PGA TOUR offers fans unprecedented coverage of FedExCup Playoffs

CBS Sports, NBC Sports combine for 60 live hours as world’s-best players chase PGA TOUR’s ultimate prize, the FedExCup

PONTE VEDRA BEACH, FLORIDA— As the PGA TOUR’s Season of Championships concludes with the 2019 FedExCup Playoffs, CBS Sports and NBC Sports will once again share television network coverage. In addition, fans in the United States can follow the world’s top players as they chase the PGA TOUR’s ultimate prize, the FedExCup, with complementary coverage on GOLF Channel, PGA TOUR LIVE, DIRECTV and PGA TOUR Radio.

CBS Sports, NBC Sports, GOLF Channel
CBS Sports, NBC Sports and GOLF Channel will combine for more than 60 live tournament hours from the three FedExCup Playoffs events. CBS wraps up its 2019 season of golf coverage at Liberty National Golf Club in Jersey City, New Jersey, for the first FedExCup Playoffs event, THE NORTHERN TRUST, which marks the 17th PGA TOUR event the network will broadcast this season.

Jim Nantz and Nick Faldo will be in the 18th tower, while Ian Baker-Finch will be at the 17th and Gary McCord at the 16th. Dottie Pepper and Peter Kostis will serve as on-course reporters, and Amanda Balionis will handle interviews and Smartcart coverage. Lance Barrow is the Coordinating Producer and Steve Milton is the Director.

Faldo, who has been lead golf analyst for CBS since the beginning of the 2007 season, expects an intense competition over the next three weeks. “With the strength of the FedExCup Playoffs, it seems to bring the strong players out,” said Faldo. “The guys that have been playing very consistently and can play really strong for three weeks in a row. I expect obviously Brooks Koepka, but also Jon Rahm and Patrick Cantlay to compete; they are playing very consistently. Xander Schauffele is also playing pretty consistently, so those are four of my obvious names right now who will contend for the FedExCup.”

NBC Sports will take part in coverage of all three events, with the first and second rounds of THE NORTHERN TRUST airing on GOLF Channel (along with early third and final round coverage), before the BMW Championship and TOUR Championship appear on GOLF Channel and NBC.

NBC Sports’ broadcast team at the BMW Championship and TOUR Championship will be led by Dan Hicks and Paul Azinger in the 18th tower. For early-round coverage on GOLF Channel, Steve Sands and Frank Nobilo will be in the 18th tower (BMW Championship), along with Terry Gannon and Justin Leonard (TOUR Championship). They will be joined by Gary Koch and David Feherty in outer tower positions, along with Roger Maltbie, Mark Rolfing (BMW Championship), Notah Begay (TOUR Championship) and Jim “Bones” Mackay reporting from inside the ropes. Sands will provide reports and conduct interviews with those in the field, while Jimmy Roberts will provide features and essays. Mike Tirico will serve as a tournament host at the TOUR Championship.

“The FedExCup has rapidly become one of the most prestigious prizes in golf,” said Azinger, winner of the 1992 TOUR Championship. “To remember how much pressure I felt in winning the TOUR Championship, and now adding to it the significance of the FedExCup Playoffs, the magnitude of the title and the money that comes with it – it’s unfathomable how much players must be feeling it coming down the stretch. The Playoffs really are a reflection of the kind of year the players have had, and to have the guy who is a virtual lock to be Player of the Year leading the standings, it tells you that the system, identifying that top performer, got it right.”

Including tournament encore telecasts, NBC Sports and GOLF Channel will dedicate more than 170 hours of tournament coverage surrounding the FedExCup Playoffs.

DIRECTV
“THE NORTHERN TRUST Experience,” a sports-mix channel on DIRECTV (701) on Saturday (3-6 p.m. ET) and Sunday (2-6 p.m.), offers additional PGA TOUR coverage of the FedExCup Playoffs. Channels available under the experience include: Featured Groups – follow select groups of players around the course; Launch Pad – a channel focused on the most explosive shot in golf – the long drive – with super slow-motion replays, TopTracer shot tracking and more; SHOTLink® Channel – provides compelling statistical data for every shot in real-time, an in-depth scorecard for each player and more stat-driven content.

PGA TOUR LIVE
Fans can stream exclusive live coverage of the FedExCup Playoffs on PGA TOUR LIVE via a subscription on NBC Sports Gold (www.nbcsports.com/pgatour) and Amazon Prime Video Channels (amazon.com/video/pgatourlive) for customers in the United States. In 2019, PGA TOUR LIVE is priced at $9.99 per month or $64.99 for the entire year and is available on iOS, Android, Apple TV, Roku, Chromecast, Web and several more platforms. In addition to exclusive live tournament coverage, PGA TOUR LIVE features integrated statistics, round replays, Speed Rounds, shot-tracing technology, video on demand and access to video archives.

PGA TOUR Radio
PGA TOUR Radio coverage of the FedExCup Playoffs will air on SiriusXM PGA TOUR Radio (Sirius 208, XM 92) and stream on PGA TOUR Digital platforms. Earl Forcey will serve as Host for each Playoffs event; THE NORTHERN TRUST coverage will feature Mark Carnevale (Analyst) and on-course announcers Fred Albers, Kevin Sylvester and Mark Zecchino; the BMW Championship coverage will include Dennis Paulson (Analyst) and on-course announces Fred Albers, Mark Carnevale and Will Haskett; the TOUR Championship coverage will feature Mark McCumber (Analyst) and on-course announcers Doug Bell, Bill Rosinksi and Tom Werme.

Full coverage schedule of the 2019 FedExCup Playoffs

	THE NORTHERN TRUST	BMW Championship	TOUR Championship
Thursday	GOLF 2-6 p.m. PGA TOUR LIVE 7:15 a.m. – 6 p.m. PGA TOUR Radio 12-6 p.m.	GOLF 3-7 p.m. PGA TOUR LIVE 10:30 a.m. – 6 p.m. PGA TOUR Radio 1-7 p.m.	GOLF 1-6 p.m. PGA TOUR LIVE 10:30 a.m. – 6 p.m. PGA TOUR Radio 12-6 p.m.
Friday	GOLF 2-6 p.m. PGA TOUR LIVE 7:15 a.m. – 6 p.m. PGA TOUR Radio 12-6 p.m.	GOLF 3-7 p.m. PGA TOUR LIVE 10:30 a.m. – 6 p.m. PGA TOUR Radio 1-7 p.m.	GOLF 1-6 p.m. PGA TOUR LIVE 10:30 a.m. – 6 p.m. PGA TOUR Radio 12-6 p.m.
Saturday	GOLF 1-2:45 p.m. CBS 3-6 p.m. PGA TOUR LIVE 8:30 a.m. – 6 p.m. PGA TOUR Radio 1-6 p.m.	GOLF 12-3 p.m. NBC 3-6 p.m. PGA TOUR LIVE 8:15 a.m. – 6 p.m. PGA TOUR Radio 1-6 p.m.	GOLF 1-2:30 p.m. NBC 2:30-7 p.m. PGA TOUR LIVE 12:15 p.m. – 7 p.m. PGA TOUR Radio 2-7 p.m.
Sunday	GOLF 12-1:45 p.m. CBS 2-6 p.m. PGA TOUR LIVE 8:30 a.m. – 6 p.m. PGA TOUR Radio 1-6 p.m.	GOLF 12-2 p.m. NBC 2-6 p.m. PGA TOUR LIVE 8:15 a.m. – 6 p.m. PGA TOUR Radio 1-6 p.m.	GOLF 12-1:30 p.m. NBC 1:30-6 p.m. PGA TOUR LIVE 11:15 a.m. – 6 p.m. PGA TOUR Radio 1-6 p.m.

PGA TOUR App and PGATOUR.COM
Fans can also follow the action by downloading the PGA TOUR app or by visiting PGATOUR.COM for the latest scores, FedExCup standings and more. To download the PGA TOUR app, users may visit the App Store, search “PGA TOUR,” click on the blue PGA TOUR logo, and hit “download.” Once the app is downloaded, fans can search for desired information or use the bottom tab bar to navigate through the various menu options.

As part of the PGA TOUR’s revamped schedule, the FedExCup Playoffs were moved up, providing the opportunity for the Playoffs to own the month of August on the sports calendar.

Additionally, changes were made to the TOUR Championship format, including the institution of a strokes-based bonus system to begin the event. The FedExCup points leader after the first two FedExCup Playoffs events will begin the TOUR Championship at 10-under par. The next four players will start at 8-under through 5-under, respectively. The next five will begin at 4-under, regressing by one stroke per five players until those ranked Nos. 26-30 start at even par. The change in scoring format will make it simpler for fans to understand and allow players to know exactly where they stand in the FedExCup competition at any point during their round.

ABOUT PGA TOUR
By showcasing golf’s greatest players, the PGA TOUR engages, inspires and positively impacts our fans, partners and communities worldwide.

The PGA TOUR co-sanctions more than 130 tournaments on the PGA TOUR, PGA TOUR Champions, Korn Ferry Tour, PGA TOUR Latinoamérica, Mackenzie Tour-PGA TOUR Canada and PGA TOUR Series-China. Members on the PGA TOUR represent the world’s best players, hailing from 27 countries (90 members are from outside the United States). Worldwide, PGA TOUR tournaments are broadcast to 226 countries and territories in 23 languages. Virtually all tournaments are organized as non-profit organizations to maximize charitable giving. In 2018, tournaments across all Tours generated a record $190 million for local and national charitable organizations, bringing the all-time total to $2.84 billion.

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