Driven captures No.1 ranked Oklahoma State’s historic national championship run,
and is executive produced by Rickie Fowler’s Main Event Productions;
Written and produced by 20-time Emmy-winner Ollie Stokes
ORLANDO, Fla., April 11, 2018 – NBC Sports Group is teaming up with PGA TOUR superstar Rickie Fowler to give viewers a dramatic behind-the-scenes look into Fowler’s alma mater in a four-part documentary series – Driven: Oklahoma State Cowboys. NBC Sports will showcase Driven across its networks: with the first three premieres airing on Golf Channel (Mondays: May 7, 14, and 21), encores airing on NBCSN, and the finale on NBC, Saturday, June 16, recapping their historic season culminated by their run at a potential 11th national championship for the program. The announcement was made today by Fowler, executive producer of Driven and his Main Event Productions, and Mike McCarley, president, Golf, NBC Sports Group.
“As a proud Oklahoma State alum, Driven is a passion project of mine. I consider Stillwater my home away from home and I am excited to not only showcase my alma mater, but also provide fans with the unique insider perspective of what college golf represents,” said Rickie Fowler, executive producer, Main Event Productions. “With the Cowboys embarking on a record-setting year, our arch-rival Oklahoma Sooners as the reigning national champions and the NCAA National Championships being staged at OSU’s home course at Karsten Creek, we couldn’t have picked a better year to shine a spotlight on this storied rivalry and the unique team drama that fuels not only my beloved Cowboys, but also the tremendous stage of collegiate golf.”
Embedded for the duration of the 2017-18 season, Driven: Oklahoma State Cowboys will showcase the personal and competitive journey of the Oklahoma State men’s golf team, which is currently the unanimous No. 1 ranked team in the nation and riding a historic seven-tournament winning streak. This May, Oklahoma State also will be host of the NCAA Men’s and Women’s Golf National Championships at their home course, Karsten Creek Golf Club in Stillwater, Okla. Adding to the drama, the Oklahoma Sooners, in addition to being the Cowboys’ in-state rival just 80 miles away in Norman, Okla., are the reigning NCAA National Champions and participated in the production of Driven.
“The rivalry and traditions of college sports are unmatched, and those same passions run deep in college golf. Rickie is a leader on the PGA TOUR in many ways, and his signature Sunday orange coupled with Pistol Pete proudly displayed on his bag embody the passion he exudes for his Cowboys,” said Mike McCarley, president, Golf, NBC Sports Group. “Rickie absolutely is the right partner for us to join forces with as we shine a spotlight and further elevate college golf, especially leading up to Golf Channel’s comprehensive coverage of the NCAA national championships this May.”
Driven will span Oklahoma State’s 2017-18 college golf season both on and off the golf course. Experiencing one of its best years in program history with eight victories in nine events this year, the team’s current run includes seven victories in a row, tying OSU’s single-season record by matching the 1986-87 team. Oklahoma State men’s golf program has won 10 NCAA golf national championships, and boasts more than 10 current players on the PGA TOUR, including Rickie Fowler, Morgan Hoffman, Charles Howell III, Hunter Mahan, Alex Noren and Peter Uihlein. Heading into the 2017-18 season, OSU was the preseason top-ranked team in the country with one goal in mind: to capture their 11th NCAA National Championship.
“It’s a credit to the history of the Oklahoma State golf program that Golf Channel chose to feature our team and this exciting season in their new series Driven,” said Alan Bratton, Oklahoma State men’s golf head coach. “We hope we make former coach Labron Harris, Athletic Director Mike Holder, all our former players and our supporters proud of how we represent them on and off the course through this series.”
Driven is written and produced by Ollie Stokes, a 20-time Emmy Award winner. Stokes has dozens of Emmy nominations, including Showtime’s ALL ACCESS: Mayweather vs. McGregor, which he wrote and produced as part of the Emmy-nominated team.
“Oklahoma State’s historic win streak as they look to dethrone their top rival Oklahoma has been playing out like a true Field of Dreams story as the Cowboys seek their 11th national championship at their home course this May,” said Stokes. “Driven showcases that same inherent passion Rickie has for his college, but what makes this show unique is we’ve captured that drama within the setting of golf, an often overlooked and underappreciated aspect of both college sports and the game of golf.”
One of Oklahoma State’s most-decorated players as the nation’s former top-ranked amateur, Fowler was the first freshman in NCAA history to win the Ben Hogan award as the NCAA’s top men’s golfer in 2008. Fowler, who turned professional in 2009, has recorded eight international wins in his career, including four PGA TOUR victories and the 2015 PLAYERS Championship, as well as contributing to winning Ryder Cup and Presidents Cup teams and representing Team USA in the 2016 Rio Olympics. Most recently, Fowler finished second in the 2018 Masters.
Golf Channel is the television home for college golf, including the NCAA Men’s and Women’s Division I Golf National Championships and East Lake Cup. 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 collegiate match play championship, 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, wraparound news from golf’s biggest college events. At the 2017 NCAA Men’s Golf National Championships, the Oklahoma men’s golf team captured their first national championship in nearly 30 years. Oklahoma State, meanwhile, lost in the quarterfinals of team match play and watched their in-state rival win the national championship.
Driven: Oklahoma State Cowboys Programming Schedule
Episode 1: Monday, May 7 10 p.m. ET Golf Channel
Episode 2: Monday, May 14 10 p.m. ET Golf Channel
Episode 3: Monday, May 21 9 p.m. ET Golf Channel
Episode 4: Saturday, June 16 5 p.m. ET NBC
ABOUT GOLF CHANNEL
Golf Channel is a multimedia, golf entertainment and services company based in Orlando, Fla. Serving the most-affluent audience in all of television, Golf Channel – co-founded by Arnold Palmer in 1995 and now part of NBC Sports Group – is available to nearly 500 million viewers in 80 countries and nine languages around the world. Golf Channel features more live golf coverage than all other networks combined, including tournament action from the PGA TOUR, LPGA Tour, The Open, Olympics, and Ryder Cup, as well as high-quality news, instruction and original programming. Delivering unmatched coverage of the world of golf, fans are able to enjoy 24/7 live streaming of Golf Channel content through Golf Channel Digital and the NBC Sports App, powered by Playmaker Media. In addition, Golf Channel connects the world to golf through a wide array of digital and lifestyle services including Golf Channel Mobile, a comprehensive app covering golf’s latest headlines, scores and analysis; GolfNow, the world’s largest online tee time booking platform and golf course technology partner, which includes the GolfNow Mobile App, featuring on-course GPS tracking, in-round scoring and game tracking; Revolution Golf, the largest direct-to-consumer digital platform in golf ; GolfAdvisor.com, the world’s largest golf course ratings and review resource for golfers, by golfers; a North American network of Golf Channel Academy instructional facilities; and Golf Channel Am Tour, the world’s largest amateur golf tour.
Contact:
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Golf Channel Communications
407-355-4542
David.Schaefer@golfchannel.com
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Golf Channel Communications
407-355-4058
Jeremy.Friedman@golfchannel.com
