Coming on the heels of the Augusta National Women’s Amateur and the 73rd Western Intercollegiate presented by Topgolf, golf fans will continue to be able to follow their favorite college golf programs and student athletes as GOLF Channel expands its comprehensive college golf coverage over the next six weeks, beginning Wednesday with the NCAA Women’s Golf Championships Regional Selections and culminating with the NCAA Division I Women’s and Men’s Golf Championships, May 17-29.
“Through our long-term partnership with the NCAA, we are continuing to raise the profile of college golf by showcasing new events, introducing our viewers to the game’s future stars and shining a spotlight on the women’s and men’s national championships,” said Molly Solomon, GOLF Channel executive vice president of content and executive producer. “These student athletes are not only becoming better equipped to compete on the next level by playing in front of television cameras, but many are also becoming household names through our coverage.”
REGIONAL CHAMPIONSHIPS SELECTION ANNOUNCEMENTS: On Wednesday, April 24 at 5:30 p.m. ET (women) and Wednesday, May 1 at 9 p.m. ET (men), GOLF Channel will announce the teams and individuals selected by the NCAA to participate in the women’s and men’s regional championships, the first step on the road to the NCAA Golf Championships.
- Women’s Golf Championships Regional Selections, Wednesday, April 24, 5:30 p.m. ET: Golf Central will announce the 72 teams and 24 individuals selected to compete in the four NCAA Women’s Regional Championships, May 6-8 (18 teams and six individuals per regional). 24 teams and 12 individuals will advance from regional sites to the national championships.
- Men’s Golf Championships Regional Selections, Wednesday, May 1, 9 p.m. ET: Golf Central will announce the 81 teams and 45 individuals selected to compete in the six NCAA Men’s Regional Championships, May 13-15 (13 teams and 10 individuals at three regionals and 14 teams and five individuals at three regionals). 30 teams and six individuals will advance from regional sites to the national championships.
REGIONAL CHAMPIONSHIPS COVERAGE: GOLF Channel will deliver expanded coverage of the final day of the NCAA women’s and men’s regional championships, Wednesday, May 8 and Wednesday, May 15, respectively. Coverage will feature updates throughout both days that will be published to GOLF Channel Digital and through GOLF Channel social media handles, concluding with live news segments announcing the teams and individuals who qualified for the women’s and men’s national championships.
NCAA GOLF NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIPS COVERAGE: Contested in back-to-back weeks, May 17-29 at Blessings Golf Club in Fayetteville, Ark., GOLF Channel will dedicate its full suite of production resources to the NCAA Women’s and Men’s Golf Championships, featuring nearly 30 combined hours of live tournament coverage. In addition, Golf Central will feature nearly 30 hours of combined pre-and post-event live news coverage produced on location, as well as daily news updates on Morning Drive and Golf Channel Digital.
GOLF Channel NCAA Women’s Golf Championships Airtimes
Monday, May 20 Individual National Championship 4-8 p.m. ET (Live)
Tuesday, May 21 Quarterfinals, Team Match Play 11 a.m.-1:30 p.m. ET (Live)
Tuesday, May 21 Semifinals, Team Match Play 4-8 p.m. ET (Live)
Wednesday, May 22 Team National Championship 4-8 p.m. ET (Live)
GOLF Channel NCAA Men’s Golf Championships Airtimes
Monday, May 27 Individual National Championship 4-8 p.m. ET (Live)
Tuesday, May 28 Quarterfinals, Team Match Play 11 a.m.-1:30 p.m. ET (Live)
Tuesday, May 28 Semifinals, Team Match Play 4-8 p.m. ET (Live)
Wednesday, May 29 Team National Championship 4-8 p.m. ET (Live)
NCAA Women’s Golf Championships Broadcast Team:
Bob Papa – Play-by-Play
Karen Stupples – Co-Lead Analyst
Curt Byrum – Co-Lead Analyst
Steve Burkowski – Hole Announcer
Billy Ray Brown – On Course Reporter
Kay Cockerill – On Course Reporter
John Cook – On Course Reporter
Lisa Cornwell – Interviews
George Savaricas – Golf Central Host
Amanda Blumenherst – Golf Central Analyst
Ryan Lavner – College Insider
Lisa Cornwell – Reporter
NCAA Men’s Golf Championships Broadcast Team:
Bob Papa – Play-by-Play
Curt Byrum – Lead Analyst
Steve Burkowski – Hole Announcer
Notah Begay – On Course Reporter
Billy Ray Brown – On Course Reporter
John Cook – On Course Reporter
Chantel McCabe – Interviews
George Savaricas – Golf Central Host
Arron Oberholser – Golf Central Analyst
Ryan Lavner – College Insider
Chantel McCabe – Reporter
COLLEGE CENTRAL – GOLF CHANNEL DIGITAL COVERAGE: GOLF Channel is providing comprehensive coverage leading up to and during the NCAA Women’s and Men’s Golf Championships as part of College Central, GOLF Channel Digital’s home for college golf. Led by Ryan Lavner and Brentley Romine, College Central will be the source for all things college golf, including tournament results and scores, features and columns, video highlights and breaking news.
RICKIE FOWLER, JUSTIN THOMAS AND NBC SPORTS COLLABORATE ON FOUR-PART DOCU-SERIES DRIVEN: On Monday, May 6 at 9 p.m. ET, GOLF Channel will premiere its second season of Driven, a four-part documentary series that will follow the journeys of the University of Alabama men’s golf team and their “Iron Bowl” rivalry with Auburn University as they look to return to the NCAA Golf National Championships in May. The documentary also will follow reigning NCAA national champions Oklahoma State Cowboys as they look to defend their 2018 title. Season two of Driven is co-executive produced by PGA TOUR superstars Rickie Fowler and Justin Thomas.
MORE THAN 50 HOURS OF COLLEGE/AMATEUR GOLF IN 2019, MOST OF ANY NETWORK: GOLF Channel is the television home for college golf, including the NCAA Men’s and Women’s Division I Golf National Championships, the East Lake Cup Collegiate Match Play Championship and the Western Intercollegiate presented by Topgolf. In total, GOLF Channel is airing more than 50 live tournament hours of college and amateur golf coverage in 2019, the most of any television network.
The network has provided live coverage of the men’s national championships since 2014 and the women’s national championships since 2015, which now are hosted at the same venue in consecutive weeks in May. GOLF Channel also televises the Western Intercollegiate presented by Topgolf, one of the longest-running college golf tournaments in the U.S. The 73rd edition was contested April 15-17 at Pasatiempo Golf Club in Santa Cruz, Calif., with Stanford sweeping the individual and team titles. The network also presents the East Lake Cup, a three-day fall championship that invites the eight semifinalists from the previous NCAA men’s and women’s golf championships. The East Lake Cup is hosted at historic East Lake Cup Golf in Atlanta, Ga., and benefits the East Lake Foundation. In addition, GOLF Channel deploys its comprehensive portfolio of news, digital and social media coverage year-round in covering collegiate golf, including specials for regional and national qualifying and on-site and wraparound news from golf’s biggest college events.