Masters Week Kicks Off Sunday With Five Hours of Live Coverage of the 2015 Drive, Chip & Putt Championship National Finals from Augusta National Golf Club
Masters Greats, Including Arnold Palmer, Jack Nicklaus, Gary Player, Ben Crenshaw, Tom Watson and Raymond Floyd Expected to Join the Live From the Masters Set During the Week
Compelling Features Include an Intimate Portrait of Masters Defending Champion Bubba Watson’s Family Life; the Rise of Rory McIlroy; Tiger’s Dramatic – and Last – Masters Win in 2005; the Lore of Augusta National’s Famous 12th Hole; and More
GolfChannel.com Also Providing News, Features, Perspective and Analysis; Plus Video Reports from On-Air Personalities and GolfChannel.com Writers From Augusta
Coverage Culminates by Remembering Ben Crenshaw’s Special Relationship with the Masters in Golf Channel Films’ Premiere of Ben Crenshaw: A Walk Through Augusta, Monday, April 13 at 10 p.m. ET
ORLANDO, Fla. (March 31, 2015) –Masters Week begins on Sunday, April 5, with live coverage of the 2015 Drive, Chip & Putt Championship National Finals followed on Monday with the start of the network’s Golf Central Live From the Masters signature coverage. This year, Golf Channel will offer more than 80 total hours of live news and themed Masters programming from Augusta National Golf Club and Golf Channel’s World Headquarters in Orlando. The week will be capped on Monday, April 13, with the premiere of Ben Crenshaw: A Walk Through Augusta, the latest production by Emmy-nominated Golf Channel Films, which debuted the award-winning Arnie after last year’s Masters.
Drive, Chip & Putt Championship National Finals
On the eve of the Masters Tournament, 80 national finalists – representing boys and girls from across the U.S. and Canada – will experience a thrill of a lifetime by competing at Augusta National Golf Club in the Drive, Chip & Putt Championship National Finals. Golf Channel will feature five hours of live coverage of the event, including an hour-long pre-game show at 8 a.m. ET followed by four hours of live competition beginning at 9 a.m. ET. The Drive, Chip & Putt Championship is a free, nationwide youth golf development open to boys and girls competing in separate skills divisions (driving, chipping, putting) in four age categories (7-9, 10-11, 12-13, 14-15). Rich Lerner will provide play-by-play commentary, with Peter Jacobsen as lead analyst. Reporting from the field of competition will be Michael Breed, Charlie Rymer, Kay Cockerill, Steve Sands and Jimmy Roberts. Profiles on several of the national finalists will continue to air on Golf Channel leading up to the event.
Golf Central’s Live From the Masters
Golf Channel’s signature news coverage of golf’s biggest events will dominate the network’s programming schedule during Masters Week with more than 50 live hours featured throughout the day and in primetime. Anchoring Live From the Masters coverage from Augusta National Golf Club will be Rich Lerner, Brandel Chamblee, Frank Nobilo, Notah Begay, David Duval, Steve Sands, Mark Rolfing, Tim Rosaforte and Todd Lewis. Reporting from Golf Channel’s World Headquarters in Orlando will be Kelly Tilghman, Ryan Burr, Arron Oberholser, Tripp Isenhour and Jim Gallagher Jr.
Other guests scheduled to appear throughout the week include Masters champions Arnold Palmer, Jack Nicklaus, Gary Player, Tom Watson, Raymond Floyd and Ben Crenshaw, who will be playing in his last Masters and has been a guest on Live From the Masters since 2009.
Live From the Masters Scheduled Features (previews available upon request):
- Family Man – John Feinstein provides an inside look at how the golfer, Bubba Watson, became a family man.
- Rory’s Rise – Steve Sands follows the story of Rory McIlroy’s rise to World No. 1, highlighted by an in-depth interview with McIlroy, as well as commentary by journalists who cover the game, including Golf Digest’s Jaime Diaz and the BBC’s Steve Watson.
- The Grand Slam – Achieving the modern-day Grand Slam is most improbable for most professional golfers. But capturing all four major championships during the span of a career may be an aspiration for some. What is it about the elusive Grand Slam that captures our attention? Rich Lerner reports.
- Gentle Ben – As a companion to Golf Channel Films’ Ben Crenshaw: A Walk Through Augusta, this feature covers Crenshaw’s last Masters and the special relationship he has had with Augusta National throughout his career.
- The 12th – August National’s 12th hole, Golden Bell, has proven pivotal throughout the history of the Masters. Players and journalists will discuss what makes this hole so special and recall memorable moments.
- Green Jacket Stories – Not unlike Lord Stanley’s Cup, a Masters Green Jacket can travel the world with its reigning champion. George Savaricas explores some of the best Green Jacket stories in history, with details about where it’s been and some of the ways it’s been showed off by its recipients.
- Tiger 10 Years Later – It’s been 10 years since Tiger Woods won his fourth and final Masters, with a dramatic, playoff win over Chris DiMarco. During the intervening years, Woods has endured challenging times on and off the golf course. Rich Lerner remembers just how impressive Tiger was, and how he might regain the form that made him the most impressive athlete of his generation. Included are interviews with DiMarco, Michael Jordan and NFL Hall-of-Fame wide receiver Cris Carter.
- Closer Look – Live From the Masters also will feature sit-down profiles with:
- Rickie Fowler – yet to nab the big one, Fowler talks about getting tougher on the course and adopting a killer instinct that may lead him to his first major championship victory.
- Jordan Spieth – find out what he learned from his near miss at last year’s Masters.
- Jason Day – frequently on the cusp of a major championship, Day talks about his game and relationship with caddie Col Swatton.
Morning Drive
Morning Drive will kick off each morning of Masters Week with the latest news and commentary. Analysts Charlie Rymer and Chris DiMarco will be reporting live from Augusta National throughout the week. And Gary Williams, Damon Hack, Cara Robinson, Lauren Thompson and John Cook will be getting the day started from Studio AP at Golf Channel’s World Headquarters.
Crenshaw: A Walk Through Augusta
Throughout a Hall-of-Fame career, Ben Crenshaw’s special relationship with the Masters and Augusta National Golf Club is what he has held most dear. Golf Channel Films provides a life retrospective in Crenshaw: A Walk Through Augusta, premiering Monday, April 13 at 10 p.m. ET. Featuring interviews with family, friends and fellow pros – and behind-the-scenes footage with Crenshaw – the film also features rarely seen home movies and highlights of Crenshaw’s ’84 and ’95 Masters victories, punctuated by emotional stories of relationships with late teacher Harvey Penick and caddie Carl Jackson.
The Golf Fix: Conquering Augusta National
Hosted by 2012 PGA Professional Teacher of the Year Michael Breed, The Golf Fix will air on Monday, April 6 at 6 p.m. ET and focus on how players in the Masters field can prepare for Augusta National Golf Club. Featured within the show: the keys to playing Augusta National’s par-5s, the proper trajectory for hitting out of Augusta’s greenside bunkers, and how to putt on the course’s fast-breaking greens.
Digital Coverage
GolfChannel.com will feature expanded coverage from its team of writers on-site in Augusta. Content will include news reports, feature stories and exclusive video from GolfChannel.com reporters and Golf Channel on-air personalities.
Masters Week Programming Air Times (all times ET):
Sunday, April 5
6-8 a.m. Morning Drive
8-9 a.m. Live from the Drive, Chip & Putt Championship
9 a.m.-1 p.m. Drive, Chip & Putt Championship National Finals
3-5 p.m. Drive, Chip & Putt Championship National Finals (replay, subject to change per live tournament coverage)
Monday, April 6
7-9 a.m. Morning Drive
9 a.m.-1 p.m. Drive, Chip & Putt Championship National Finals (replay, subject to change per news conference schedule)
1-5 p.m. Live From the Masters
5-6 p.m. Masters Highlights: 2005-Tiger Woods
6-7 p.m. The Golf Fix
7-8:30 p.m. Live From the Masters
Tuesday, April 7
7-9 a.m. Morning Drive
9 a.m.-6 p.m. Live From the Masters
7-9 p.m. Live From the Masters
Wednesday, April 8
7-9 a.m. Morning Drive
9 a.m.-3 p.m. Live From the Masters
6-9 p.m. Live From the Masters
Thursday, April 9
6-8 a.m. Morning Drive
8 a.m.-3 p.m. Live From the Masters
7:30-9:30 p.m. Live From the Masters
Friday, April 10
6-8 a.m. Morning Drive
8 a.m.-3 p.m. Live From the Masters
7:30-9:30 p.m. Live From the Masters
Saturday, April 11
6-9:30 a.m. Morning Drive
9:30 a.m.-3 p.m. Live From the Masters
7-9 p.m. Live From the Masters
Sunday, April 12
6-9:30 a.m. Morning Drive
9:30 a.m.-2 p.m. Live From the Masters
7-9 p.m. Live From the Masters
Monday, April 13
10-11 p.m. Ben Crenshaw: A Walk Through Augusta
-NBC Sports Group-
