Darius Rucker Intercollegiate Presented by PXG – Premier Women’s Collegiate Event – Makes Television Debut and Joins GOLF Channel’s 2022 Spring College Golf Schedule
Comprehensive College Golf Coverage to Total 130+ Hours on GOLF Channel This Spring, Beginning Monday with the Southwestern Invitational
College Central to Surround Spring College Golf Coverage; Spring Preview Special to Air Feb. 8 on GOLF Channel
STAMFORD, Conn. – Jan. 21, 2022 – NBC Sports presents extensive coverage of top men’s and women’s college golf tournaments this spring, totaling more than 130 hours, on GOLF Channel, featuring the television debut of the Darius Rucker Intercollegiate Presented by PXG, marking the first all-women’s regular season collegiate golf event to be presented live on GOLF Channel.
Coverage will also include the 2022 NCAA Women’s and Men’s Golf Championships, the Southwestern Invitational Presented by Topgolf, and the Western Intercollegiate Presented by Topgolf and Titleist.
The Southwestern Invitational from North Ranch Country Club in Westlake Village, Calif., next week on Jan. 24-26 kicks off GOLF Channel’s 2022 spring college golf tournament schedule.
Below is the full schedule:
| Event | Dates | Location |
| Southwestern Invitational | Jan. 24-26 | North Ranch Country Club |
| Darius Rucker Intercollegiate | Feb. 28-March 2 | Long Cove Club |
| Western Intercollegiate | April 11-13 | Pasatiempo Golf Club |
| NCAA Women’s Championships | May 23-25 | Grayhawk Golf Club |
| NCAA Men’s Championships | May 30-June 1 | Grayhawk Golf Club |
College Central will surround spring college golf and provide pre-round coverage leading into all events on GOLF Channel. A 30-minute special spring preview edition of College Central will air on Tuesday, Feb. 8, at 4:30 p.m. ET on GOLF Channel.
All GOLF Channel coverage also streams on NBCSports.com and the NBC Sports app via “TV Everywhere,” giving consumers additional value for their subscription service, and making high quality content available to MVPD customers both in and out of the home and on multiple platforms.
SOUTHWESTERN INVITATIONAL
The Southwestern Invitational Presented by Topgolf is a 54-hole team and individual stroke play championship that features top Division I men’s golf programs across the country taking place annually at North Ranch Country Club (Lakes & Oaks Courses) in Westlake Village, Calif. Past individual champions of the event include Tiger Woods (1996, Stanford University), Patrick Cantlay (2011, UCLA), Paul Casey (1998, Arizona State University) and Corey Pavin (1978, 1981, UCLA).
This year’s event is hosted by defending NCAA national champions Pepperdine University and features five teams in the NCAA top 25 rankings, according to the final rankings of the 2021 fall season. The 2022 12-team tournament field features:
- 6 Pepperdine (host)
- 3 Arizona State
- 13 Georgia
- San Diego State
- San José State
- SMU
- 8 Texas
- UCLA
- UNLV
- USC
- Wake Forest
- 21 Washington
Live comprehensive tournament coverage will be presented on GOLF Channel all three days from 4:30-7:30 p.m. ET.
| Dates | Live (ET) | Encores (ET) |
| Monday, Jan. 24 | 4:30-7:30 p.m. | 8:30-11:30 p.m. |
| Tuesday, Jan. 25 | 4:30-7:30 p.m. | 8:30-11:30 p.m.; Midnight-3 a.m. |
| Wednesday, Jan. 26 | 4:30-7:30 p.m. | 4-6:30 a.m. (Thursday) |
GOLF Channel Broadcast Team
- Play by Play: Bob Papa
- Analyst: John Cook
- Tower: Steve Burkowski
- On-Course: Billy Ray Brown / Emilia Migliaccio
DARIUS RUCKER INTERCOLLEGIATE
The Darius Rucker Intercollegiate Presented by PXG will make its television debut on GOLF Channel this spring, marking the first all-women’s regular season collegiate golf tournament to be presented live on the network. The annual event, hosted by multi-platinum country artist and PXG ambassador Darius Rucker, is held at Long Cove Club in Hilton Head, S.C., and features a 54-hole stroke play competition for individual and team honors. Past individual champions of the event include Maria Fassi (2018, University of Arkansas), Emilia Migliaccio (2020, Wake Forest University), and Cheyenne Knight (2016, 2017, University of Alabama).
The 17-team field for the 10th edition of the tournament features South Carolina (host), Alabama, Arizona State, Arkansas, Auburn, Baylor, Duke, Furman, Georgia, Kentucky, LSU, Louisville, North Carolina, Northwestern, Texas, Vanderbilt, and Wake Forest. GOLF Channel will present live tournament coverage across all three days from 2:30-5:30 p.m. ET.
| Dates | Live (ET) | Encores (ET) |
| Monday, Feb. 28 | 2:30-5:30 p.m. | Midnight-3 a.m. |
| Tuesday, March 1 | 2:30-5:30 p.m. | 9:30p.m.-12:30 a.m.; 8-11 a.m. (Wednesday) |
| Wednesday, March 2 | 2:30-5:30 p.m. | 6:30-9:30 p.m. |
WESTERN INTERCOLLEGIATE
The Western Intercollegiate Presented by Topgolf and Titleist, hosted by San José State University, takes place annually at Pasatiempo Golf Club in Santa Cruz, Calif., in April. The event is a 54-hole stroke play and team match play competition and marks the final regular season event for the men’s field prior to the start of the conference championships. The individual champion receives the coveted Blue Jacket, with past winners including Johnny Miller (1968, BYU), Ken Venturi (1953, San José State University), Peter Jacobsen (1974, Arizona State University), Arron Oberholser (1996, San José State University), and Scottie Scheffler (2015, University of Texas). Players who have competed in the Western Intercollegiate have collectively earned 425 PGA TOUR victories and 44 major championships.
The teams taking part in the 75th edition of one of the longest-running collegiate tournaments in the U.S. are San José State (host), Arizona, BYU, California Berkeley, Colorado State, Hawaii, Oregon, Pepperdine, San Diego State, Stanford, UC Irvine, USC, Texas, and Washington.
GOLF Channel will present live tournament coverage all three days.
| Dates | Live (ET) | Encores (ET) |
| Monday, April 11 | 7-10 p.m. | Midnight-3 a.m. |
| Tuesday, April 12 | 7-10 p.m. | 11 p.m.-2 a.m. |
| Wednesday, April 13 | 4-7 p.m. | 3-6 a.m.; 6-9 a.m. (Thursday) |
NCAA WOMEN’S & MEN’S CHAMPIONSHIPS
Comprehensive coverage of the 2022 NCAA Women’s (May 23-25) and Men’s (May 30-June 1) Golf Championships, totaling nearly 70 hours, will be presented on GOLF Channel over two weeks in late May and early June. Arizona State will host both Championships at Grayhawk Golf Club in Scottsdale, Ariz, marking the second of three consecutive championships that will be held at the club.
Last year’s champions were Pepperdine University (men’s team), University of Mississippi (women’s team), Turk Pettit (men’s individual, Clemson University), and Rachel Heck (women’s individual, Stanford University). Additional programming details for the 2022 NCAA Women’s and Men’s Golf Championships will be announced in the coming months.
PGA TOUR UNIVERSITY PRESENTED BY VELOCITY GLOBAL
PGA TOUR University Presented by Velocity Global rewards elite college players with access to Tours operated under the PGA TOUR umbrella, while upholding the principles and virtues of collegiate athletics. Introduced in 2020, the program strengthens and elevates the path to the PGA TOUR through the Korn Ferry Tour and PGA TOUR international tours. All top-10 2021 PGA TOUR University finishers earned Korn Ferry Tour membership in 2022.
The Velocity Global Ranking will be featured on GOLF Channel each Wednesday on Golf Today and within weekly live tournament coverage during the spring, as well as across GOLF Channel and PGA TOUR digital platforms throughout the year. For more information, please visit www.PGATOUR.com/university and follow PGA TOUR University on Twitter and Instagram (@PGATOURU).
ANNIKA AND HASKINS AWARD PRESENTED BY STIFEL
GOLF Channel presents annual coverage of the announcements of the ANNIKA Award presented by Stifel and Haskins Award Presented by Stifel winners, which honor the nation’s most outstanding female and male Division I collegiate golfers. Throughout the year, ANNIKA and Haskins Award Watch Lists are featured and updated with top performers across GOLF Channel linear and digital platforms.
Rachel Heck won the ANNIKA Award in 2021 and past recipients include two-time winner Maria Fassi (2018, 2019) and Bronte Law (2016, UCLA). John Pak of Florida State University took home the Haskins Award last year. Past winners of the Haskins Award include Tiger Woods (1996), Phil Mickelson (1990-92, Arizona State University), Ben Crenshaw (1971-73, University of Texas), Justin Thomas (2012, University of Alabama), and Matthew Wolff (2019, Oklahoma State University).
COLLEGE GOLF TALK
Throughout the spring, Steve Burkowski and Brentley Romine host GOLF Channel’s College Golf Talk Podcast. From in-depth interviews with current players and coaches to expert analysis from the top college golf gurus, the College Golf Talk Podcast will keep you informed all season long. The College Golf Talk Podcast is available on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Stitcher or wherever you listen to your podcasts.
ABOUT GOLF CHANNEL’S COLLEGE GOLF PLATFORM
GOLF Channel is the television home for college golf, currently providing live coverage of nine college golf championships. GOLF Channel deploys its comprehensive portfolio of news, digital and social media coverage year-round in covering collegiate golf, including specials for regional and national qualifying, on-site and wraparound news from golf’s biggest college events, serving as the exclusive media partner of PGA TOUR University Presented by Velocity Global and the Velocity Global Ranking, and exclusive annual coverage for the Haskins and ANNIKA Awards Presented by Stifel.
Following its announcement in 2013 as the exclusive television provider of the NCAA Golf Championships, GOLF Channel has provided live coverage of the NCAA Men’s Championships since 2014 and the NCAA Women’s Championships since 2015, which now are hosted at the same venue in consecutive weeks at Grayhawk Golf Club in Scottsdale, Ariz. GOLF Channel also annually televises the three-day East Lake Cup at historic East Lake Golf Club in Atlanta, Ga.; the Western Intercollegiate Presented by Topgolf and Titleist, one of the longest-running college tournaments in the U.S. taking place at Pasatiempo Golf Club in Santa Cruz, Calif.; the Darius Rucker Intercollegiate Presented by PXG at Long Cove Club in Hilton Head, S.C.; the Maridoe Collegiate Invitational at Maridoe Golf Club in Texas; the Blessings Collegiate Invitational in Fayetteville, Ark; the Jackson T. Stephens Cup; and the Southwestern Invitational Presented by Topgolf at North Ranch Country Club in Westlake Village, Calif.
Bryson DeChambeau, Collin Morikawa, Jon Rahm, Viktor Hovland, Matthew Wolff, Jennifer Kupcho, Bronte Law and Maria Fassi are just a few of the professional golfers who appeared on GOLF Channel while competing in college.
--NBC SPORTS--