Broadcast Notes:
Leonard to take part in Golf Channel / NBC coverage of Hero World Challenge: 12-time PGA TOUR winner, major champion and 1999 Ryder Cup hero Justin Leonard will work as a tower analyst for Golf Channel and NBC’s live coverage of the event.
Elite field: The field includes six of the top-10 players in the world, and each of the 18 players are currently ranked in the top-43 in the world. 11 of the 12 members of the victorious United States Presidents Cup team also are in the field.
New venue: This week marks the 17th playing of the event, but the first time being held at the Albany Resort on the island of New Providence in the Bahamas. The event is not an official PGA TOUR stop, though players will receive Official World Golf Rankings points.
Spieth defends: World No. 1 Jordan Spieth separated himself from the field with a 10 shot victory at Isleworth Golf & Country Club in Florida last December.
Headlining the field: Paul Casey, Rickie Fowler, Bill Haas, J.B. Holmes, Billy Horschel, Dustin Johnson, Zach Johnson, Chris Kirk, Brooks Koepka, Matt Kuchar, Anirban Lahiri, Hideki Matsuyama, Patrick Reed, Justin Rose, Adam Scott, Jordan Spieth, Jimmy Walker and Bubba Watson.
PGA TOUR OF AUSTRALASIA / EUROPEAN TOUR
Australian PGA Championship
Dates: Dec. 3-6
Venue: RACV Royal Pines Resort, Gold Coast, Australia
Broadcast Notes:
Chalmers defends: Greg Chalmers defeated Adam Scott and Wade Ormsby on the seventh playoff hole for his second Australian PGA Championship title.
Final event of “Australian Triple Crown”: This week marks the third and final event of the “Australian Triple Crown,” which also features the Australian Masters and Australian Open. Australian Masters winner Peter Senior is in the field but Australian Open champion Matt Jones is not. And for the first time, the event is being co-sanctioned by the European Tour and will count as an official event.
Headlining the field: Brandt Snedeker, John Senden, David Lingmerth, Peter Senior, Cameron Smith, Peter Uihlein, Jarrod Lyle, Robert Allenby, Greg Chalmers and Paul Dunne.
EUROPEAN TOUR
Nedbank Golf Challenge
Dates: Dec. 3-6
Venue: Gary Player Country Club, Sun City, South Africa
Broadcast Notes:
Event changes: This is the 35th edition of the Nedbank Golf Challenge and the first of two times that it will be contested during the 2016 Race to Dubai season. The event will move to November in 2016 and become the second leg of the European Tour’s Final Series. The field of 30 this week will increase to 72 next November. Following the conclusion of play on Sunday, the European Tour will take a four-week hiatus and resume in 2016 with the South African Open in Johannesburg on January 7.
Willett defends: Danny Willett defeated Ross Fisher by four shots to earn his second career European Tour win.
Headlining the field: Henrik Stenson, Martin Kaymer, Robert Streb, Charl Schwartzel, Branden Grace, Louis Oosthuizen, Danny Willett, Shane Lowry, Webb Simpson and Keegan Bradley.
ASIAN TOUR
Ho Tram Open
Dates: Dec. 3-6
Venue: The Bluffs Ho Tram Strip, Vietnam
Broadcast Notes:
Inaugural event: This week marks the first playing of the Ho Tram Open, being contested in Vietnam, two hours southeast of Ho Chi Minh City.
Headlining the field: Sergio Garcia, Geoff Ogilvy, Darren Clarke, Thomas Bjorn, Robert Rock, Oliver Wilson, David Lipsky, Jeev Milkha Singh and Arjun Atwal.
LADIES EUROPEAN TOUR
The Queens
Dates: Dec. 4-6
Venue: Miyoshi Country Club, Aichi, Japan
Broadcast Notes:
Format: The inaugural match play event features four nine-person teams comprised of members of the Ladies European Tour (captained by Laura Davies), LPGA of Japan, Korean LPGA Tour and Australian Ladies Professional Golf Inc. The format features 34 matches being contested over three days: eight fourball matches on day one, eight foursomes matches on day two, and 18 singles matches on day three, with 102 total points available. Each match is worth three points to the winning team, and one point will be given for matches ending all square.
Ladies European Tour Team: Laura Davies (captain), Hannah Burke, Karine Icher, Nanna Madsen, Catriona Matthew, Gwladys Nocera, Emily Kristine Pedersen, Melissa Reid and Marianne Skarpnord.
LPGA of Japan Team: Momoko Ueda (captain), Erika Kikuchi, Ayaka Watanabe, Misuzo Narita, Akane Iijima, Shiho Oyama, Erina Hara, Miki Sakai and Ritsuko Ryu.
Korean LPGA Team: In Gee Chun, Sei Young Kim, Sung Hyun Park, Jung Min Lee, Yoon Ji Cho, Jin Young Ko, Seon Woo Bae, Min Sun Kim, Bo-Mee Lee.
Australian Ladies Professional Golf Team: Rachel Hetherington (captain), Nikki Campbell, Nikki Garrett, Whitney Hillier, Sarah Kemp, Katherine Kirk, Stephanie Na, Sarah Jane Smith and Lindsey Wright.
Broadcast Notes:
Elite field: The event features four of the top-5 players in the Official World Golf Ranking, including Jordan Spieth (No. 2), Rory McIlroy (No. 3), Bubba Watson (No. 4) and Rickie Fowler (No. 5). The no-cut event is the second of four tournaments being played as part of the European Tour’s Final Series in addition to being co-sanctioned by the PGA TOUR.
Watson defends: Bubba Watson defeated Tim Clark on the first playoff hole for his seventh career PGA TOUR victory.
Headlining the field: Jordan Spieth, Rory McIlroy, Bubba Watson, Rickie Fowler, Dustin Johnson, Hideki Matsuyama, Henrik Stenson, Justin Thomas, Patrick Reed and Adam Scott.
CHAMPIONS TOUR
Charles Schwab Cup Championship
Dates: Nov. 5-8
Venue: Desert Mountain Club (Cochise Course), Scottsdale, Ariz.
Broadcast Notes:
Schwab Cup Championship at Stake for Montgomerie, Maggert and Langer: Three players will tee it up with an opportunity to claim the season-long Charles Schwab Cup with a victory this week in Colin Montgomerie, Jeff Maggert and Bernhard Langer. The scenarios in which each can mathematically win the Schwab Cup are:
Montgomerie – Can finish 30th and win if Maggert finishes 18th or worse, and Langer finishes 14th or worse.
Maggert – Can finish 2nd and win if Montgomerie finishes 3rd or worse, and Langer does not win the tournament. Can finish 17th, but would need Montgomerie to finish 27th or worse and Langer 13th or worse.
Langer – Wins with a 2nd place finish if Montgomerie and Maggert finish 3rd or worse. Can finish solo 13th and win if Maggert finishes 18th or worse and Montgomerie finishes 27th or worse.
Pernice Jr. defends: Tom Pernice Jr., outlasted Jay Haas on the fourth playoff hole for his fourth career Champions Tour win.
Headlining the field: Colin Montgomerie, Jeff Maggert, Bernhard Langer, Fred Couples, Marco Dawson, Tom Lehman, Mark O’Meara, Kenny Perry, Tom Pernice Jr., and Duffy Waldorf.
PGA TOUR
Sanderson Farms Championship
Dates: Nov. 5-8
Venue: Country Club of Jackson, Jackson, Miss.
Broadcast Notes:
Taylor defends: Nick Taylor defeated Jason Bohn and Boo Weekley to earn his first career PGA TOUR win.
Headlining the field: Ollie Schniederjans, Smylie Kaufman, Graham DeLaet, Patrick Rodgers, Scott Stallings, Lucas Glover, Billy Hurley, David Toms, Jarrod Lyle and K.J. Choi.
I don’t normally post items from PR companies which are less newsworthy/informational and more advertorial in nature, but this registered high enough on my cool-o-meter to warrant posting. It’s a mosaic of Jordan Spieth which is on display at Main Street Gardens in downtown Dallas, TX. Here’s the video timelapse below of the constructions, and under that is some text describing it.
FROM AT&T:
Here are all the details about this unique work of art:
· The mosaic is of Jordan’s likeness
· 24,152 golf balls are used (placed on tees) with the grass acting as negative space; a team of 25 individuals worked to set up the mosaic
· The golf balls will be donated to the Dallas chapter of The First Tee, as well as the Northern Texas PGA.
· There will be a national ad campaign congratulating Jordan with this mosaic across TV and print starting Nov. 4
· The mosaic will be open to the public for up-close viewing on Wed., Oct. 28 and Thurs., Oct. 29; deconstruction of the mosaic will take place that evening
· There is a viewing platform so that the public can see the mosaic from above
Since signing a multi-year deal with AT&T in May of 2014, Jordan has helped AT&T promote the dangers of distracted driving by appearing in an “It Can Wait” commercial that aired during the 2015 Masters. Jordan’s golf bag also carries the AT&T logo. We’re looking forward to a another great year in 2016 and more collaboration with this bright star on the TOUR.
I wonder when AT&T is going to sponsor a Hooked On Golf Blog mosaic in a major city? #snubbedagain
Broadcast Notes:
2015-16 season kicks off: This week marks the first of 47 official events during the 2015-16 PGA TOUR season, with seven of those events being played in 2015.
Napa, Calif., resident Johnny Miller to contribute to Golf Channel’s event coverage: Napa resident and Golf Channel on NBC analyst Johnny Miller will make multiple appearances during Golf Channel’s telecasts of the Frys.com Open this week. Miller was instrumental in finding a new home for the event after previously being contested at CordeValle in San Martin, Calif.
Frys.com Pro-Am airing Wednesday at 9 p.m. ET: On Wednesday at 9 p.m. ET, Golf Channel will air the Frys.com Pro-Am, as players make their final preparations ahead of Thursday’s opening round. U.S. Presidents Cup participant Chris Kirk will be mic’d up during the Pro-Am and provide viewers with insight during his round. NBA star (Golden State Warriors) Stephen Curry has committed to compete in the Pro-Am.
Jordan Spieth: Player of the Year airing Wednesday at 10 p.m. ET: Immediately following the Frys.com Pro-Am show, Golf Channel will present a 30-minute special looking back on the memorable 2014-15 season of World No. 1, Jordan Spieth. The show will feature an exclusive interview with Spieth, conducted by Golf Channel’s Rich Lerner and Gary Williams. A roundtable discussion with Lerner, Williams, Damon Hack and Tim Rosaforte also will examine Spieth’s memorable season in the context of golf history.
PGA TOUR Season in Review airing on NBC, Sunday at 12:30 p.m. ET: Viewers will have an opportunity to recount the memorable 2014-2015 PGA TOUR season, with PGA TOUR 2015: Season in Review presented by Astellas airing Sunday, Oct. 18 at 12:30 p.m. ET on NBC. The special will examine the moments, biggest events and breakout stars from the past season on TOUR.
Headlining the field: Rory McIlroy, Hideki Matsuyama, Brooks Koepka, Justin Rose, Chris Kirk, Daniel Berger, Charl Schwartzel, Brandt Snedeker, Ollie Schniederjans and Webb Simpson.
CHAMPIONS TOUR
San Antonio Championship
Dates: Oct. 16-18
Venue: TPC San Antonio (AT&T Canyons Course), San Antonio, Texas
Broadcast Notes:
Charles Schwab Cup race continues with two events remaining prior to season-culminating event: With only two events remaining prior to the Champions Tour’s season-ending Charles Schwab Cup Championship, the race continues for the $1 million bonus prize. Colin Montgomerie regained the top place in the current standings with a T-5 finish at the SAS Championship. Jeff Maggert (39 points behind), Bernhard Langer (336 points behind) each have an opportunity to supplant Montgomerie with strong showings in the final stretch of the season. Montgomerie’s slim lead over Maggert is the second-closest race for the Charles Schwab Cup this late in the season since the Schwab Cup began in 2001 (Fred Funk led Jay Haas by 28 points with three events remaining in 2008).
Allen defends: Michael Allen defeated Marco Dawson by two strokes for his seventh career Champions Tour win.
Headlining the field: Colin Montgomerie, Jeff Maggert, Bernhard Langer, Fred Couples, Marco Dawson, Kenny Perry, Tom Lehman, Mark O’Meara, Kirk Triplett and Lee Janzen.
LPGA TOUR
LPGA KEB-HanaBank Championship
Dates: Oct. 14-18
Venue: Sky 72 Golf Club (Ocean Course) – Incheon, South Korea
Broadcast Notes:
Format: The field features 77 players competing in a 72-hole tournament with no cut. The event also is being contested only 20 minutes from the Jack Nicklaus Golf Club Korea where the Presidents Cup was contested last week.
Baek defends: Q Baek defeated Brittany Lincicome and In Gee Chun with a birdie on the first playoff hole to earn her first career LPGA Tour win.
Headlining the field: Inbee Park, Lydia Ko, So Yeon Ryu, Lexi Thompson, Hyo-Joo Kim, Shanshan Feng, In Gee Chun, Suzann Pettersen, Paula Creamer, Charley Hull and Michelle Wie.
EUROPEAN TOUR
Portugal Masters
Dates: Oct. 15-18
Venue: Oceanico Victoria Golf Club, Vilamoura, Portugal
Broadcast Notes:
Levy defends: Alexander Levy finished three shots ahead of Nicolas Colsaerts for his second career European Tour win.
Headlining the field: Martin Kaymer, Padraig Harrington, Darren Clarke, Bernd Wiesberger, Thorbjorn Olesen, Thomas Pieters, Pablo Larrazabal and Paul Dunne.
COMING UP…
2015 World Long Drive Championship
Dates: Oct. 20-21
Venue: WinStar World Casino and Resort, Thackerville, Okla.
Broadcast Notes:
Format: Golf Channel will showcase back-to-back nights of primetime coverage of the 2015 World Long Drive Championship, featuring the round of 16 being narrowed down to eight competitors (Tuesday, Oct. 20), and the remaining eight dueling for the first place prize and $250,000 purse (Wednesday, Oct. 21). Golf Channel’s expanded coverage of the Championship also will include news and results of the qualifying rounds, Oct. 14-19, leading up to live coverage on Oct. 20-21. New to 2015, competitors will have 2 minutes, 45 seconds to hit their drives in each round, and the player who is trailing in the match will have an opportunity to hit one final ball past their opponent’s to try and advance to the next round in the bracket.
Tournament Airtimes on NBC (Eastern):
Saturday Day Three Re-Air (Noon-3:30 p.m.)
Sunday Final Day Re-Air (Noon-6 p.m.)
Broadcast Notes:
Format: The biennial match play event will feature five foursomes matches contested on Day 1; five four-ball matches on Day 2, four morning foursomes and four afternoon four-ball matches on Day 3, and 12 singles matches on the Final Day. The total number of matches this year has been reduced from 34 to 30, and a team must earn 15 ½ points to win the Presidents Cup. Each player must compete in at least two of the four sessions of play prior to the singles matches on the final day.
Event coverage: NBC Sports Group will dedicate nearly 60 hours of live news, analysis and tournament coverage surrounding the 2015 Presidents Cup, Oct. 5-11, including more than 25 hours of live tournament coverage on Golf Channel kicking off each night in primetime. Golf Central’s Live From the Presidents Cup will feature comprehensive news, highlights, and expert analysis; player/captain news conferences; exclusive “look-ins” that will show players preparing for their matches; the Opening Ceremony (Wednesday, Oct. 7, 5 a.m. ET) and Closing Ceremony (Sunday, Oct. 11, 3:30 a.m. ET) and compelling feature stories throughout the week.
Captains to Set Day 1 Foursome Matches Lineup Live on Tuesday, 7-11 p.m. ET: Captains Jay Haas (United States) and Nick Price (International) will announce their respective lineups for Day 1 foursome matches live within Golf Central’s Live From the Presidents Cup on Tuesday, Oct. 6 from 7-11 p.m. ET.
United States Team: Jordan Spieth, Bubba Watson, Jimmy Walker, Zach Johnson, Rickie Fowler, Dustin Johnson, Patrick Reed, Matt Kuchar, Chris Kirk, J.B. Holmes, Bill Haas and Phil Mickelson.
International Team: Jason Day (Australia), Louis Oosthuizen (South Africa), Adam Scott (Australia), Hideki Matsuyama (Japan), Branden Grace (South Africa), Marc Leishman (Australia), Anirban Lahiri (India), Charl Schwartzel (South Africa), Thongchai Jaidee (Thailand), Danny Lee (New Zealand), Steven Bowditch (Australia) and Sangmoon Bae (South Korea).
CHAMPIONS TOUR
SAS Championship
Dates: Oct. 9-11
Venue: Prestonwood Country Club, Cary, N.C.
Broadcast Notes:
Triplett defends: Kirk Triplett defeated Tom Lehman by three strokes for his fourth career Champions Tour victory.
Headlining the field: Bernhard Langer, Colin Montgomerie, Kenny Perry, Tom Lehman, Jeff Maggert, Marco Dawson, Kirk Triplett, Corey Pavin, Lee Janzen and John Cook.
LPGA TOUR
Sime Darby LPGA Malaysia
Dates: Oct. 8-11
Venue: Kuala Lumpur Golf & Country Club (East Course), Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
Tournament Airtimes on Golf Channel (Eastern):
Thursday Noon-2 p.m. (Tape delay) / 11:30 p.m.-3:30 a.m. Wednesday (Streaming on Golf Live Extra)
Friday 5-7:30 a.m. (Tape delay) / 11:30 p.m.-3:30 a.m. Wednesday (Streaming on Golf Live Extra)
Saturday 11 a.m.-1 p.m. (Tape delay) / 11:30 p.m.-3:30 a.m. Wednesday (Streaming on Golf Live Extra)
Sunday Noon-3:30 p.m. (Tape delay) / 11:30 p.m.-3:30 a.m. Wednesday (Streaming on Golf Live Extra)
Broadcast Notes:
Elite field: The field features nine of the top-10 players in the Rolex Women’s World Golf Rankings, including Inbee Park (No. 1), Lydia Ko (No. 2) and Stacy Lewis (No. 3).
Feng defends: Shanshan Feng finished three shots ahead of Pornanong Phatlum for her fourth career LPGA Tour win.
Headlining the field: Inbee Park, Lydia Ko, Stacy Lewis, So Yeon Ryu, Lexi Thompson, Hyo-Joo Kim, Shanshan Feng, Suzann Pettersen, Paula Creamer, Charley Hull and Michelle Wie.
EUROPEAN TOUR
British Masters
Dates: Oct. 8-11
Venue: Woburn Golf Club (Marquess’ Course), Milton Keynes, England
Tournament Airtimes on Golf Channel (Eastern):
Thursday 7 a.m.-Noon (Live)
Friday 7:30-10 a.m. (Live) / 10 a.m.-12:30 p.m. (Streaming on Golf Live Extra)
Saturday 8-11 a.m. (Live) / 11 a.m.-Noon (Streaming on Golf Live Extra)
Sunday 8 a.m.-Noon (Live)
Broadcast Notes:
British Masters returns for first time since 2008: This is the 63rd edition of the British Masters, but the first since 2008. The event was discontinued in 2009 after struggling to find a sponsor, but was revived this year with the support of Sky Sports and backing of Ian Poulter, Luke Donald, Justin Rose and Lee Westwood, who will rotate hosting duties and have input on the host course over the next four years. Poulter will act as tournament host this week at Woburn Golf Club.
Headlining the field: Graeme McDowell, Ian Poulter, Luke Donald, Miguel Angel Jimenez, Shane Lowry, Lee Westwood, Danny Willett, Darren Clarke and Padraig Harrington.
PGA TOUR
CHAMPIONS TOUR
LPGA TOUR
EUROPEAN TOUR
PGA TOUR
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