GOLF CHANNEL ANNOUNCES TEAMS FOR 2019 EAST LAKE CUP COLLEGIATE MATCH PLAY CHAMPIONSHIP, MONDAY-WEDNESDAY, OCT. 28-30
Men: Oklahoma State, Texas, Vanderbilt, Wake Forest
Women: Arizona, Auburn, Duke, Wake Forest
ZipRecruiter New Presenting Sponsor; East Lake Cup Celebrating Fifth Year; Has Raised More than 1.5 Million for the East Lake Foundation
Video: Wake Forest Coaches Look Ahead to East Lake Cup and College Golf Season
GOLF Channel today announced the field of eight elite NCAA Division I collegiate golf programs who will compete in the 2019 East Lake Cup collegiate match play championship, taking place at historic East Lake Golf Club in Atlanta, Monday-Wednesday, Oct. 28-30.
“Now approaching its fifth year, the East Lake Cup has become one of college golf’s marquee events,” said Tom Knapp, GOLF Channel executive vice president, programming and partnerships. “This championship anchors GOLF Channel’s year-round commitment to college golf, and introduces viewers to golf’s future stars for both the men’s and women’s game.”
GOLF Channel will air live coverage of all three days of the championship from 3-6 p.m. ET, complemented by wraparound news, digital and social media coverage. The eight teams competing in the East Lake Cup were extended invitations due to their performances at the 2019 NCAA Division I Golf Championships last May. The men’s division is headlined by the current top-ranked team in the country in Wake Forest and the 2019 NCAA national championships runners-up in Texas. The women’s division features all four semifinalists from the 2019 NCAA Women’s Golf Championships, headlined by reigning national champions Duke University and the current top-ranked team in the country in Wake Forest.
MEN’S DIVISION:
University of Texas – 2019 NCAA national championships runners-up.
Oklahoma State University – 2018 NCAA national champions, 2019 semifinalists.
Vanderbilt University –2017 East Lake Cup champions, 2019 NCAA semifinalists.
Wake Forest University – 2019 NCAA quarterfinalists, current top-ranked team in the country.
“Our program is thrilled to have the opportunity to compete in the East Lake Cup again this year,” said Vanderbilt men’s golf coach Scott Limbaugh. “It has become the marquee event that every team desires to play in. It gives our student-athletes the opportunity to play on national TV against great competition on one of the best courses in the world.”
“We are very honored by the invitation to participate in our first East Lake Cup,” said Wake Forest men’s golf coach Jerry Haas. “It is one of the great showcase events of collegiate golf and we look forward to competing on that stage. We feel like we are one of the top teams in the country and we appreciate the opportunity to challenge ourselves against three other elite teams on one of the best golf courses in the country.”
WOMEN’S DIVISION:
Duke University – 2019 NCAA national champions; 2016 East Lake Cup champions.
Auburn University- 2019 NCAA semifinalists.
Wake Forest University – 2019 NCAA national championship runners-up, current top-ranked team in the country.
University of Arizona – 2018 NCAA national champions, 2019 NCAA semifinalists.
“We’re very excited to be returning to East Lake,” said Duke women’s golf coach Dan Brooks. “It’s an exceptional event at a very special golf club, and it’s great to be associated with the inspiring work being done by the East Lake Foundation.”
ZIPRECRUITER NEW PRESENTING SPONSOR; TOPGOLF, UBER NEW TOURNAMENT SPONSORS: Ahead of the fifth playing of the event, ZipRecruiter has become the new presenting sponsor for the East Lake Cup, elevating its sponsorship as part of its multi-year partnership with the tournament. Joining ZipRecruiter as sponsors for the East Lake Cup are existing sponsors Bridgestone Golf, Mercedes-Benz and CSX and new sponsors Uber and Topgolf. The East Lake Cup is one of the largest contributors to the East Lake Foundation, having raised more than $1.5 million for the East Lake Foundation since the tournament’s inception in 2015.
EAST LAKE CUP FORMAT: The East Lake Cup will be contested over three days, following the format from the final three days of the NCAA men’s and women’s golf national championships. On Monday, Oct. 28, the eight teams will compete in individual stroke play competition to determine the individual champion and to seed for two days of match-play competition. Tuesday-Wednesday, Oct. 29-30, two match-play tournaments will be hosted simultaneously for the men’s and women’s divisions, with the semifinals taking place on Tuesday and the finals and consolation matches on Wednesday.
Teams for the East Lake Cup will compete on the championship golf course at East Lake Golf Club, home of the TOUR Championship, the season-ending event of the PGA TOUR’s FedExCup Playoffs. The East Lake Cup benefits the East Lake Foundation, a charitable organization dedicated to helping families build better lives and children reach their highest potential through its holistic approach to community revitalization incorporating mixed-income housing, cradle-to-college education and community wellness.
Viewers and fans can stay connected with the championship on Twitter via@GolfChannel using hashtag #EastLakeCup.
TOM COUSINS AWARD: The East Lake Cup also features the Tom Cousins Award, an annual recognition presented to an outstanding male and female golfer who exemplify the values of the East Lake Foundation: exceling in academics, engagement in his or her community and overcoming adversity. This award, presented on Monday during the East Lake Cup Celebration, is named for Tom Cousins, founder of the East Lake Foundation, who led the transformation of a community in despair into a thriving neighborhood, now a national model for community redevelopment through Purpose Built Communities.
GOLF CHANNEL HOME TO FIVE COLLEGE GOLF CHAMPIONSHIPS: GOLF Channel is the television home for college golf, televising five college golf championships. Following its announcement in 2013 as the exclusive television provider of the NCAA Golf Championships, GOLF Channel has provided live coverage of the men’s NCAA championships since 2014 and the women’s NCAA championships since 2015, which now are hosted at the same venue in consecutive weeks in May.
In addition to the East Lake Cup, GOLF Channel also televises the Western Intercollegiate presented by Topgolf, one of the longest running college tournaments in the U.S. The 73rd edition was contested April 15-17 at Pasatiempo Golf Club in Santa Cruz, Calif., with Stanford sweeping the individual and team titles. In 2020, GOLF Channel will televise a new college championship, the Maridoe Collegiate Invitational, a new 54-hole team and individual stroke place championship. GOLF Channel also deploys its comprehensive portfolio of news, digital and social media coverage year-round in covering collegiate golf, including specials for regional and national qualifying, on-site and wraparound news from golf’s biggest college events, and year-end award shows for the Haskins and ANNIKA Awards presented by Stifel.
ABOUT THE EAST LAKE FOUNDATION
Founded in 1995 on the belief that everyone deserves a chance to succeed, the East Lake Foundation collaborates with public and private organizations to provide tools that enable Atlanta’s East Lake residents to build a better future through its model for community revitalization.
The East Lake model includes cradle-to-college education at Charles R. Drew Charter School and its early learning partners, mixed-income housing at The Villages of East Lake and community wellness through programs including The First Tee® of East Lake, the Resident and Community Support Program, and the Start:ME East Lake micro-entrepreneur program. This approach to building a strong community not only helps break the intergenerational cycle of poverty, but creates a place where people of all ages and incomes choose to live. East Lake has become a national model for holistic community revitalization programs through its sister organization, Purpose Built Communities. Additional information is available at www.eastlakefoundation.org.
ABOUT EAST LAKE GOLF CLUB
Located in Atlanta, the East Lake Golf Club is the home course of legendary golfer Bobby Jones and is the oldest golf course in the city of Atlanta. The Club is not only historic, but philanthropic as well. Proceeds from operations support the East Lake Foundation, now serving as a national model for holistic community redevelopment across the country through Purpose Built Communities.
Over the years, the golf course has hosted many national and regional championships, including the 1950 U.S. Women’s Amateur, 1963 Ryder Cup, and 2001 U.S. Men’s Amateur. It is now the permanent home of the TOUR Championship, the culminating event of the PGA TOUR Playoffs for the FedExCup. Additional information may be found at www.eastlakegolfclub.com
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 – GOLFcontent is available to nearly 500 million viewers in nine languages across more than 70 countries around the world. GOLF features more live coverage of the sport 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 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; GOLFPASS, an all-in-one digital membership delivering comprehensive benefits tailored to the modern golfer’s lifestyle; 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; GOLF Academy, a North American network of instructional facilities; and GOLF Am Tour, the world’s largest amateur golf tour. GOLF’s global reach originates from its world headquarters in Orlando, Fla., and extends to its international office in Belfast, Northern Ireland; regional offices across North America, Europe and Australia; and also includes collaborations with Sky Sports and serving as the Official Media Partner of St Andrews Links.
-NBC Sports Group-
Media Contacts:
Jeremy Friedman
Golf Channel Communications
407-355-4058
Jeremy.Friedman@golfchannel.com<
Jeff Szklinski
Golf Channel Communications
407-248-3267
Jeff.Szklinski@golfchannel.com
Tom Sprouse
East Lake Cup / HNS Sports
614-889-6791
tsprouse@hnssports.com
Catherine Woodling
East Lake Foundation/East Lake Golf Club
404-974-4506
cwoodling@eastlakefoundation.org
