OLYMPICS IN HIGH HEELS: GOLF CHANNEL ANNOUNCES ON AIR TEAMS
ORLANDO, Fla. (June 7, 2016) – NBC Olympics has announced its on-air teams for Golf Channel’s coverage of the men’s (Aug. 11-14) and women’s (Aug. 17-20) golf competition in Rio this summer, as the sport makes its return to the Olympic Games for the first time in more than a century.
Men’s Olympic Golf Broadcast Team
Johnny Miller, World Golf Hall-of-Famer and NBC analyst of more than 25 years will lead the network’s live tournament coverage of the men’s competition, rotating lead analyst roles with six-time major champion and Hall-of-Famer Nick Faldo in the 18th tower. David Feherty, Emmy-nominated sportspersonality and longtime golf broadcaster, will split time as a tower analyst and on-course reporter, and Peter Jacobsen will serve as a second tower analyst. Roger Maltbie and Curt Byrum will offer insight from inside the ropes as on-course reporters along with Feherty. Veteran NBC Olympic personalities Terry Gannon and Steve Sands will join Miller and Faldo in the broadcast booth, rotating play-by-play duties. Todd Lewis will serve as a reporter and conduct player interviews.
Women’s Olympics Golf Broadcast Team
Gannon and Sands also will handle play-by-play during the women’s competition, where they’ll be joined by two additional Hall-of-Fame personalities in 10-time major champion and winner of 72 tournaments on the LPGA Tour, Annika Sorenstam, who will rotate lead analyst duties with longtime golf broadcaster Judy Rankin. Byrum also will join the 18th tower as an analyst, while Tom Abbott will be positioned as a tower analyst, and Jerry Foltz and Kay Cockerill will work as on-course reporters on the grounds. Karen Stupples also will contribute to Golf Channel’s live tournament coverage as an analyst, and Lewis will conduct player interviews.
Live From the Olympics News Coverage Team
Golf Channel will provide wraparound news coverage immediately prior to and following live coverage of the competition via its Golf Central Live From the Olympics programming. Rich Lerner will host coverage from Rio’s Olympic golf course and will be joined by Faldo (men’s competition) and Stupples (women’s competition). Golf Channel insider Rex Hoggard and Lewis also will provide daily reports and offer interviews with players on-site.
| NBC Olympics Golf Competition On-Air Teams | |||
| Aug. 11-14 | Men’s Olympic Golf | Golf Channel | Johnny Miller, Nick Faldo, Terry Gannon, Steve Sands, David Feherty, Peter Jacobsen, Roger Maltbie, Curt Byrum, Todd Lewis |
| Aug. 17-20 | Women’s Olympic Golf | Golf Channel | Annika Sorenstam, Judy Rankin, Terry Gannon, Steve Sands, Curt Byrum, Tom Abbott, Jerry Foltz, Kay Cockerill, Karen Stupples, Todd Lewis |
| Aug. 11-20 | Golf Central Live From the Olympics | Golf Channel | Rich Lerner, Nick Faldo (Men’s), Karen Stupples (Women’s), Rex Hoggard, Todd Lewis |
Golf Makes Historic Return to the Olympics: Golf’s return to the Olympic Games for the first time in 112 years represents a modern-day first as Golf Channel joins NBC Sports’ unmatched Olympic heritage to become the first single-sport cable network to provide live coverage of its sport’s Olympic competition. Golf Channel will feature more than 130 live hours of Olympics programming, and nearly 300 hours in total. Similar to NBC Sports’ all-encompassing coverage of marquee events like the Ryder Cup, NBC Olympics’ live coverage of the men’s and women’s competitions in Rio will begin with the opening tee shot and continue until the medals are awarded.
NBC will feature live look-ins, highlights and updates on the golf competition throughout the Games. All Olympic competition, including golf, will be live streamed on NBCOlympics.com and the NBC Sports Live Extra app, both of which require authentication.
Format: The Olympic golf competition will consist of 60 players on both the men’s and women’s side, competing in a 72-hole stroke play competition based on world golf rankings. The top-15 players in the official world golf rankings are eligible, with a maximum of four players allowed from a given nation. Outside of the top-15, each nation is allowed a maximum of two players (based on world ranking). If a country has already qualified two or more players within the top-15, additional athletes are not eligible. Qualification will close on Monday, July 11.
Golf Channel Live Olympics Programming Schedule
Monday, Aug. 8 Golf Central Live From the Olympics 9 a.m.-3 p.m.
Tuesday, Aug. 9 Golf Central Live From the Olympics 9 a.m.-3 p.m.
Wednesday, Aug. 10 Golf Central Live From the Olympics 9 a.m.-3 p.m.
Thursday, Aug. 11 Golf Central Live From the Olympics 5-6:30 a.m.
Friday, Aug. 12 Golf Central Live From the Olympics 5-6:30 a.m.
Saturday, Aug. 13 Golf Central Live From the Olympics 5-6:30 a.m.
Sunday, Aug. 14 Golf Central Live From the Olympics 5-6 a.m.
Monday, Aug. 15 Golf Central Live From the Olympics 9 a.m.-3 p.m.
Tuesday, Aug. 16 Golf Central Live From the Olympics 9 a.m.-3 p.m.
Wednesday, Aug. 17 Golf Central Live From the Olympics 5-6:30 a.m.
Thursday, Aug. 18 Golf Central Live From the Olympics 5-6:30 a.m.
Friday, Aug. 19 Golf Central Live From the Olympics 5-6:30 a.m.
Saturday, Aug. 20 Golf Central Live From the Olympics 5-6 a.m.
THE OPENING CEREMONY OF THE RIO OLYMPICS IS FRIDAY, AUGUST 5, 2016 ON NBC
About NBC Olympics
A division of NBC Sports Group, NBC Olympics is responsible for producing, programming and promoting NBCUniversal’s Olympic coverage. It is renowned for its unsurpassed Olympic heritage, award-winning production, and ability to aggregate the largest audiences in U.S. television history. The 2012 London Olympics were watched by 217 million Americans across the networks of NBCUniversal, making it the most-watched event in U.S. television history.
About Golf Channel
Golf Channel is a multimedia, golf entertainment and services company based in Orlando, Fla. Serving the most-affluent audience in all of television, Golf Channel – co-founded by Arnold Palmer in 1995 and now part of NBC Sports Group – is available in more than 200 million homes in 84 countries and 11 languages around the world. Golf Channel features more live golf coverage than all other networks combined, including tournament action from the PGA TOUR, LPGA Tour, The Open Championship, Olympics, and Ryder Cup, as well as high-quality news, instruction and original programming. Golf Channel’s digital platforms, headed by GolfChannel.com, deliver unmatched coverage of the world of golf. Fans are able to enjoy 24/7 live streaming of Golf Channel content through Golf Live Extra and NBC Sports Live Extra and select programming is simulcast via SiriusXM’s PGA TOUR Radio. In addition, Golf Channel connects the world to golf through a wide array of digital and lifestyle services including Golf Channel Mobile, a comprehensive app covering golf’s latest headlines, scores and analysis; GolfNow, the world’s largest online tee time booking platform and golf course technology partner, which includes the GolfNow Mobile App, featuring on-course GPS tracking, in-round scoring and game tracking; GolfAdvisor.com, the world’s largest golf course ratings and review resource for golfers, by golfers; a North American network of Golf Channel Academy instructional facilities; and Golf Channel Am Tour, the world’s largest amateur golf tour.
