ORLANDO, Fla., (Feb, 5, 2019) – GOLF Channel, San José State University and Topgolf Entertainment Group today announced a multi-year partnership for GOLF Channel to televise one of the longest-running men's collegiate golf championships in the country – the Western Intercollegiate presented by Topgolf – taking place at the historic Pasatiempo Golf Club in Santa Cruz, Calif. GOLF Channel will air live coverage of the 54-hole stroke play team and individual championship in primetime Monday and Tuesday, April 15-16, from 7-10 p.m. ET and on Wednesday, April 17 from 4-7 p.m. ET.
"Partnering with the Western Intercollegiate and Topgolf underscores GOLF Channel's commitment to raising the profile of college golf and showcasing the sport's future stars," said Tom Knapp, executive vice president, programming and partnerships, GOLF Channel. "The Western Intercollegiate is one of the more distinguished tournaments in college golf that is rich in history, and we look forward to introducing our viewers to this championship and its iconic venue at the Pasatiempo Golf Club."
"We are thrilled to partner with GOLF Channel and Topgolf on showcasing the iconic Western Intercollegiate men's golf tournament," said Marie Tuite director of athletics, San José State University. "Our program and the Western Intercollegiate have long, rich histories connected to the sport of men's golf. We look forward to three days of challenging and outstanding golf and GOLF Channel's plans for unprecedented live college golf coverage. The Pasatiempo Golf Club is one of the best tests of golf anywhere in the country."
"We are honored to have the Western Intercollegiate televised this year with nine hours of live TV sponsored by Topgolf and televised on GOLF Channel," said John Kennaday, San José State University men's golf coach and Western Intercollegiate tournament director. "For 73 years, we have been blessed to have an amazing venue in Pasatiempo. To have the consistency of great, meaningful and historic players come through our tournament, it's an honor and a labor of love for many of us."
"We're excited to sponsor the Western Intercollegiate Golf Championship – a tournament that, like Topgolf, brings a ton of energy and fun to the sport," said Erik Anderson, executive chairman of Topgolf. "These collegiate players are the future of golf, and we can't wait to watch them play with our Toptracer technology, the first-ever broadcast of the tournament with real-time ball tracking."
Hosted by San José State University, the Western Intercollegiate presented by Topgolf is a 54-hole team and individual stroke play championship, entering its 73rd year and one of the premier events on the spring college calendar. The individual medalist at the Western receives the coveted Blue Jacket, honoring legendary Pasatiempo Golf Club course designer Alister MacKenzie, also the designer of Augusta National Golf Club.
The 2019 Western Intercollegiate presented by Topgolf field will include 13 elite NCAA Division I golf programs, highlighted by two nationally-ranked top 10 players – California's Collin Morikawa (No. 2) and USC's Justin Suh (No. 6), also the 2017 Western Intercollegiate individual medalist. Annually attracting several of the top college programs on the West Coast, the field boasts six teams ranked in the top-50 in the Golfstat rankings, including three teams currently ranked in the top-20 nationally: USC (8), Pepperdine (15) and Cal (17).
The 2019 Western Intercollegiate presented by Topgolf field:
University of Arizona
University of California
University of California-Irvine
Colorado State University
University of Hawaii
University of Oregon
Pepperdine University
San Jose State University
San Diego State University
University of Southern California
Stanford University
University of Texas-El Paso
University of Washington
The tournament's rich history features past champions Johnny Miller, Mark O'Meara, Peter Jacobsen, and San José State alums Ken Venturi, Arron Oberholser and Mark Lye. Recent individual champions include Norman Xiong (2018), Justin Suh (2017), Maverick McNealy (2016), Scottie Scheffler (2015) and Patrick Rodgers (2012). In total, players who have competed in the Western Intercollegiate account for more than 350 PGA TOUR victories and 39 major championships, including past participants Tiger Woods, Jon Rahm, Jordan Spieth, Tom Watson, Steve Stricker, Roger Maltbie and Duffy Waldorf.
GOLF CHANNEL COVERAGE AND BROADCAST TEAM
GOLF Channel will televise nine hours of live tournament coverage April 15-17, with replays in primetime on the West Coast. Golf Central, the network's daily news show, will provide wraparound news coverage of the tournament, complemented by digital and social media coverage. Bob Papa and Curt Byrum will call the action from the broadcast booth. Steve Burkowski will report from an on-course tower, with Billy Ray Brown and 1996 Western Intercollegiate champion Arron Oberholser reporting from the course.
GOLF Channel / Western Intercollegiate Coverage (all times ET)
| Monday, April 15 | Round 1, Stroke Play | 7-10 p.m. (Live) / Midnight – 3 a.m. (Replay) |
| Tuesday, April 16 | Round 2, Stroke Play | 7-10 p.m. (Live) / 1-4 a.m. (Replay) |
| Wednesday, April 17 | Final Round, Stroke Play | 4-7 p.m. (Live) / Midnight-3 a.m. (Replay |
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. 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 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.
Also in 2019, GOLF Channel will premiere season two 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. Season two of Driven will be co-executive produced by PGA TOUR superstars Rickie Fowler and Justin Thomas.
ABOUT NBC SPORTS GROUP'S GOLF DIVISION
NBC Sports Group's GOLF division delivers multimedia golf content, technology and services. Anchored by GOLF Channel – co-founded by Arnold Palmer in 1995 – GOLF content is available to nearly 500 million viewers in nine languages across more than 70 countries around the world. GOLF features more live golf coverage than all other U.S. networks combined, including global tournament action from the PGA TOUR, LPGA Tour, European Tour, NCAA, THE PLAYERS, The Open, Olympics, Presidents Cup and Ryder Cup, as well as high-quality news, instruction and original programming. Delivering unmatched coverage from the world of golf via GOLF Digital, fans can access GOLF's 24/7 live streaming through the NBC Sports App, as well as complementary coverage via PGA TOUR LIVE on NBC Sports Gold. In addition to these all-encompassing media platforms, NBC Sports connects the world to golf through a wide array of technology and lifestyle services, including: GOLFNOW, the world's largest online tee time booking platform; GOLF Business Solutions, solving business needs through leading technology, marketing and services; Revolution GOLF, the world's largest direct-to-consumer digital platform in golf, offering best-in-class video instruction and game improvement products; GOLF Advisor, the ultimate digital destination for the traveling golfer, featuring the largest number of user-generated golf course ratings and reviews in the industry; a North American network of GOLF Academy instructional facilities; and GOLF Am Tour, the world's largest amateur golf tour. GOLF's global reach includes its world headquarters in Orlando; an international office in Belfast; regional offices across North America, Europe and Australia; collaborations with Sky Sports and serving as the Official Media Partner of St Andrews Links.
ABOUT TOPGOLF
Topgolf is a global sports entertainment community creating great times for all. With a worldwide fan base of nearly 100 million, Topgolf prides itself on its special blend of technology, entertainment, food and beverage and the inherent good that can be accomplished when a community of all walks of life comes together.
The first brand expression of this togetherness is a Topgolf venue. These multi-level complexes feature high-tech golf balls and gaming, climate-controlled hitting bays, renowned menu, hand-crafted cocktails, events, music and more. The nearly 52 U.S. venues, along with four international venues, entertain more than 17 million Guests annually.
Beyond the venues, Topgolf fits seamlessly into the lives of our engaged community with emerging brands such as Topgolf Swing Suite, a luxury simulator experience; Toptracer, real-time tracking as seen on TV; Toptracer Range, bringing the tracing technology to driving ranges around the world; and WGT, the world's largest digital golf audience. As a growing lifestyle brand, Topgolf is discovering new ways to engage and delight our Guests through original content series, pop up social experiences like Topgolf Crush, and even through building music venues like The Cowan in Nashville.
To learn more and join the fun, follow @Topgolf or visit www.topgolf.com.
ABOUT SAN JOSÉ STATE UNIVERSITY MEN'S GOLF
San José State University's standing in NCAA Division I men's golf is well-established. The Spartans have a 1948 NCAA team championship and placed in the top-10 14 more times. NCAA champions Bob Harris in 1948 and Terry Small in 1964 headline 11 top-10 Spartan individual finishers at the national championship. San Jose State alums have stayed in the game and pursued careers as broadcast commentators, teaching pros, club professionals, coaches for all skill levels, and successful amateur and professional players. Since 1947, San Jose State has served as the host of the annual Western Intercollegiate played at the Pasatiempo Golf Club in Santa Cruz, California.
ABOUT THE PASATIEMPO GOLF CLUB
From greens that have challenged generations of golfers including Bobby Jones, Ken Venturi, Juli Inkster, and Tiger Woods, to rich golf history and breathtaking scenery, Pasatiemepo delivers a memorable golf experience: it is truly one of the finest championship golf courses in the world. Designed by world-renowned golf architect Alister MacKenzie, Pasatiempo has hosted the western Intercollegiate and USGA Championships including the 1986 U.S. Women's Amateur and the 2004 U.S. Senior Women's Amateur.