Golf Channel will air in its entirety the original airings of the final rounds of several top events during the 2011 season. Golf Channel also will revisit one of the greatest tournaments in recent memory – the 2008 U.S. Open – when Rocco Mediate and Tiger Woods gave everything they had in one of the most dramatic playoffs in history. The third and final rounds, as well as the Monday playoff, will air on consecutive nights, Wednesday-Friday (Dec. 28-30), at 7 p.m. ET.

“The overwhelmingly positive feedback we’ve received from the recent primetime tournament telecasts from Australia and Asia prompted us to add one last holiday treat for our viewers who have been so good to us this year. As part of this special holiday season, we’ll feature the memorable, playoff-fueled 2008 U.S. Open with Tiger Woods and Rocco Mediate. The USGA was first to fully embrace primetime golf with West Coast U.S. Opens and this is the primetime event that our viewers have asked to see the most,” said Golf Channel President Mike McCarley.

At the stroke of midnight on New Year’s Day, Golf Channel will ring-in 2012 with a Golf Central Special: New Year, New Rules. Hosted by Rich Lerner and Frank Nobilo, the show will introduce viewers to all of the changes to the Rules of Golf and the changes to golf’s “Rules of Amateur Status,” issued jointly by the USGA and the R&A in October. Thomas Pagel, senior director of rules of golf with the USGA, will be a special guest on the special to discuss the new rules changes, and also will answer five frequently asked questions by golfers who play every day.

Golf Channel Tournament Replays Airtimes

2011 WGC-Bridgestone Invitational – Final Round
Thursday, 8-11 p.m. ET

In one of the most-watched tournaments of the year, Adam Scott fended off the media frenzy surrounding his caddie Steve Williams and Tiger Woods to claim his eighth victory on the PGA TOUR and securing a position into the season-ending TOUR Championship by Coca-Cola.

2011 TOUR Championship by Coca-Cola – Final Round
Friday, 8-11 p.m. ET

Producing one of the most riveting final rounds in the history of the tournament, Bill Haas converted a miraculous up-and-down from the water during a playoff with Hunter Mahan to take home the TOUR Championship trophy and was crowned 2011 FedExCup Champion.

2011 Solheim Cup – Final Day
Saturday, Noon-6 p.m. ET

With the score tied 8-8 going into the final day of competition at The Solheim Cup at Killeen Castle in Ireland, the outcome came down to the final three matches, where Team Europe regained the Cup with a 15-13 victory over Team U.S.A.

2011 Presidents Cup – Final Day
Sunday, Noon-6 p.m. ET

Captain’s Pick Tiger Woods secured the clinching point during the final day of The Presidents Cup to ensure the Cup will return to the U.S. following a 19-15 victory over the International Team.

2011 Children’s Miracle Network Hospitals Classic – Final Round
Saturday, 8-11 p.m. ET

World No. 1 Luke Donald capped off a memorable 2011 PGA TOUR season with a victory at the Children’s Miracle Network Hospitals Classic, securing top honors on the 2011 PGA TOUR Money List. The PGA TOUR’s 2011 finale also featured memorable storylines on players battling to retain their PGA TOUR cards for 2012.

2011 U.S Open – Final Round
Sunday, 8-11 p.m. ET

Rory McIlroy set or tied 12 U.S. Open records as a result of his victory at the 2011 U.S. Open, including becoming the youngest winner since Bobby Jones in 1923 and the first player in U.S. Open history to reach 17-under-par.

2011 Tavistock Cup – Day One
Monday, 7-11:30 p.m. ET

Day one of the annual matches between two of Orlando’s top country clubs – Isleworth Golf & Country Club and Lake Nona Golf & Country Club.

2011 Tavistock Cup – Final Day
Tuesday, 7-11:30 p.m. ET

Day two of the annual matches between two of Orlando’s top country clubs – Isleworth Golf & Country Club and Lake Nona Golf & Country Club

2008 U.S. Open – Round Three
Wednesday, 7-11:30 p.m. ET

Third round of the 2008 U.S. Open from Torrey Pines Golf Course in La Jolla, Calif, where Tiger Woods, despite struggling with a knee injury, dazzled on the back nine with improbable shots, resulting in two eagles and a chip-in birdie from the 17^th hole to take a one-stroke lead.

2008 U.S. Open – Final Round
Thursday, 7-11:30 p.m. ET

Final round of the 2008 U.S. Open from Torrey Pines Golf Course in La Jolla, Calif., where Tiger Woods birdied his 72^nd and final hole to force a Monday playoff with Rocco Mediate.

2008 U.S. Open – Monday Playoff
Friday, 7-11 p.m. ET

The first U.S. Open playoff since 2001 featured dramatics and a back-and-forth match between Tiger Woods and Rocco Mediate, forcing a sudden-death playoff after both players shot even par for the round. Woods recorded a par on the first hole of sudden death to Mediate’s bogey, sealing victory.

-NBC Sports Group-

Chevron World Challenge Continues Golf Channel Ratings Momentum

admin — Fri, 09 Dec 2011 16:56:23 +0000

Golf Channel Delivers Highest Cable Viewership Ever in 12-year History of Event

NBC’s Final Round Ties Highest Rating for Tournament Since 2003

NBC Sports Group Aired 16 Hours of Live Tournament Action

ORLANDO, Fla. (Dec. 7, 2011) – NBC Sports Group’s coverage of the Chevron World Challenge scored record ratings for Golf Channel, while capturing Tiger Woods’ first professional victory in more than two years.

Friday’s second round on Golf Channel (3-6 pm ET) was the best early round delivery in the history of the tournament, producing a 1.2 household rating and 1,228,000 average viewers, according to data released by Nielsen. The mark was 34 percent higher than the same round last year. Thursday’s round one (0.6 / 604,000) was up 25 percent year over year.

Sunday’s final round on NBC, which featured Woods’ and Zach Johnson’s late-round battle for the top spot on the leaderboard, tied last year’s playoff-fueled finish (Woods and U.S. Open Champion Graeme McDowell) as the highest-rated final round of this event in eight years with a 2.4 household rating. Saturday’s third round overnight rating was the best Saturday delivery since 2007 when Woods last won this event and up 13 percent year over year with a 1.8 overnight rating.

December Momentum: Continuing a strong, fall tournament lineup that garnered Golf Channel its most-watched November ever, the Chevron World Challenge kicked off a December slate that will feature this week’s Dubai World Championship and its $7.5 million payday. The month also will be highlighted by golf legends Johnny Miller, Nick Faldo and Raymond Floyd who will share their secrets to success during “7 Nights at the Academy,” beginning Dec. 12. During 15 themed shows over seven nights, the trio will share instructional tips for all aspects of the game from tee to green.

Q-School Up 48%: Golf Channel’s coverage of Monday’s final round of the PGA TOUR Qualifying Tournament – better known as Q-School and one of the toughest tests in golf – was up 48 percent over last year and the highest-rated round of Q-School since 2008 (0.2 household rating / 151,000 average viewers).

Golf Channel and NBC Analysts on Woods’ Victory and Impact on Golf:

ROGER MALTBIE: “Tiger reminded us why he’s been the greatest player of his generation and maybe the best of all-time. This is the performance we’ve been waiting for. The drama…the big putts…when they matter the most. What a thrill ride.”

MARK ROLFING: “Tiger’s win today was not only important for him, it was really important for golf. You could sense the excitement all day, especially the last few holes. There was nothing artificial about it, today was important for the game. I haven’t seen him perform in two years the way he did on 17 and 18. The putt at 17 changed everything today. That was the most important putt I’ve seen him hit in the last couple of years.”

GARY KOCH: “I think you can sense this coming, certainly from what we saw at The Presidents Cup and the way Tiger was swinging the club – controlling the ball and playing shots that we had not see him be able to play in quite some time. It was just a matter of time until this first win came about. Bottom line was he made two crucial putts that he needed to make – putts that we have seen him make in the past on a regular basis – but not recently. Today he was able to get that done.”

CHARLIE RYMER: “For Tiger, it all started clicking for him at The Presidents Cup. You could see this win coming. The Chevron World Challenge certainly isn’t a major or even a full-field event, but it could prove to be one of Tiger’s most significant wins. We don’t know what Tiger 2.0 will look like, but he’s now proven himself that he can win again. And he got there through hard work, belief in a new method and belief in himself. Watching Tiger win today was almost like watching a new young talent break through for his first win. It wasn’t done with band aids and duct tape, it was done with solid fundamentals.”

-NBC Sports Group-

Golf Channel And NBC Sports Analysts Comment On Tiger Woods’ Victory Today At The Chevron World Challenge

admin — Mon, 05 Dec 2011 16:30:25 +0000

Golf Channel to Re-Air Final Round Tonight at 8:30 p.m. ET

Tonight’s Hour-Long Golf Central Featuring Tiger Woods’ Post-Tournament News Conference Available Online at GolfChannel.com This Evening

ORLANDO, Fla., Dec. 4, 2011 – As seen live on NBC today, Tiger Woods shot consecutive birdies to close his final round and record his first professional victory in over two years at the Chevron World Challenge.

The NBC Sports Group captured all of the action today with live coverage both on Golf Channel and NBC, and followed the tournament with an hour-long edition of Golf Central that featured Woods’ post-tournament news conference in its entirety. In total, the NBC Sports Group televised a combined 16 hours of live tournament action from the Chevron World Challenge Thursday-Sunday.

Golf Channel will re-air NBC ’s final round of coverage tonight from 8:30-11:30 p.m. ET.

GolfChannel.com will post the hour-long Golf Central recapping the Chevron World Challenge on the home page of the web site this evening, featuring Woods’ news conference in its entirety.

Golf Channel and NBC Analyst Quotes:

MARK ROLFING: “Tiger’s win today was not only important for him, it was really important for golf. You could sense the excitement all day, especially last few holes. There was nothing artificial about it, today was important for the game. I haven’t seen him perform in two years the way he did on 17 and 18. The putt at 17 changed everything today. That was the most important putt I’ve seen him hit in the last couple of years.”

CHARLIE RYMER: “For Tiger, it all started clicking for him at The Presidents Cup. You could see this win coming. The Chevron World Challenge certainly isn’t a major or even a full-field event, but it could prove to be one of Tiger’s most significant wins. We don’t know what Tiger 2.0 will look like, but he’s now proven himself that he can win again. And he got there through hard work, belief in a new method and belief in himself. Watching Tiger win today was almost like watching a new young talent break through for his first win. It wasn’t done with band aids and duct tape, it was done with solid fundamentals.”

-NBC Sports Group-

NBC Sports Group / Presidents Cup Media Conference Call Transcript

admin — Wed, 16 Nov 2011 20:17:19 +0000

THE MODERATOR: Welcome to our NBC Sports Group media conference call to preview The Presidents Cup taking place at Royal Melbourne Golf Club in Australia. NBC Sports Group is scheduled to televise more than 50 hours of coverage of the Presidents Cup next week. For the first time ever, all four rounds will be live on Golf Channel. A lot of that will be in primetime, which will be nice. Live coverage also will be replayed each day during the day, and NBC will have weekend coverage. 22 hours of news coverage will surround play, so our signature Live From the Presidents Cup, our Live From franchise, will be in full force with a team both in Melbourne and back in our Orlando studios, and there will also be generous coverage online at golfchannel.com. Tommy Roy will be leading our production team over in Melbourne. I wished he could be on the call, but he’s jamming away over there. As you can imagine, there’s a major challenge logistically due to the 16hour time difference. He’s got a lot of work to do.

But joining us today on our call is Johnny Miller, who is the lead analyst, lead golf analyst for Golf Channel on NBC, who will join Dan Hicks for coverage both on Golf Channel and NBC; Brandel Chamblee, who will serve as our main studio analyst during the week; Dan Hicks, great commentator for NBC Sports, who will join Johnny and handle playbyplay on NBC and Golf Channel; and Curt Byrum, who will be Golf Channel lead analyst in Melbourne for all of our coverage. He’ll be joining Terry Gannon in the booth.

I’d be probably remiss not to mention the absence of Frank Nobilo, another Golf Channel analyst, who is one of our lead analysts. He’ll be at the Presidents Cup but in a different capacity next week as assistant captain to international team captain Greg Norman. Frank will be, however, a little bit a part of our coverage next week, and he’ll offer some thoughts on a daily basis about the matches with diary updates on golfchannel.com.

So I’d like to invite our featured speakers to say a few words and then we’ll open it up for questions.

JOHNNY MILLER: Thank you very much. I’m very excited to be able to spend a little springtime in Melbourne. Sounds like the name of a song or something. But the weather will be great down there. The course is outstanding. I’ve been watching the Australian Open down there with the guys, quite a few of the guys are down there playing in it, in the nice warm weather.

Of course I played in the Australian PGA at Royal Melbourne when I was a player, and I love that golf course and know that it’s a perfect match play course. There’s a lot of shots that you sort of have to decide whether you should go for the flagstick or sort of challenge those falloffs that are on the shoulders of the greens. It’s probably firmer and faster as a course than any course that the pros ever play except for some years at the British Open when they don’t get much rain, so this will be sort of a change for the guys, the U.S. players, and maybe that’s one reason why the U.S. got trounced at Royal Melbourne way back when at one of the first Presidents Cups.

I think that the teams really match up well. I can tell you one thing: Nobody is afraid of anybody else. This is going to be a heck of a good, even, close competition, I think. But analyzing all the Ryder Cups I’ve covered and all these Presidents Cups, it seems like whoever is winning the first day wins the matches every single time except for a Brookline here or there. So that first day seems to be the key day, so we’ll see what happens.

But I know these other guys have got a lot of great coverage. I’m looking forward to working with Dan Hicks and guys with the Golf Channel, so it should be fun.

BRANDEL CHAMBLEE: I just echo Johnny’s comments about both the venue and the competition. At least in terms of historically, the U.S. has had sort of the upper hand in the Presidents Cup for a lot of different and interesting reasons, I think, and on paper, as this one looks like a blowout, the U.S. is almost twice as good on paper, where average World Ranking of our players is 19th, their average rank is 34th. They’ve got six players ranked over 40th in the world, we only have one; that’s Tiger Woods.

But our guys don’t travel that well. Only twice has this competition left North America, and the U.S. hasn’t won either of those. ’98 was the one that Johnny Miller was alluding to in Australia where they got trounced, and then the 1717 tie in South Africa. But on the whole when you step back and look at this Presidents Cup, this one in particular, with the controversy surrounding Tiger’s pick, Norman’s comments about that pick, Freddie’s rebuttal to Norman’s comments, the fact that Tiger Woods has stolen Dustin Johnson’s caddie and fired his or he defected to Adam Scott and then terrible racist comments of Stevie Williams and the potential pairings and the site of the only U.S. loss, it’s almost like Don King has been hired to promote this thing, because when you look at it, I think the ratings of this event, as you alluded to, Dan a lot of it will be in prime time, it will go to 2:00 a.m., but I do think it’s got a chance to be one of the highest rated sports shows ever that finishes up at 2:00 in the morning. So I’m very excited for a lot of different reasons to watch this Presidents Cup.

DAN HICKS: Yeah, it’s good to be with everybody again, good to be going back down under for the first time and only other time that I’ve been down there at the Sydney Olympics in 2000, and I’m anxious to get to Melbourne, which I understand is an outstanding sports city, and heard a lot about Royal Melbourne, heard Johnny talk about it a lot through the years and what a fabulous place it is in that Sand Belt, so looking forward to that.
But just to reiterate Brandel’s comments, sometimes a little spice and a little controversy is good, not from the standpoint of how some of it occurred, but by getting people to watch. By far this is the most interest that I’ve seen in a Presidents Cup, I mean, by miles and miles, for the obvious reasons. One, anytime you’ve got Tiger Woods involved in a competition, it jacks it up a few notches just by his presence and how is he going to play and how is he going to do it and has he got it and is he ever going to be back again, so that saga continues. But all the other controversy, wherever you stand with it, creates interest in this event. Everywhere I go people are asking me about the Presidents Cup more than any other time than I’ve ever been involved with it through the years.
With that all there, I think it has a chance to obviously be the most watched Presidents Cup. Certainly everything that’s led up to it is going to tell us that. The only thing left is how are these guys going to play and what’s the real drama that’s going to unfold. But potentially it has a chance to be one of the more memorable sporting events of the entire year, and I don’t think you could have said that going into a Presidents Cup several years back. But that’s where we are, and with all that said, I’m more excited to get this thing going on down under than all the Presidents Cups before. So that’s my opening salvo.

CURT BYRUM: I’m really looking forward to being a part of the broadcast team down there. I think it’s for me personally, this is as good as it’s been for me as part of a broadcast team with the Golf Channel. I’m really looking forward to it. I’m fired up for it. You’ve heard a lot of good reasons why this could be maybe the best Presidents Cup ever.

I actually think for some of the reasons that have already been discussed that I think the internationals definitely have a good chance. In fact I think I would make them a slight favorite right now, even with the overwhelming power of that American team. I just think that playing in Australia at Royal Melbourne gives them at slight edge, especially when you consider that there are five Australians on the international team.
I think it’s really going to be a lot of fun, and when you add in the comments that both Norman and Ogilvy made about the Tiger pick, all the stuff that’s going on, I think a lot of people are going to be watching, and I really am looking forward to a great competitive situation down there.

Q. I guess I’ll throw out the obligatory Tiger Woods question. Obviously he’s in the hunt right now down at the Aussie Open, but if he does not win this week, he will have surpassed that two year mark for being winless or since his last win, and I wanted to ask Johnny and Brandel, if you go back in your memory 21, 22 months when Tiger was going through the rehab and all the things that were involved with the scandal, did it even cross your mind that he could go as long as two years without lifting a trophy somewhere?

JOHNNY MILLER: Well, I don’t think anybody could have predicted. I wrote in my book, I called the shots about five years ago, I didn’t think he would break Nicklaus’ record, and people thought I was crazy. I did throw out some personal things, he could burn out, he could have family problems, whatever, and of course a lot of those things happened, not that I wanted them to happen. But he just ran into personally, off the course, about as many problems as any guy could have, and then I think he really lost the love of going out in the public and playing in front of the public a little bit because there was so much pressure on him.

And even now being a captain’s pick there’s pressure on him. So I think it’s really important what he does that first day. But to predict that he wouldn’t win the Chevron at Sherwood or something, I surely wouldn’t have picked that. But as far as not winning a major, maybe you could figure that one out. But he had the perfect storm of all the things that can go wrong and get you off your game, whether it be changeofswing technique, just everything you could have go wrong pretty much went wrong.

BRANDEL CHAMBLEE: Yeah, I couldn’t agree more. My words, I would sum it up exactly the same. It’s the perfect storm of events to rob somebody of everything that made them great. Of course nobody in their right mind would have predicted Tiger Woods to go two years without a victory, but when you look at the injuries, the scandal, the swing change, and all of the other things that Tiger Woods has done PR wise that have not helped him, I just don’t see how he’s going to turn this thing around. Any one of those is enough to rob you of that little bitty edge, as if we needed another example of how fine a line it is between playing great golf and mediocre to, by their standards, terrible golf. This clearly does it.

It’s not that long ago when Johnny Miller was by far the best player on the planet, and he went home and chopped wood one winter and came back a different player, right, Johnny? What a fine line it is between being the greatest player on the planet and two months later you come back and it was just something as trivial as adding muscle weight that robbed Johnny of his game, and this is something far more substantial than that.

When you compare Tiger Woods 2009 to what’s going on now, obviously you can dismiss the differences tee to green, maybe you can explain it away with injuries and swing change, but just around the greens, the things that make a player go from good to great, he was first in scrambling in 2009; he’s 141st this year. Out of the bunkers, he’s he was third in 2009; he’s 175th. I mean, Tiger Woods has lost the ability to come up with magic.

Now, maybe some of that is attributable to the fact that mentally he’s not there. But the prescandal, preFoley and the postscandal, postFoley players are two entire different golfers. In 2009 when he showed up for a practice round, he had 15,000 fans following him. He had 250 fans following him on Wednesday. It’s another era, and the old Tiger I think is gone. What he creates from this point forward will be very interesting, but it won’t be anything like the old Tiger.

JOHNNY MILLER: Well, one thing, he will have a second career, just like I did. It will not be like the first. Like Nicklaus said to me and said to the press, you don’t have to worry about Johnny Miller. Talent always comes back. Maybe in an arguing point you look at a David Duval who was on the top of the world and he lost it and really didn’t come back, possibly even Ian BakerFinch for that matter. But I really believe Tiger will have a second career. He will win quite a few times.

And I see him on the verge, even his sand play. I was watching on TV, it looks much better, the action that he’s using. He’ll figure it out because the guy has just got so much talent, and I think enough of the amazement of his personal choices have sort of the pressure is coming off a little bit.

I think it’s important I know the Chevron at Sherwood last year, if he would have beaten McDowell, he should have with the big lead he had, if he would have won there, I think he would have done a lot better this year, but that really hurt him. I think he needs some good things to happen to him, and this could be the start maybe even this week, and then of course next week.

So I could see him getting his confidence back. He’s just got too much talent to just not be not the old Tiger but one of the best players in the world. That’s my that’s just a guess, and Brandel’s is a guess. We don’t really know, obviously.

Q. I think it’s one of the biggest questions in the world of sports.

BRANDEL CHAMBLEE: It’s the most baffling thing I have ever seen, not in golf but in any sport. All the things that have gone on, but also his decision to once again change his golf swing to me is the most baffling thing that I’ve ever seen in sports.

CURT BYRUM: I will say this, though, Brandel, if you watched the Australian Open, the first round last night, and I’m not defending the decision to change his swing, especially way back from the early 2000 swing that he had going, but he actually played really well with the wind blowing about 20 down there, very blustery. It changed directions a couple times. He actually hit quite a few fairways, didn’t have to hit driver a whole lot, so that’s a whole ‘nother story probably. But he made some great upanddowns. Like Johnny said, he hit a great long bunker shot upanddown for a birdie on one hole. It’s a lot better than it was back around the PGA and much better in fact, it’s a lot more solid and improved since he played at Fry’s back in October.

You can tell he’s made some improvements, and I’m not saying he’s going to be lightsout at the Presidents Cup, but I definitely saw some improvement last night.

Q. What’s the area that and Brandel, maybe you alluded to it, that seems to be kind of the crux of where his problems on the course lie?

BRANDEL CHAMBLEE: Everything. You know, I mentioned just the short game statistics, which are glaring. I mean, he was by far and away some years he would almost get the ball upanddown 70 percent of the time. That’s just an unheardof number, when you consider that mostly he’s going at the hardest greens at the hardest pins. But ballstriking wise, he’s basically last this year, 186th, when he was one of the best in the world. Everything he did in 2009, and yeah, I agree with Curt and Johnny and everybody else that his golf swing was better in ’99, 2000, 2001, but the Tiger Woods of 2007 and 2009 was almost step for step as good as the guy in 2000.

You know, why I say it’s the most baffling thing I’ve ever seen in sport, because the period where Tiger Woods won 7 of 11 major championships and then I believe 6 of 14, those two periods both with different swing philosophies were separated by periods where he went ten majors without winning. Now, he justifies the prolific victories by saying I changed my swing, but at the cost of going ten majors without winning. I mean, that’s a puric victory. Yes, he wins, but at the cost of ten majors. If he hadn’t decided to change his swing either in ’98 or in 2003, he would have already broke Jack’s record. And once again, he’s trying to do it again, but this time with a battered body and a battered head. It is by far the most baffling thing I’ve ever seen in sports. To watch all that happen and then watch him compete, it is very compelling, and yet another reason why we’re all going to be on the edge of our seat at the Presidents Cup.

Q. Also wondering, the Keegan Bradley, Steve Stricker situation, first of all, what have you guys heard regarding Steve, and if you were in Fred’s shoes, what would you have done in regards to Keegan Bradley?

CURT BYRUM: Wow, you know, this is just one of those years where somebody who deserves to be on the team is not. It happens. That’s why it’s great and it’s tough to be the captain. There’s no way Tiger Woods isn’t on that team. I mean, we’ve got what do we have, Dan Higgins, you said 74 hours of live and wraparound coverage? I’m sure the reason we’re all here is because of Tiger Woods and all of the stories that keep us on the edge of our seat are around Tiger Woods. Bill Haas perhaps maybe has more pressure on him this week than any other player on the team to sort of validate being picked and all the controversies around it.

But it was a tough choice. You know, I sympathize with Fred having to make that call. But I certainly understand it.
DAN HICKS: If you’re the captain, Brandel, do you pick Tiger?

BRANDEL CHAMBLEE: Absolutely.

DAN HICKS: Johnny, are you in that camp, too? Do you pick Tiger if you’re the captain?

JOHNNY MILLER: For the good of the game and the good of the telecast, I’ve got to go with it because he’s a lot more compelling. Every time you’re a captain you’re going to have a controversial pick almost every time. The only guy that really never made it controversial was Nicklaus; he’d just go down the list.

DAN HICKS: Curt, what about you?

CURT BYRUM: Yeah, I would have picked Tiger for sure. I don’t think you can leave him off the team. But I’d also chime in about Fred. We covered the Schwab Cup Championship out in San Francisco last week, and Fred obviously played pretty well and had a chance to talk to him a little bit about the Presidents Cup. I can tell you, he’s ready for this thing to get started and put all the talking behind right now. He’s a guy who likes to hang out, lay on the couch

JOHNNY MILLER: You know when Fred Couples does a little trashtalking out there it gets a little bit amped.

CURT BYRUM: And that was one of the things after Norman and Ogilvy basically said they would not have picked Tiger Woods, he chimed back in, and he said, well, if Robert Allenby is one of your picks, the last time I checked he hasn’t won a golf tournament in ten years on the PGA Tour. So you’re right, Fred kind of shot back at them, which was really weird hearing him say something like that.

As far as the Keegan Bradley and the Steve Stricker thing, Keegan felt like maybe Fred should have been in touch with him and all that, and Fred heard that, and he said, look, he said, he’s been texting Steve Stricker back and forth. Stricker assured him that he was starting to feel a lot better. Stricker is basically where he was when he played at East Lake at the TOUR Championship. He can swing the golf club. He has a little bit of tingling in his hand, I think it’s his right hand, but he feels pretty good.

And Tiger said, look, I’ve just got to go with what Steve Stricker is telling me. If he’s ready to play and he’s fired up and he’s bent on going down to Australia and being on our team, then that’s really all I can go with is what Steve Stricker is telling me. If Stricker had said, I’m doubtful, then I would have made the call to Keegan Bradley and I would have said, hey, Keegan, get your clubs ready and make your way to Australia. But he said until Steve Stricker tells me otherwise, Fred just didn’t feel like there was any reason to make that call to Keegan Bradley.

JOHNNY MILLER: Fair enough. I know Tiger Woods likes to have Stricker putting for him, I know that. That’s the partnership, isn’t it?

CURT BYRUM: Yeah, that’s it.

JOHNNY MILLER: So I think for Tiger that’s pretty important that Stricker is around there.

Q. How much did you watch Tiger last night, and what did you see from him?

JOHNNY MILLER: Well, I’ll answer that. I’ve been sort of reluctant today a little bit. I watched quite a bit of it and definitely liked the sand shots we talked about and the technique that he was using on the sand shots. I thought it was good tempo and a nice technique and a lot better than he was doing. He’s been struggling with that. The driving off the tee was okay. I wouldn’t put it he was never really great in that area hardly.

But the one thing I noticed with the driving is his tempo; he wouldn’t always finish his backswing, and it was a little bit it wasn’t really rhythmic as it used to be, and that’s probably one reason why he hit a couple pulls. That’s the one thing I saw. I thought the technique as far as the actual swing plane and the hand action was good, it’s just like the top of the backswing, a lot of times it wasn’t a smooth transition.

Besides that, it looked like he was enjoying the gallery and his attitude is better, and I think he seemed to be happy to be there, and I think he’s looking forward to the Presidents Cup.

Just little things now, but little things can be big things, but I don’t really dislike what he’s doing with his golf swing at the moment, and I think he’s on the right path and on the road back to where he’ll believe in his action now.

CURT BYRUM: I’d chime in on that. I watched pretty much the whole broadcast last night. I agree with Johnny. I think the swing plane is better. I like the improvements that he’s made. There are some things in there, he still gets a little quick and he squats a little bit too much, and it looked a little steery. I think at times, even there was a shot on a par3, he was trying to hit a little cut in there and he pulled it and hit it way over the back of the green.

At times I still think there’s some mechanics, too much thought about the mechanics part of it, but I also think that that’s why this Australian Open for him is a big deal. I think it’s a week where he can sort a lot of this stuff out before the Presidents Cup and hopefully be able to play more golf and less mechanics once he tees it up on Thursday next week.

BRANDEL CHAMBLEE: It’s interesting, Johnny alluded to and Curt alluded to the tempo. The tempo to me is obviously sort of the final element when you know a guy is really comfortable with what he’s doing. It’s been missing for a long time with Tiger Woods, and the fact that he, in addition to having problems completing his backswing and maintaining his levels, I still think he’s bound up in mechanics, and you see him now struggling with a twoway miss. He’s missing far more shots to the left than he ever has in his entire career, but he’s also missing to the right.

The last time we saw Tiger Woods play the kind of golf that we all have grown accustomed to watching Tiger Woods play in 2009, there were only five guys on Tour that missed left less frequently than he did. He missed one direction. He missed to the right, and that was it. So he could play golf with a oneway miss, and he could essentially take the left side of the golf course out.

Well, all the golf course is in play for Tiger now, so he plays with a lot more angst than he used to. He doesn’t have near as much snap through the ball. It’s really it is in a lot of ways sad to sort of watch him get through the ball with his lower body now compared to the way he used to. It’s quite a bit less turn and a lot less snap.

JOHNNY MILLER: He’s swinging only about, what, 60, 70 percent. It’s really not much like you say, he’s not getting an explosion that we saw when he was a teenager and in his early years, probably because of the knees.

BRANDEL CHAMBLEE: I mean, exactly. When you take a snapshot of Tiger Woods when he’s about three quarters of the way past impact to his finish, if you look at where his hips are, they’re about a quarter less turn than they used to be. That part of it is really sad, to watch him try and put all the pieces together. He’s got a long way to go in my opinion.

CURT BYRUM: Have you ever wondered why he hasn’t gone back to a shorter, maybe maxout 44inch length driver with even a steel shaft like he did in ’99, 2000, when he hit 70 percent of the fairways, and even with that old equipment he was driving it well over 300 yards? I always wondered why he doesn’t experiment. Maybe he has, but it wouldn’t be the worst thing in the world to dig up that old driver and go give it a rip.

BRANDEL CHAMBLEE: But if he swung like he does now with that old equipment, he’d hit some nasty looking shots. It wouldn’t go very far, I’ll tell you that. You put his hands above his shoulder high like they were in 2000, though, it would be bombs away again.

CURT BYRUM: But with modern equipment, steel shaft, and instead of being right at 45 inches, if you cut it down an inch, put a steel shaft in whatever driver head he wants to use now, it would be interesting to see how he’d hit it.

JOHNNY MILLER: It’s fun to watch it all.

DAN HICKS: Yeah, I have this to say: We’ve been on this phone I don’t know how many minutes, but there’s 24 of the best players in the world, two of the biggest icons in the game and popular players in Greg Norman and Fred Couples, and 99.9 percent of this talk is centered on Tiger Woods, and I think that’s about all you need to know to gauge the interest in what an incredible figure this guy is in the sport and what an incredible mystery is still to be unraveled as to how he writes the final chapter. It’s incredible, absolutely incredible.

FastScripts by ASAP Sports

Golf Channel Scores Best Fall Series Ratings In History; Continues Network’s Momentum Toward Record-Breaking Year

admin — Thu, 27 Oct 2011 19:31:50 +0000

Children’s Miracle Network Hospitals Classic Finishes the Four-Tournament Series 66 % Higher Than Previous Best in 2007

Double-Digit Ratings Growth for Every Fall Series Tournament

Viewers for Sergio Garcia’s Victory at Castello Masters Up 69% over 2010, Keeping European Tour Ratings Strong

Golf Channel Invests in Additional Events to Ensure Strongest Fourth Quarter of Tournament Coverage in Network History

ORLANDO, Fla. (Oct. 26, 2011) – Golf Channel’s coverage of the entire PGA TOUR Fall Series was the most watched in history, topping the previous-best Series in 2007 by 66 percent and last year by 105 percent. This latest success builds on the momentum the network has created in 2011 toward a record-breaking year.

After record ratings were reported earlier this month to start the Fall Series, Golf Channel continued to set all-time records for each event in the 2011 Series:

· Frys.com Open was the highest-rated and most-watched Fall Series event in history.

· Justin Timberlake Shriners Hospitals for Children Open was the second-highest-rated and second-most-watched Fall Series event in history.

· Children’s Miracle Network Hospitals Classic tied the 2007 Valero Texas Open as the third-highest rated Fall Series event in history.

· The McGladrey Classic joined the top-five, highest-rated Fall Series events (out of 25 events since 2007) with viewership up 62 percent over 2010.

Ratings for all four tournaments comprising the Fall Series were up double digits over 2010. Through the CMN Hospitals Classic, viewership for the PGA TOUR on Golf Channel is up 28 percent over last year.

Luke Donald’s victory at the CMN Hospitals Classic at Walt Disney World earned him the PGA TOUR money title and kept his hopes alive to be the first player in history to win money titles on both sides of the Atlantic. The tournament telecasts drew 325,000 average viewers, up 68 percent over 2010.

2011 Event by Event	Rating	Viewers	Change YOY
Justin Timberlake Shriners Hospitals for Children Open	0.4	354,000	35%
Frys.com Open	0.7	727,000	165%
The McGladrey Classic	0.3	312,000	62%
Children’s Miracle Network Hospitals Classic	0.3	325,000	68%

Source: Nielsen MIT via Star Trak; Live+Same Day DVR HH Cvg Rtgs and P2+ 000s, 2007-2011

European Tour Up 69 Percent: Golf Channel’s coverage of the European Tour remained strong with Sunday’s conclusion to the Castello Masters in Spain. Average viewers for the tournament were up 69 percent over 2010 (0.1 / 59,000). Champion Sergio Garcia shot a closing score of 63 to blow away the competition and later dedicated his victory to the late Seve Ballesteros.

Presidents Cup Headlines Strong Fourth Quarter: Making sure the golf season is far from over, Golf Channel will televise an impressive tournament lineup to close 2011, which features established stars like Tiger Woods and Phil Mickelson and young phenoms like Rory McIlroy, Rickie Fowler and Dustin Johnson. Next week, the World Golf Championships – HSBC Champions event from Shanghai, China, will feature all four major winners from this year (Charl Schwartzel, Masters; Rory McIlroy, U.S. Open; Darren Clarke, Open Championship; Keegan Bradley, PGA Championship). The week prior to The Presidents Cup, Phil Mickelson and Ernie Els will tee it up at the Barclays Singapore Open, and Tiger Woods and most of the USA Presidents Cup team will compete in the Emirates Australian Open in prime time. Also, for the first time, Golf Channel will air all four rounds of The Presidents Cup live from Australia, Nov. 16-19. More than 27 hours of live coverage – much of it in prime time – on Golf Channel and more than 50 hours total on Golf Channel and NBC will capture the excitement of team competition when USA Captain Fred Couples will lead his team against a strong International squad led by Greg Norman.

7 Nights at the Academy: Legends Nick Faldo, Johnny Miller and Raymond Floyd will share their secrets of success with Golf Channel viewers during a one-of-a-kind instruction series airing in December titled 7 Nights at the Academy. From driving to putting, iron play to course management, these golfing superstars will demonstrate the shots and techniques that made them some of the most decorated champions in the game.

Golf Channel Makes Additional Programming Investments To Keep Golf In Headlines Through Balance Of Year

admin — Fri, 21 Oct 2011 20:21:40 +0000

Golf Channel Secures Additional Rights to Ensure Strongest Fourth Quarter of Tournament Coverage in Network History

The World’s Top 50, including Tiger Woods, Phil Mickelson and 16 Majors Winners to Tee it Up; Star Power with Names Like World No. 1 Luke Donald, Rory McIlroy, Lee Westwood, Bubba Watson, Adam Scott, Jason Day and Dustin Johnson

Golf Channel to Air For First Time All Four Rounds and More than 27 Hours of The Presidents Cup, Live From Australia; USA Challenges Internationals in Compelling Team Competition

Presidents Cup Captains Fred Couples, Greg Norman Join Australian Open Field

Ladies Finish Season With Unique Titleholders Event

Legends Johnny Miller, Raymond Floyd and Nick Faldo Share Career Secrets for ‘7 Nights at the Academy’

ORLANDO, Fla. (Oct. 20, 2011) – Continuing the huge momentum it has gained in 2011, Golf Channel is making sure the golf season is far from over. Established stars like Phil Mickelson and Tiger Woods are still in the mix and are drawing record number of fans at tournaments in exotic locales around the world.

Rickie Fowler, Dustin Johnson and Rory McIlroy – members of the so-called “Young Guns” – are making headlines, while dramatic playoff victories seem to happen every week.

Golf Channel has made significant programming investments to supplement an already stout fall tournament schedule to make its fourth quarter of programming star-studded and the strongest in its history.

As golf becomes more of a global game and international players regularly make headlines in the U.S., Golf Channel’s tournament lineup represents an array of international stars playing in tournaments from North America to Asia.

The cable network also in December will roll out a golfer’s dream week of instructional programming from golfing legends Nick Faldo, Johnny Miller and Raymond Floyd during “7 Nights at the Academy.”

Although the PGA TOUR domestic schedule concludes this week, it’s just the beginning of an exciting roster of top tournaments to close out the year.

GOLF CHANNEL NOTABLE TOURNAMENTS

CIMB Asia Pacific Classic (PGA TOUR)
Dates: Oct. 26-29
Venue: The MINES Resort & Golf Club, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
The Field: Camilo Villegas, Tommy Gainey, Vijay Singh, Brandt Snedeker, Stewart Cink*, Ben Crane, David Duval*, Angel Cabrera*

World Golf Championships – HSBC Champions
Dates: Nov. 2-5
Venue: Sheshan International Golf Club, Shanghai, China
Notes: All four 2011 major championship winners will be in the field, in addition to World No. 1 Luke Donald.
The Field: Rory McIlroy (U.S. Open)*, Keegan Bradley (PGA Championship)*, Charl Schwartzel (Masters)*, Darren Clarke (British Open)*, Martin Kaymer*, Luke Donald, Adam Scott, Webb Simpson, K.J. Choi

Lorena Ochoa Invitational by Banamex and Corona Light (LPGA Tour)
Dates: Nov. 10-13
Venue: Guadalajara Country Club, Guadalajara, Mexico
Notes: 36 of the best female players in the world will compete.
The Field: World No. 1 Yani Tseng*, Cristie Kerr*, Suzann Pettersen*, Paula Creamer*, Michelle Wie, Morgan Pressel*, Karrie Webb*, Jiyai Shin*

Emirates Australian Open (PGA Tour of Australasia)
Dates: Nov. 9-12
Venue: The Lakes Golf Club, Sydney, Australia
Notes: Most of the players competing in The Presidents Cup the following week will be competing in this tournament, as well, including team captains Fred Couples and Greg Norman.
The Field: Tiger Woods*, Adam Scott, Greg Norman*, Fred Couples*, Jason Day, Dustin Johnson, Bubba Watson, Geoff Olgilvy*

Barclays Singapore Open (European Tour)
Dates: Nov. 10-13
Venue: Tanjong Course, Sentosa Golf Club, Singapore
The Field: Phil Mickelson*, Ernie Els*, K.J. Choi

The Presidents Cup (PGA TOUR)
Dates: Nov. 16-19
Venue: Royal Melbourne Golf Club, Melbourne, Australia
Notes: A team of the best from the United States takes on a team of International players in this biennial match-play competition.

The Field:
USA – Captain Fred Couples
Tiger Woods*, Matt Kuchar, Steve Stricker, Dustin Johnson, Webb Simpson, Nick Watney, Phil Mickelson*, Bubba Watson, David Toms*, Hunter Mahan, Jim Furyk*, Bill Haas

International – Captain Greg Norman
Jason Day, Adam Scott, Charl Schwartzel*, K.J. Choi, Kyung-tae Kim, Retief Goosen*, Geoff Olgilvy*, Ernie Els*, Y.E. Yang*, Ryo Ishakawa, Aaron Baddeley, Robert Allenby

CME Group Titleholders (LPGA Tour)
Dates: Nov. 17-20
Venue: Grand Cypress Resort, Orlando, Florida
Notes: Season-ending tournament with a unique field comprising of three qualifiers from every tournament on the 2011 LPGA Tour schedule. 16-year-old sensation Lexi Thompson will be competing.
The Field: Yani Tseng*, Michelle Wie, Paula Creamer*, Brittany Lincicome*, Cristie Kerr*, Stacy Lewis*, Lexi Thompson

Omega Mission Hills World Cup (PGA TOUR)
Dates: Nov. 23-26
Venue: Mission Hills Golf Club, Hainan Island, China
The Field: Martin Kaymer*, Rory McIlroy*, Matt Kuchar, Graeme McDowell*, Charl Schwartzel*, Louis Oosthuizen*, Ian Poulter, Gary Woodland

Australian PGA Championship (PGA Tour Australasia)
Dates: Nov. 24-27
Venue: Hyatt Regency Coolum, Queensland, Australia
The Field: Greg Norman*, Jason Day, Bubba Watson, Darren Clarke*, Geoff Olgilvy*, Aaron Baddeley

Chevron World Challenge (PGA TOUR)
Dates: Dec. 1-4
Venue: Sherwood Country Club, Thousand Oaks, Calif.
The Field: Tiger Woods*, Keegan Bradley*, Steve Stricker, Dustin Johnson, Jason Day, Matt Kuchar, Nick Watney, Keegan Bradley*, Bill Haas, Webb Simpson, Bubba Watson, K.J. Choi, David Toms*, Paul Casey, Hunter Mahan, Jim Furyk*, Brandt Snedeker

Dubai World Championship (Season-Ending Event on European Tour)
Dates: Dec. 8-11
Venue: Jumeirah Golf Estates, Dubai, United Arab Emirates
The Field: Luke Donald, Rory McIlroy*, Charl Schwartzel*, Martin Kaymer*, Lee Westwood*, Darren Clarke*, Miguel Angel Jimenez, Ian Poulter, Matteo Manassero, Graeme McDowell*, Sergio Garcia, Louis Oosthuizen*, Retief Goosen* and Paul Casey.

Franklin Templeton Shootout (Hosted by Greg Norman)
Dates: Dec. 9-11
Venue: Tiburon Golf Club, Naples, Fla.
The Field: Keegan Bradley*, Stewart Cink*, Rickie Fowler, Fred Funk*, J.B. Holmes, Charles Howell III, Anthony Kim, Greg Norman*, Nick Price*, Kenny Perry, Webb Simpson, Brandt Snedeker, Steve Stricker and Jhonattan Vegas

Omega Dubai Ladies Masters (Season-Ending Event on Ladies European Tour)
Dates: Dec. 14-17
Venue: Emirates Golf Course, Dubai, United Arab Emirates
The Field: Michelle Wie, Caroline Hedwall

JBWere Masters (PGA Tour of Australasia)
Dates: Dec. 14-17
Venue: Victoria Golf Club, Victoria, Australia
The Field: Geoff Ogilvy*, Robert Allenby, Ian Poulter, Luke Donald, Stuart Appleby, Matteo Manassero

Thailand Golf Championship (Season-Ending Event on Asian Tour)
Dates: Dec. 14-17
Venue: Amata Spring Country Club, Bangkok, Thailand
The Field: Rory McIlroy*, Darren Clarke*, Lee Westwood*, Ryo Ishikawa

Recent Additions to the 2011 Tournament Schedule: Emirates Australian Open, Australian PGA Championship, Omega Dubai Ladies Masters, JBWere Masters and Thailand Golf Championship

*Major Championship Winner

-NBC Sports Group-