Eight men and four women tonight will be vying for the coveted world championship belt and the title of the longest hitter in golf, as the 44th World Long Drive Championship culminates under the lights and in primetime live on GOLF Channel. Coverage begins at 8:30 p.m. ET, with Golf Central preceding the championship telecast at 8 p.m. ET to preview the competition.
Leading the field of remaining men in the competition is current No. 1 in the World Long Drive rankings and two-time tour event winner in 2019, Kyle Berkshire (Orlando, Fla.), along with two-time world champion and current No. 2 ranked competitor Tim Burke (Orlando, Fla.). No. 1 ranked Phillis Meti (Auckland, New Zealand) headlines the Women’s Division semi-finalists as a three-time tour event winner in 2019 and defending world champion. Meti will look to claim her fourth world championship overall on Wednesday night, and the third in a four-year span. The eight men’s quarterfinalists are representing four countries, and the four women’s semi-finalists are representing three.
Originating in 1976, the season-culminating World Long Drive Championship marks the sixth televised event of 2019, and is being contested on the Texas/Oklahoma border at WinStar World Casino and Resort for the fifth consecutive year. The world championship is being televised in more than 60 countries around the world, including live on GOLF Channel in North America and on Sky Sports Golf in the United Kingdom. Tonight’s live telecast will feature the quarterfinal, semi-final and championship matches in the Open Division, along with the semi-final and championship matches in the Women’s Division.
OPEN DIVISION QUARTERFINAL MATCHES (Seeds based on World Ranking):
(1) Kyle Berkshire (Orlando, Fla.) vs. (9) Mark Costello (Fort Worth, Texas)
(5) Justin Moose (Columbia, S.C.) vs. (13) Jordan Brooks (Tamworth, England)
(11) Rob Tiettmeyer (Windermere, Fla.) vs. (14) Emil Rosberg (Gothenburg, Sweden)
(2) Tim Burke (Orlando, Fla.) vs. (10) Mitch Grassing (Kitchener, Ont., Canada)
WOMEN’S DIVISION SEMIFINAL MATCHES:
(1) Phillis Meti (Auckland, New Zealand) vs. (4) Troy Mullins (Los Angeles, Calif.)
(3) Alexis Belton (Ruston, La.) vs. (2) Chloe Garner (Somerset West, South Africa)
CRITTENDEN WINS SECOND MASTERS DIVISION WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP: In addition to the Open and Women’s Division matches, Tuesday night’s telecast also saw Jeff Crittenden (Greensboro, N.C.) defeat Eddie Fernandes (Winter Garden, Fla.) in the championship match of the Masters Division (age 45+), where he earned the world title belt for the second time in three years.
The 48-year-old Crittenden connected for a 388-yard blast on his seventh ball to edge Fernandes, the reigning 2018 world champion in the Masters Division.
RECAP – OPEN DIVISION ROUND OF 16, WOMEN’S QUARTERFINALS: Each of the eight men and four women that will be featured during tonight’s culmination of the 44th World Long Drive Championship advanced courtesy of winning their match on Tuesday night. Highlights:
- No. 1 Berkshire saved by 426-yarder on eighth and final ball
- Costello pummels 455-yard drive to advance to quarterfinals
- Moose advances after needing only to hit a ball anywhere in the grid
- Brooks eliminates 2017 champ James with 424-yard ball
- Tiettmeyer tops Gavin with 415-yard drive
- Rosberg moves on with 400-yarder
- Burke advances with 388-yard ball to move into quarterfinals
- Grassing hits it 424 yards to move past Cassaday
- Meti moves on to semifinals with 348-yard blast
- Mullins takes out Manfredda on 337-yarder
- Belton edges Driscol with 321-yard ball in quarterfinal match
- Garner’s 341-yard bash earns her a spot in semifinals
TECHNOLOGY-ENHANCED PRODUCTION: The production centering around live coverage of the 44th World Long Drive Championship will utilize 12 dedicated cameras, capturing all angles from the hitting platform and the landing grid, including two SuperMo cameras and two craned-positioned cameras that will track the ball in flight once it leaves the competitor’s clubface. The telecast also will feature a telestrator, along with a custom graphics package suited to the exorbitant swing data typically generated by hitters, tracking club speed, ball speed and spin rate in real-time via Trackman. Trackman technology also provides viewers with a sense of ball flight, tracing the arc of each drive from the moment of impact.
Veteran sports broadcaster Jonathan Coachman will call play-by-play and be joined by Art Sellinger – World Long Drive pioneer and two-time world champion (1986. ’91), who will provide analysis. GOLF Channel’s Jerry Foltz will serve as a reporter, offering insight from the teeing platform and conducting interviews with hitters taking part in the competition. Chantel McCabe also will be on-site reporting for Golf Central.
BRANDEL CHAMBLEE OFFERS “SWING BREAKDOWNS” FOR WLD HITTERS: In conjunction with the world championship, GOLF Channel analyst Brandel Chamblee recorded a series of swing breakdowns, analyzing the unique characteristics associated with some of leading performers on the World Long Drive circuit. Utilizing a dedicated “film room” style setting, “Brandel’s Breakdowns” are being utilized across the network’s digital, social media and on-air platforms.
DIGITAL & SOCIAL MEDIA COVERAGE: Fans can stay connected to the action surrounding the 44th World Long Drive Championship by following @WorldLongDrive and @GOLFChannel on social media. GOLF Channel social media host Alexandra O’Laughlin also will be on-site contributing to the social conversation as the world championship unfolds, and the live telecasts will integrate social media-generated content via the hashtag, #WorldLongDrive. In addition to the latest video and highlights from on-site, WorldLongDrive.com will feature expanded editorial coverage and real-time scoring for the duration of the event. GOLF Channel Digital also will feature content leading up to and immediately following the event telecast.
2019 WORLD LONG DRIVE – TOUR EVENT SCHEDULE:
DATE | EVENT | LOCATION | WINNERS |
April 13-16 | Ak-Chin Smash in the Sun | Maricopa, Ariz. | Phillis Meti, Tim Burke |
May 5-7 | Exchange Celebrating Service: Fort Jackson | Fort Jackson, S.C. | Chloe Garner, Ryan Steenberg, Mikael Dubois |
June 3-5 | Atlantic City Boardwalk Bash | Atlantic City, N.J. | Phillis Meti, Tim Burke |
July 20-24 | ROC City Rumble | Rochester, N.Y. | Phillis Meti, Kyle Berkshire |
Aug. 10-12 | Tennessee Big Shots benefitting Niswonger Children’s Hospital | Kingsport, Tenn. | Alexis Belton, Kyle Berkshire |
Aug. 30-Sept. 4 | 44th World Long Drive Championship | Texas/Oklahoma Border | Jeff Crittenden, TBD |