Day, Spieth & McIlroy Highlight Strong Field in Ohio at Muirfield for the Memorial Tournament, Featuring Each of the Top-5 Players in the World
Stenson, Westwood Headline at Nordea Masters with an Invitation to 145TH Open Up for Grabs as Part of The Open Qualifying Series
Lewis, Piller & Henderson to Tee it Up at ShopRite LPGA Classic in New Jersey
PGA TOUR Champions in Iowa for Principal Charity Classic
ORLANDO, Fla. (May 31, 2016) – Jason Day, Jordan Spieth and Rory McIlroy will tee it up this week after each having won their last worldwide start, as the PGA TOUR shifts to Jack Nicklaus’ event in Ohio for the Memorial Tournament presented by Nationwide. The field includes each of the top-5 players in the world and the event for many will mark the final tune-up before the U.S. Open at Oakmont outside of Pittsburgh in two weeks. Golf Central also will be on-site Thursday-Sunday offering analysis and reaction before and after each round of competition. Henrik Stenson and Lee Westwood headline the field at the Nordea Masters on the European Tour, an Open Qualifying Series event that will award an invitation to the highest finisher in the top-5 not already exempt to compete in The 145TH Open in July. The LPGA Tour is in New Jersey for the ShopRite LPGA Classic, with Stacy Lewis and Brooke Henderson in the field for the 54-hole event. And the PGA TOUR Champions are in Iowa for the Principal Charity Classic ahead of next week’s Constellation Senior Players in Philadelphia, which will culminate the Tour’s stretch of three majors over the course of four weeks.
PGA TOUR
The Memorial Tournament presented by Nationwide
Dates: June 2-5
Venue: Muirfield Village Golf Club, Dublin, Ohio
Tournament Airtimes on Golf Channel (Eastern):
Thursday 3:30-6:30 p.m. (Live) / 7:30-10:30 p.m. (Replay)
Friday 3:30-6:30 p.m. (Live) / 9 p.m.-Midnight (Replay)
Saturday 12:30-2:30 p.m. (Live) / 8 p.m.-1 a.m. (Replay)
Sunday Noon-2 p.m. (Live) / 7 p.m.-12:30 a.m. (Replay)
Broadcast Notes:
Strong field serves as final tune-up for many ahead of U.S. Open in two weeks: Each of the top-5 players in the world are in the field in Jason Day, Jordan Spieth, Rory McIlroy, Bubba Watson and Rickie Fowler. For many, the event also will serve as the final tune-up ahead of the U.S. Open in two weeks at Oakmont Country Club outside of Pittsburgh. For the second consecutive year, the winner of the event will receive a three-year exemption on the PGA TOUR versus the traditional two-year exemption for a victory.
Golf Central on-site at Muirfield: Golf Channel’s signature evening news program, Golf Central, will originate live from on-site Muirfield Village Golf Club Thursday-Sunday, with emerging storylines, analysis and player interviews throughout the week. Steve Sands will host, while David Duval, John Cook (Friday-Sunday) and Tripp Isenhour (Thursday) will serve as analysts. Todd Lewis also will provide reports and conduct player interviews throughout the week.
Golden Bear and Nicklaus family members scheduled to join Golf Central on-set: Tournament host Jack Nicklaus is scheduled to be on-set during Saturday’s Golf Central airing at 2:30 p.m. ET, and Nicklaus family members Jackie and Barbara are expected to join on-set during Friday’s pre-game show airing at 3 p.m. ET.
NBC Sports’ Johnny Miller being recognized as Memorial Tournament honoree, airing live on Golf Central Wednesday afternoon: NBC Sports’ analyst Johnny Miller will be recognized as the 2016 Memorial Tournament honoree, given to someone who has greatly contributed to golf. Leo Diegel and Horton Smith also will be recognized as posthumous honorees. The ceremony will take place within Golf Central, airing from 3-6 p.m. ET on Wednesday.
Lingmerth defends: David Lingmerth defeated Justin Rose on the third playoff hole to earn his first career PGA TOUR win.
Headlining the field: Jason Day, Jordan Spieth, Rory McIlroy, Rickie Fowler, Bubba Watson, Dustin Johnson, Phil Mickelson, Hideki Matsuyama, Patrick Reed, Jim Furyk and Ernie Els.
Golf Channel Broadcast Team:
Play by Play: Terry Gannon
Analyst: Nick Faldo
Tower: Matt Gogel
On-Course: Craig Perks
Interviews: Todd Lewis
EUROPEAN TOUR
Nordea Masters
Dates: June 2-5
Venue: Bro Hof Slott Golf Club (Stadium Course), Stockholm, Sweden
Tournament Airtimes on Golf Channel (Eastern):
Thursday 5-7 a.m. / 9 a.m.-Noon (Live)
Friday 5-7 a.m. / 9 a.m.-Noon (Live)
Saturday 7:30-11:30 a.m. (Live)
Sunday 7-11:30 a.m. (Live)
Broadcast Notes:
Invitation available to highest finisher in Top-5 not already exempt into 145TH Open: With the 145TH Open only six weeks away, the Nordea Masters serves as the next event in The Open Qualifying Series, with the highest finisher in the Top-5 not already exempt into The Open receiving an invitation to compete at Royal Troon July 14-17.
Noren defends: Alex Noren finished four shots ahead of Soren Kjeldsen to earn his fourth career European Tour win.
Headlining the field: Henrik Stenson, Lee Westwood, Matthew Fitzpatrick, Thomas Pieters, Robert Karlsson, and Y.E. Yang.
Golf Channel Broadcast Team:
Play by Play: Julian Tutt
Analyst: Tony Johnstone
On-Course: Jay Townsend
LPGA TOUR
ShopRite LPGA Classic
Dates: June 3-5
Venue: Stockton Seaview Hotel & Golf Club (Bay Course), Galloway, N.J.
Tournament Airtimes on Golf Channel (Eastern):
Friday Noon-3 p.m. (Live) / 2-4 a.m. (Replay)
Saturday 3-5 p.m. (Live)
Sunday 2-4 p.m. (Live)
Broadcast Notes:
Nordqvist defends: Anna Nordqvist won by one stroke over Christel Boeljon for her fifth career LPGA Tour win.
Headlining the field: Stacy Lewis, Brooke Henderson, Gerina Piller, Na Yeon Choi, Charley Hull, Anna Nordqvist, Karrie Webb, Juli Inkster, Laura Davies and Karen Stupples.
Golf Channel Broadcast Team:
Play by Play: Tom Abbott
Analyst: Jane Crafter
Tower: Jim Gallagher Jr.
On-Course: Jerry Foltz / Kay Cockerill
PGA TOUR CHAMPIONS
Principal Charity Classic
Dates: June 3-5
Venue: Wakonda Club, Des Moines, Iowa
Tournament Airtimes on Golf Channel (Eastern):
Friday 7-9 p.m. (Tape delay) / 3-5 p.m. (Streaming on Golf Live Extra)
Saturday 5-7 p.m. (Live) / 1-3 a.m. (Sunday replay)
Sunday 4-6 p.m. (Live) / 12:30-2:30 a.m. (Monday replay)
Broadcast Notes:
Calcavecchia defends: Mark Calcavecchia defeated Joe Durant and Brian Henninger by one shot for his third PGA TOUR Champions win.
Headlining the field: John Daly, Rocco Mediate, Miguel Angel Jimenez, Jesper Parnevik, Tom Lehman, Woody Austin, Mark Calcavecchia, Billy Andrade and Gary Koch.
Golf Channel Broadcast Team:
Play by Play: Bob Papa
Analyst: Lanny Wadkins
Tower: John Mahaffey / Dave Marr
On-Course: Billy Ray Brown
-NBC Sports Group-