Eat Sleep Golf: Golf Channel Sets Up For PGA Championship - The Season's Final Major Championship

ORLANDO, Fla. (Aug. 2, 2013) – In preparation for the men’s final major championship of the year, Golf Channel is dedicating an entire week of programming – incorporating more than 50 live hours of news, analysis, highlights, interviews, instruction and debate – to surround the 2013 PGA Championship, taking place Aug. 5-11 on the famed East Course at Oak Hill Country Club in Rochester, N.Y.

LIVE FROM THE PGA CHAMPIONSHIP: Headlining Golf Channel’s live programming from the PGA Championship will be the network’s signature LIVE FROM show, which will feature all the latest news from Oak Hill throughout the week. Anchored by Rich Lerner and Kelly Tilghman, LIVE FROM THE PGA CHAMPIONSHIP will feature contributions from Golf Channel’s top-notch team of analysts and reporters, including Frank Nobilo, Brandel Chamblee, Notah Begay, Steve Sands, Todd Lewis, Tim Rosaforte and Ryan Burr, as well as regular contributors John Feinstein and Ken Schofield. Reporting mainly from a custom-built set adjacent to the Oak Hill clubhouse, LIVE FROM also will feature reports from the player practice area and showcase video footage from unique camera positions around the golf course.

Other live productions from Oak Hill during the week include the high-energy instruction of 2012 PGA Teacher of the Year Michael Breed on THE GOLF FIX, which will be hosted live from the driving range on Monday, Aug. 5, at 6 p.m. ET. The lively discussion and debate that has become the hallmark of the GREY GOOSE 19^th HOLE also will be televised from Oak Hill, Wednesday, Aug. 7, at 6 p.m. ET, featuring a panel that will include Golf Channel’s Steve Sands and John Feinstein, as well as Golf World and Golf Digest magazines contributor Geoff Shackelford and former executive director of the USGA, David B. Fay.

MORNING DRIVE: The unique challenge of Oak Hill’s layout for the PGA Championship will be a main topic of discussion all week for MORNING DRIVE co-hosts Gary Williams, Damon Hack and Charlie Rymer, who recently visited the course. Video features will highlight Williams’ walkthrough with Kerry Haigh, chief championship officer for the PGA of America and a leading authority in tournament golf course set up and operations. John Cook also will join the team.

PLAYER NEWS CONFERENCES: MORNING DRIVE and LIVE FROM THE PGA CHAMPIONSHIP will feature every scheduled player news conference staged from Oak Hill Country Club Tuesday and Wednesday.

FEATURES: Throughout the week, LIVE FROM feature stories will showcase the history of the PGA Championship, Oak Hill Country Club and the city of Rochester. A sampling includes:

Vijay – A two-time PGA Championship winner, Vijay Singh recently has created more headlines off the course than on it.

Walter Hagen – Having won 11 major championships, including a record-tying five PGA Championship victories, this Rochester, N.Y., native was a major figure in golf during the first half of the 20^th century.

Craig Harmon – A profile of Craig Harmon, a member of golf’s famous Harmon brothers – also including Butch, Dick and Bill – and head pro at Oak Hill Country Club.

Oak Hill – A rich history envelopes Oak Hill Country Club, which sprouted from a nine-hole course in 1901 and hosted its first major championship in 1956.

Sean Foley – his counsel is behind the swings of some of the most famous players in the game today, including Tiger Woods, Hunter Mahan, Sean O’Hair and 2013 U.S. Open Champion Justin Rose, the first player to win a major championship while under Foley’s tutelage.

DIGITAL COVERAGE: GolfChannel.com and live streaming application Golf Live Extra are teaming up to keep fans on the go up to date with all the news from the PGA Championship. A team from GolfChannel.com, including Rex Hoggard, Jason Sobel, Ryan Lavner and John Hawkins, will feature expanded editorial content and interactive opportunities for fans themed to The Open Championship.

Live Chats

Senior Writer Jason Sobel and contributor John Hawkins will host live chats on GolfChannel.com Thursday through Sunday to keep fans up to date, answer questions and discuss the latest news:

Thursday, 2-6 p.m. ET
Friday, 2-6 p.m. ET
Saturday, 3-7 p.m. ET
Sunday, 3-7 p.m. ET

Video

GolfChannel.com users will have access to video both live and on-demand all week, including:

GolfTalk Central news and information updates.
Essays from contributing writer John Hawkins.
Clips from MORNING DRIVE and LIVE FROM THE PGA CHAMPIONSHIP telecasts on Golf Channel.

Mobile

Fans who are customers of participating cable, satellite, telco and other video subscription services, will be able to enjoy 24/7 streaming of Golf Channel content through GolfChannel.com and Golf Channel’s mobile application, Golf Live Extra, via “TV Everywhere,” the media industry’s effort to make quality content available to MVPD customers both in and out of the home and on multiple platforms. Golf Channel’s mobile app also will feature all the on-demand content featured on GolfChannel.com.

Social

GolfChannel.com also features the Golf Channel Social Lounge (www.GolfChannel.com/social), a social center that aggregates all social media posts related to a specific event in one location on the site. The Social Lounge currently is aggregating all content on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram mentioning @PGAChampionship and using the hashtag #PGAChamp.

Golf Channel PGA Championship Week Programming (all times ET):

Monday, Aug. 5

Morning Drive 7-9 a.m.

The Golf Fix 6-7 p.m.

Live From the PGA Championship 7-8 p.m.

Tuesday, Aug. 6

Morning Drive 7-11 a.m. (includes player news conferences)

Live From the PGA Championship 11 a.m.-3 p.m. (player news conferences)