World Long Drive stages its fourth tour event of the season, the ROC City Rumble, airing live at 6 p.m. ET this evening on GOLF Channel. Featuring eight men and four women, the telecast will originate from Home Team Sports Park in Rochester, N.Y.
The eight men having advanced to Wednesday’s live telecast in the Open Division include the No. 6 ranked hitter in the world, Tim Burke (Orlando, Fla.), a two-time winner in 2019 and a two-time world champion; No. 3 Kyle Berkshire (Orlando, Fla.), and No. 4 Will Hogue (Memphis, Tenn.). The Women’s Division is led by defending (and three-time) world champion Phillis Meti (Auckland, New Zealand), the current No. 1 hitter in the women’s rankings. Meti will be joined by No. 4 Troy Mullins (Los Angeles, Calif.) and No. 5 Alexis Belton (Ruston, La.) during Wednesday’s live telecast.
WOMEN’S DIVISION SEMIFINAL MATCHES:
(4) Troy Mullins (Los Angeles, Calif.) vs. (5) Alexis Belton (Ruston, La.)
(1) Phillis Meti (Auckland, New Zealand) vs. (8) Mary Driscol (Glendale, Ariz.)
OPEN DIVISION QUARTERFINAL MATCHES:
(3) Kyle Berkshire (Orlando, Fla.) vs. (11) Jeff Gavin (Hamilton, Ont., Canada)
(19) James Tait (London, England) vs. (28) Nick Kiefer (Chicago, Ill.)
(4) Will Hogue (Memphis, Tenn.) vs. (23) Eddie Fernandes (Winter Garden, Fla.)
(6) Tim Burke (Orlando, Fla.) vs. (18) Martin Borgmeier (Munich, Germany)
The ROC City Rumble continues the summer stretch of the World Long Drive season, and will be followed by the Tennessee Big Shots benefiting Niswonger Children’s Hospital (Aug. 10-12). The season-culminating World Long Drive Championship (Sept. 3-4) is only five weeks away, with the coveted world championship title belt up for grabs to the winner of the Women’s, Open and Masters Divisions. Presenting golf at its farthest, loudest, most-athletic and adrenaline-filled extreme, World Long Drive dates back to 1976, and brings together golf’s longest hitters from around the world.
COVERAGE & BROADCAST TEAM: World Long Drive events airing on GOLF Channel utilize six dedicated cameras, capturing all angles from the hitting platform and the landing grid, including a SuperMo camera as well as two crane cameras that track the ball in flight once it leaves the hitter’s clubface. Telecasts also feature a custom graphics package suited to the exorbitant swing data typically generated by hitters, tracking club speed, ball speed and apex 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 Tripp Isenhour will serve as a reporter, offering insight from the teeing platform and conducting interviews with hitters taking part in the competition.
DIGITAL & SOCIAL MEDIA COVERAGE: Fans can stay connected to the action surrounding World Long Drive by following @WorldLongDrive and @GOLFChannel on social media. The live telecast 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.