2014 NCAA Division I Men’s Golf Championships Production Plans Set for Golf Channel’s Inaugural Coverage
ORLANDO, Fla., April 29, 2014 – The excitement and drama of the NCAA Division I Men’s Golf Championships returns to television in May when Golf Channel airs exclusive, live tournament coverage Monday, May 26 through Wednesday, May 28, when 30 teams and an additional six student athletes tee-it-up at Prairie Dunes Country Club in Hutchinson, Kan., for the team and individual championship honors.
“Fans of the sport will now be able to see for themselves what makes this championship so special,” said Mike Carter, chair of the NCAA Division I Men’s Golf Committee and director of athletics at Oral Roberts University. “Partnering with the Golf Channel made perfect sense for our championship and we appreciate their commitment in helping to grow the sport. You can feel the sense of excitement from our student-athletes and teams as they strive to participate in this championship experience.”
Golf Channel will dedicate its full suite of production resources to the NCAA Division I Men’s Golf Championships, featuring nine hours of live tournament coverage from Prairie Dunes Country Club. In addition, Golf Central will originate on-location with 11 hours of pre-and post-event news coverage, as well as daily news updates on Morning Drive and online at GolfChannel.com.
Hosted by Wichita State University, the 2014 NCAA Division I Men’s Golf Championships will feature the top collegiate golfers in America and the game’s future stars. Featuring a new tournament format, 30 teams and six student-athletes – who advanced from NCAA Regional Qualifying – will compete in an individual stroke-play format over 54 holes (Friday-Sunday, May 23-25). Golf Channel’s live coverage will begin on Monday, May 26, when the top 40 individuals and ties will compete in the fourth and final stroke-play round to determine the individual national champion. On Tuesday, May 27 (quarterfinals and semi-finals) and Wednesday, May 28 (finals), the low eight teams from the 54-hole qualifying will compete in match play competition to determine the team national champion.
Click the link below to view a transcript of the NCAA/Golf Channel Championship Press Conference/Media Conference Call from April 29.
Press Conference/Media Conference Call Transcript
Golf Channel NCAA Men’s Division I Golf Championships Tournament Coverage
Monday, May 26 Final Round, Individual Stroke Play 5-8 p.m. ET (Live)
Tuesday, May 27 Semifinals, Match Play 5-8 p.m. ET (Live)
Wednesday, May 28 Finals, Match Play 5-8 p.m. ET (Live)
“Our partnership with the NCAA will bring the great drama of the collegiate game to our viewers through not only our coverage of the NCAA Golf Championships, but our commitment to cover college golf throughout the year,” said Molly Solomon, executive producer of Golf Channel. “We look forward to introducing to our viewers the future stars of the game and tapping into the passionate fan bases of their respective schools.”
Golf Channel Tournament Broadcast Team
Golf Channel’s NCAA Men’s Division I Golf Championships broadcast team will be as follows:
Billy Ray Brown On-Course Reporter (1982 NCAA Individual Champion, member of 3-time NCAA Team National Champions, University of Houston)
Steve Burkowski Interviews (Golf Channel College Insider)
Curt Byrum Tower Announcer (Participant in 1979 NCAA Division I Men’s Golf Championships, University of New Mexico)
Bob Papa Play-by-Play
Lanny Wadkins Lead Analyst (3-time NCAA Division I Men’s Golf Championships participant – 1969 (10th), 1970 (2nd) and 1971 (6th), Wake Forest University)
Golf Central Live From Prairie Dunes
Beginning Sunday, May 25, Golf Central will air from a dedicated set at Prairie Dunes Country Club, delivering wraparound coverage before and after tournament play. Kelly Tilghman (Duke University, 2-time NCAA Division I Women’s Golf Championships participant), Charlie Rymer (Georgia Tech, 4-time NCAA Men’s Golf Championships participant), Holly Sonders (Michigan State University, 2007 Big Ten Champions) and Golf Channel’s college insider Steve Burkowski will anchor the network’s news coverage, with highlights, interviews, analysis and special features. An expanded Golf Central on Wednesday (1-5 p.m. ET) will lead into the match play finals.
Morning Drive
Golf Channel will begin each morning of the NCAA Division I Men’s Golf Championships with the latest results and analysis on Morning Drive, featuring live interviews from Prairie Dunes and previewing tournament action later in the day.
GolfChannel.com Expands Digital Coverage
GolfChannel.com has expanded its collegiate editorial presence to provide comprehensive coverage leading up to and during the NCAA Division I Men’s and Women’s Golf Championships as part of College Central (www.GolfChannel.com/college). College Central will be the source for all things NCAA golf, including tournament results, features and columns, video highlights and breaking news.
Road to the NCAA National Championships News Coverage on Golf Channel
As teams qualify for the 2014 NCAA Division I Men’s and Women’s Golf Championships, Golf Channel will cover the key storylines:
- Monday, May 5: NCAA Division I Men’s Golf Selections Announcement airing live on Golf Channel at 10 a.m. ET, airing within Morning Drive.
- Thursday-Saturday, May 8-10: Golf Central and Morning Drive will feature scores, highlights and interviews from the four NCAA Division I Women’s Golf Regional Championships.
- Thursday-Saturday, May 15-17: Golf Central and Morning Drive will provide scores, highlights and interviews from the NCAA Division I Men’s Golf Regional Championships.
- Tuesday-Friday, May 20-23: Golf Central and Morning Drive will provide on-site news coverage from the NCAA Division I Women’s Golf Championships from Tulsa Country Club in Tulsa, Okla.
2014 marks the return of the NCAA Men’s Golf Championships to live television after a 14-year absence. Through a multi-year partnership with the NCAA, Golf Channel will air tournament action from both the NCAA Division I Men’s and Women’s Golf Championships beginning in 2015. The 2015 championships are scheduled to be contested at The Concession Golf Club in Bradenton, Fla., and hosted by the University of South Florida. The 2015 championships will mark the first time since 1997 that the NCAA Division I Women’s Golf Championship will air live on television.
NCAA Men’s Division I Golf Championships / Golf Channel Programming Schedule
Sunday, May 25 Golf Central 6-7 p.m. ET
Monday, May 26 Morning Drive 7-10 a.m. ET
Golf Central Pre Game 3-5 p.m. ET
NCAA Men’s Division I Golf Championships
Individual Stroke Play Final Round 5-8 p.m. ET
Tuesday, May 27 Morning Drive 7-10 a.m. ET
Golf Central Pre Game 3-5 p.m. ET
NCAA Men’s Division I Golf Championships
Match Play Semi Finals 5-8 p.m. ET
Wednesday, May 28 Morning Drive 7-10 a.m. ET
Golf Central Pre Game 1-5 p.m. ET
NCAA Men’s Division I Golf Championships
Match Play Finals 5-8 p.m. ET
ABOUT THE NCAA
The NCAA is a membership-led nonprofit association of colleges and universities committed to supporting academic and athletic opportunities for more than 450,000 student-athletes at more than 1,000 member colleges and universities. Each year, more than 54,000 student-athletes compete in NCAA championships in Divisions I, II and III sports. Visit www.NCAA.org and www.NCAA.com for more details about the Association, its goals and members and corporate partnerships that help support programs for student-athletes.
ABOUT GOLF CHANNEL
Golf Channel is a multimedia, golf entertainment and services company based in Orlando, Fla. Golf Channel, co-founded by Arnold Palmer in 1995 and now part of the NBC Sports Group, is available in more than 120 million homes and 83 countries worldwide. Exclusive partnerships with the world’s top tours allow Golf Channel to feature more live golf coverage than all other networks combined, as well as a programming schedule distinguished by golf’s highest-quality news, instruction and original programming. Golf Channel’s digital platforms, led by GolfChannel.com, are the leading golf destinations on the Internet, delivering unmatched coverage of the world of golf, as well as services that connect the world to golf. Fans are able to enjoy 24/7 live streaming of Golf Channel content through GolfChannel.com and Golf Channel’s mobile application, Golf Live Extra. Golf Channel programming also is available via SiriusXM’s PGA TOUR Radio.