Fowler, Watson Headline at Waste Management Phoenix Open, with NBC Sports Group Dedicating More Than 25 Hours of Live Programming On-Site
Ko to Make 2016 Debut at Coates Golf Championship; Lee & Pettersen Paired Together for 1st Time Since Solheim Cup, Airing Wednesday-Saturday
McIlroy Returning to Familiar Setting to Defend Omega Dubai Desert Classic
PGA TOUR Champions Shifts to South Florida for Allianz Championship
ORLANDO, Fla. (Feb. 2, 2016) – NBC Sports Group will feature more than 25 hours of live programming from on-site TPC Scottsdale surrounding the Waste Management Phoenix Open, including tournament coverage on Golf Channel and NBC, and Golf Central originating from an embedded set location within the raucous par-3 16th hole “coliseum.” Veteran on-course reporter and one of golf’s most animated personalities – David Feherty – is set to make his NBC Sports Group live tournament debut as lead analyst during Thursday-Friday first and second round coverage on Golf Channel. World No. 1 Lydia Ko is set to make her first start of 2016 on the LGPA Tour at the Coates Golf Championship, airing Wednesday-Saturday on Golf Channel. Alison Lee and Suzann Pettersen are paired together for the first two rounds, which will be the first time the two will compete alongside one another since their controversial match at the 2015 Solheim Cup. World No. 3 Rory McIlroy will look to defend his title at the Omega Dubai Desert Classic, an event he has won twice in his career. And the PGA TOUR Champions returns with the Allianz Championship in Boca Raton, Fla.
PGA TOUR Waste Management Phoenix Open Dates: Feb. 4-7
Venue: TPC Scottsdale (Stadium Course), Scottsdale, Ariz.
Feherty debut: David Feherty, joining NBC Sports Group exclusively in 2016 following a nearly 20-year career with CBS as an on-course reporter, will make his live tournament debut this week. Feherty will join Rich Lerner in the 18th tower as lead analyst for Golf Channel’s first and second round coverage Thursday-Friday, and he’ll transition to his familiar on-course reporter role during Saturday-Sunday afternoon coverage on NBC.
Golf Central on-site from raucous par-3 16th hole: Golf Central, the network’s signature evening news program, will originate from on-site, embedded within TPC Scottsdale’s 16th hole spectator “coliseum.” The show, which will feature live news and analysis leading in and out of live tournament coverage, will be hosted by Kelly Tilghman, and feature Brandel Chamblee and Arron Oberholser as analysts, with George Savaricas providing reports and player interviews.
Largest crowds on PGA TOUR: The event attracts the largest galleries on the PGA TOUR, with a record 564,000 in attendance throughout the week in 2015, including nearly 160,000 during Saturday’s third round alone.
Koepka defends: Brooks Koepka finished one shot ahead of Hideki Matsuyama, Ryan Palmer and Bubba Watson for his first career PGA TOUR win.
Headlining the field: Rickie Fowler, Bubba Watson, Zach Johnson, Kevin Kisner, Phil Mickelson, Brandt Snedeker, Hideki Matsuyama, Justin Thomas and Brooks Koepka.
LPGA TOUR Coates Golf Championship Dates: Feb. 3-6
Venue: Golden Ocala Golf & Equestrian Club, Ocala, Fla.
Pettersen & Lee paired together for first time since controversial Solheim Cup match: Alison Lee and Suzann Pettersen – the two players at the center of last fall’s controversial moment in the 2015 Solheim Cup – will be paired together for the first two rounds this week. Wednesday’s opening round 12:25 p.m. ET tee time will feature Lee and Pettersen playing alongside Stacy Lewis.
Choi defends: Na Yeon Choi defeated Lydia Ko, Ha Na Jang and Jessica Korda by one stroke for her eighth LPGA Tour win.
Headlining the field: Lydia Ko, Stacy Lewis, Lexi Thompson, So Yeon Ryu, Sei Young Kim, Cristie Kerr, Suzann Pettersen, Anna Nordqvist, Brooke Henderson, Charley Hull and Alison Lee.
EUROPEAN TOUR Omega Dubai Desert Classic Dates: Feb. 4-7
Venue: Emirates Golf Club (Majlis Course), Dubai, United Arab Emirates
McIlroy defends: Rory McIlroy won by three shots over Alex Noren to earn his 10th career European Tour victory, and his second time winning the Omega Dubai Desert Classic.
Headlining the field: Rory McIlroy, Henrik Stenson, Ernie Els, Matthew Fitzpatrick, Miguel Angel Jimenez, Martin Kaymer, Bryson DeChambeau (a), Danny Willett and Lee Westwood.
PGA TOUR CHAMPIONS Allianz Championship Dates: Feb. 5-7
Venue: Broken Sound Club (Old Course), Boca Raton, Fla.
Tournament Airtimes on Golf Channel (Eastern):
Friday 11 a.m.-2 p.m. (Live)
Saturday 5-7 p.m. (Tape delay) / 3-5 p.m. (Streaming on Golf Live Extra)
Sunday 3-5 p.m. (Tape delay) / 2-4 p.m. (Streaming on Golf Live Extra)
Broadcast Notes:
Goydos defends: Paul Goydos finished one stroke ahead of Gene Sauers for his second career PGA TOUR Champions win.
Headlining the field: Bernhard Langer, Colin Montgomerie, Jeff Maggert, Jay Haas, Kenny Perry, Tom Lehman, Duffy Waldorf, Mark O’Meara, Jesper Parnevik and Nick Price.
My short game is so bad I’ll try anything (except practice of course). I think I may have finally found my gamer wedge, my go-to club. Say hello to the FootWedge!
You thought the FootWedge was just an imaginary club, didn’t you? Or perhaps you thought it was the situation where the cheater in your group is under a tree with an impossible lie and when nobody’s looking he kicks it out to a perfect position?
This is the real deal people. Not only is this a fine looking wedge, it doubles as a bottle opener.
If only there was a cigar cutter and roach clip in there too somewhere. There might be. I’m still looking.
I’ve just gotten this club in and will be testing it out on a real-deal golf course. I’ve already tested the bottle opener. The club did a fantastic job with a frosty Corona.
Stay tuned for my full review soon.
If you can’t wait to get one of these you can pick one up at footwedgepro.com. Yes, this is the “pro” model.
Every Christmas, if our home course River Oaks is closed due to snow, we contest the Christmas Classic Golf Tournament. This tournament has been going for probably longer than a decade (I’ll have to look at the record books for the exact year). It’s a festive and fun event featuring good friends, the 12 balls of Christmas, snow shovels, and good spirits.
Format
The format is simple. We pick a par-3 hole, or create one. Each golfer hits 12 balls. The golfers hit them in groups of 3. When all shots are complete, we go to the green and find the closest ball to the pin. The player who hit that closest ball is the champion golfer of the year and gets to keep the legendary (and missing) ugly green hat. I lost the damn hat. I think it’s in my basement somewhere.
Video
Below is the video highlighting the 2015 event.
Over the years we’ve gotten very artistic at marking the 12 balls, so that when we venture to the green to find them they are easy to identify. Buddy Dan has taken the artwork to a whole new level. See his balls below, so to speak.
And I must post a picture of the first-time champion, Robert Lund. Robert is also the voice and music behind the Christmas Classic theme songs from last year and this year.
Congrats to Robert for joining one of the most exclusive groups of champions in the world.
ORLANDO, Fla. (Jan. 26, 2016) – World No. 1 Jordan Spieth will tee it up at the Asian Tour’s SMBC Singapore Open, and his opening round will air in primetime on Golf Channel beginning at 8 p.m. ET on Wednesday night. The LPGA Tour kicks off its 2016 season with the Pure Silk Bahamas LPGA Classic, as Nos. 2-4 in the world: Inbee Park, Stacy Lewis and Lexi Thompson lead a field that includes 11 of the top-20 in the world. The PGA TOUR shifts to Torrey Pines outside of San Diego for the Farmers Insurance Open, with Jason Day (No. 2 in the world) and Rickie Fowler (No. 4) headlining the field. On the European Tour, South African Branden Grace defends his title at the Qatar Masters.
ASIAN TOUR
SMBC Singapore Open
Dates: Jan. 27-30
Venue: Sentosa Golf Club (Serapong Course), Sentosa Island, Singapore
Spieth’s opening round airing in primetime at 8 p.m. ET on Wednesday: World No. 1 Jordan Spieth is in the field competing in the 50th edition of Singapore’s national open. Spieth will tee off in his opening round at 6:50 p.m. ET, with the majority airing in primetime on Golf Channel beginning at 8 p.m. ET Wednesday night.
Event returns for first time since 2012: The event is being played for the first time since 2012, and is co-sanctioned by the Asian Tour and Japan Golf Tour. Matteo Manassero won the event in 2012 when it was last contested.
Headlining the field: Jordan Spieth, Byeong Hun An, Darren Clarke, Jamie Donaldson, Y.E. Yang, Jeev Milkha Singh, K.T. Kim and Shingo Katayama.
LPGA TOUR
Pure Silk Bahamas LPGA Classic
Dates: Jan. 28-31
Venue: Ocean Club Golf Course, Paradise Island, Bahamas
Season-opening event: The 2016 LPGA Tour season kicks off this week with the Pure Silk Bahamas LPGA Classic, airing live on Golf Channel Thursday-Sunday, Jan. 28-31. The event begins a series of eight LPGA tournaments airing live on Golf Channel over the next 10 weeks leading into golf’s first major championship of 2016, the ANA Inspiration.
Kim defends: Sei Young Kim defeated Ariya Jutanugarn and Sun Young Yoo with a birdie on the first playoff hole to earn her first career LPGA Tour win.
Headlining the field: Inbee Park, Stacy Lewis, Lexi Thompson, Sei Young Kim, Hyo Joo Kim, Cristie Kerr, Michelle Wie, Anna Nordqvist, Brittany Lincicome, Brooke Henderson and Cheyenne Woods.
PGA TOUR
Farmers Insurance Open
Dates: Jan. 28-31
Venue: Torrey Pines Golf Course (North & South Courses), La Jolla, Calif.
Golf Central special: Day, Fowler news conference, Wednesday at 3:30 p.m. ET: Jason Day and Rickie Fowler (ranked No. 2 and No. 4 in the world respectively) headline the field and will take part in a Golf Central special news conference from Torrey Pines, airing at 3:30 p.m. ET on Wednesday.
Course rotation: The event utilizes both the North and South courses at Torrey Pines, with players competing once on each course over the first two rounds prior to the 36-hole cut. The final two rounds are then contested on the South Course on Saturday-Sunday.
Day defends: Jason Day defeated J.B. Holmes with a par on the second playoff hole to win his third PGA TOUR victory.
Headlining the field: Jason Day, Rickie Fowler, Dustin Johnson, Phil Mickelson, Patrick Reed, Justin Rose, J.B. Holmes, Hideki Matsuyama, Brandt Snedeker, Anirban Lahiri and Bill Haas.
EUROPEAN TOUR
Commercial Bank Qatar Masters
Dates: Jan. 27-30
Venue: Doha Golf Club, Doha, Qatar
Tournament Airtimes on Golf Channel (Eastern):
Wednesday 1:30-4:30 a.m. / 6-8:30 a.m. (Live)
Thursday 1:30-4:30 a.m. / 6-8:30 a.m. (Live)
Friday 4:30-8:30 a.m. (Live)
Saturday 4-8:30 a.m. (Live)
Broadcast Notes:
Grace defends: Branden Grace won by one shot over Marc Warren for his sixth career European Tour victory.
Headlining the field: Bryson DeChambeau (a), Sergio Garcia, Ernie Els, Branden Grace, Matthew Fitzpatrick, Louis Oosthuizen, Thomas Pieters, Peter Uihlein and John Daly.
I do a lot of my grocery shopping at a specific store which has some great deals. I haven’t been there for a while but stopped by yesterday for two heads of lettuce, some ranch dip, sour cream, coffee creamer, one cucumber, a green pepper, and two boxes of Uncle Ben’s rice. (Just seeing if you are paying attention…)
Next to the store is a huge new net which I’ve seen for the first time. It could only be one thing, the new Top Golf Utah.
No animals were harmed and no property violated during the taking of this photo…
I drove into the parking lot and got my phone out to take a picture. I had to drive to the end of the lot to get a wide shot, some 150-200 yards from the main building. I know distances like that because, well, I’m a golfer. At that point a macho construction worker came up to my car and asked “what are you doing?” I said, “taking a picture.” He then responded with class, “no you’re not. You’re trespassing. You can’t take a picture.”
So I drove a few feet to the street, got my phone out, and took a picture while not trespassing. Thanks douche. I’m only posting the photo for hundreds of thousands of visitors to see…
Hopefully when it opens they’ll let me in the parking lot and perhaps even shoot a picture with a cell phone camera. I know, I know. It’s a lot to ask.
PGA TOUR
LPGA TOUR
EUROPEAN TOUR
PGA TOUR CHAMPIONS
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