Golf Channel will have coverage of three tournaments this week. The PGA Tour begins the West Coast Swing as it hits Southern California with the Humana Challenge.
The European PGA Tour will be in Abu Dhabi for the HSBC Golf Championship. Phil Mickelson is there and will try to win an event in the Middle East.
Finally, the Champions Tour begins its 2014 campaign in Hawaii.
All of the tour action will be live and there will not be any tape delays. So you’ll have live golf from 8 a.m. until 10 p.m. Golf fans won’t have to leave the couch, although it’s probably a good idea to take breaks every three hours or so. Or you don’t have to leave the couch at all. I don’t know what I’m writing. Just read the schedule.
COMING UP ON GOLF CHANNEL…Jan. 16-19
PGA TOUR Hits Southern California for Humana Challenge in Partnership with the Clinton Foundation
Mickelson, McIlroy Headline European Tour’s Abu Dhabi HSBC Golf Championship
Champions Tour Opens 2014 Season in Hawaii with Mitsubishi Electric Championship at HualalaiORLANDO, Fla., (Jan. 14, 2014) – The PGA TOUR hits the mainland this week for the Humana Challenge in partnership with the Clinton Foundation, taking place in La Quinta, Calif. The full-field event kicks off the “west coast swing” and features a pro-am format with foursomes made up of two professionals and two amateurs, with the low six amateurs after 54 holes advancing to Sunday’s final round at PGA West.
The European Tour is in Abu Dhabi for the HSBC Golf Championship, with a field that features four of the top 10 in the Official World Golf Rankings, including Phil Mickelson and Rory McIlroy. The Champions Tour will begin its 2014 season in Hawaii with the Mitsubishi Electric Championship at Hualalai, featuring an elite field of 41 players who have won on the Champions Tour the past two years or have won a Champions Tour Major Championship in the past five years.
PGA TOUR
Humana Challenge in partnership with the Clinton Foundation
Dates: January 16-19
Venues: Palmer Private Course, PGA West; Nicklaus Private Course, PGA West; La Quinta Country Club (all three courses in La Quinta, Calif.)Broadcast Notes:
- Presidential Treatment: The Humana Challenge is one of the more unique events on TOUR, with former President Bill Clinton and the Clinton Foundation taking on a lead role throughout the week.
- Holly Sonders in the Field: Golf Channel personality Holly Sonders (co-host of Morning Drive, School of Golf and Playing Lessons) is competing in the amateur portion of the event. Sonders was a member of the Michigan State University women’s golf team, and helped her team win a Big Ten Championship in 2007.
- Faldo’s 2014 Debut In The Booth: Nick Faldo makes his first Golf Channel appearance of 2014, joining Terry Gannon in the broadcast booth as lead analyst.
- Driving Distance Grid Returns: The Driving Distance Grid, a graphic representation that measures the yardage of tee shots, returns to Golf Channel tournament coverage this week, and will be displayed on the 18th hole of the Palmer Private course at PGA West. Similar to the “First and 10” graphic lines used during NFL broadcasts, the Driving Distance Grid graphic lines will be marked off in 25-yard increments on the 18th fairway, tracking the longest drives of the tournament and creating a long-drive atmosphere for viewers.
- New Amateur Format: One of two PGA TOUR events to feature amateurs competing alongside professional golfers during the competition (Pebble Beach National Pro-Am), the Humana Challenge is incorporating a change in the format from years past. Foursomes will be made up of two professionals and two amateurs, with the low six amateurs after 54 holes competing on Sunday during the final round.
- Gay Defends: Brian Gay needed a 63 in the final round of last year’s event to force a playoff that he eventually won for his fourth PGA TOUR title. He looks to defend his title this week, coming off a T-32 at the Sony Open in Hawaii.
- Headlining The Field: Brandt Snedeker, Rickie Fowler, Keegan Bradley, Zach Johnson, Webb Simpson, Brian Gay, Billy Horschel, John Daly and Harris English.
Tournament Airtimes On Golf Channel (Eastern):
Thursday 3-7 p.m. (Live)/7:30-11:30 p.m. (Replay)/Midnight-4 a.m. (Replay)
Friday 3-7 p.m. (Live)/10:30 p.m.-1:30 a.m. (Replay)
Saturday 3-7 p.m. (Live)/10:30 p.m.-1:30 a.m. (Replay)
Sunday 3-7 p.m. (Live)/10:30 p.m.-2:30 a.m. (Replay)
Golf Channel Broadcast Team:
Play by Play: Terry Gannon
Analyst: Nick Faldo
Tower: Curt Byrum/Matt Gogel
On Course: Jerry Foltz/Roger Maltbie
Interviews: Todd LewisEUROPEAN TOUR
Abu Dhabi HSBC Golf Championship
Dates: January 16-19
Venue: Abu Dhabi Golf Club, Abu Dhabi, United Arab EmiratesBroadcast Notes:
- Mickelson and McIlroy Share Spotlight: Phil Mickelson and Rory McIlroy headline a strong field that includes four of the top 10 players in the Official World Golf Ranking.
- Kicking off the Middle East Swing: This week is the first of three consecutive European Tour events taking place in the Middle East. Next week the Tour heads to Qatar, followed by Dubai.
- Donaldson Defends: Jamie Donaldson won last year’s event by a single shot over Justin Rose and Thorbjorn Olesen and will try and defend this week.
- Headlining The Field: Phil Mickelson, Rory McIlroy, Henrik Stenson, Luke Donald, Sergio Garcia, Martin Kaymer, Matteo Manassero, Miguel Angel Jimenez and Jamie Donaldson.
Tournament Airtimes On Golf Channel (Eastern):
Thursday 4-8 a.m. (Live)/10:30 a.m.-2:30 p.m. (Replay)
Friday 4-8 a.m. (Live)/10:30 a.m.-2:30 p.m. (Replay)
Saturday 4-8 a.m. (Live)/10:30 a.m.-2:30 p.m. (Replay)
Sunday 4-8 a.m. (Live)/10:30 a.m.-2:30 pm. (Replay)Tournament Broadcast Team:
Studio Host: Tom Abbott
Play by Play: Dougie Donnelly
Analyst: Tony Johnstone/Ken Brown
On Course: Julian TuttCHAMPIONS TOUR
Mitsubishi Electric Championship at Hualalai
Dates: January 17-19
Venue: Hualalai Resort Golf Club, Ka’upulehu-Kona, HawaiiBroadcast Notes:
- Season Opener: 41 players will tee it up this week when the Champions Tour kicks off its 2014 season and the quest for the Charles Schwab Cup. The field is comprised of players having won a Champions Tour major in the previous five seasons, or any Champions Tour victory in the previous two seasons.
- Cook Defends: John Cook needed to hole a 16-foot birdie putt on the final hole last year to force a playoff with David Frost, and Cook made birdie on the second playoff hole to earn the victory.
- Headlining The Field: Fred Couples, Tom Watson, Bernhard Langer, Nick Price, Kenny Perry, Rocco Mediate, Tom Lehman, Jay Haas, Fred Funk, John Cook and Mark Calcavecchia.
Tournament Airtimes On Golf Channel (Eastern):
Friday 7-10 p.m. (Live/2-4 a.m. (Replay)
Saturday 7-10 p.m. (Live)/2-4 a.m. (Replay)
Sunday 7-10 p.m. (Live)/3-5 a.m. (Replay)Golf Channel Broadcast Team:
Play by Play: Bob Papa
Analyst: Lanny Wadkins
Tower: Dave Marr/John Mahaffey
On Course: Billy Ray Brown/Mark Rolfing
That is all
