GOLFPASS OFFERS EXCLUSIVES IN JULY, HIGHLIGHTING ROAD TO THE OPEN & ROYAL PORTRUSH

Exclusive Live Streaming of Scottish Open, July 11-14, to Follow McIlroy in Featured Group

Exclusive Rory McIlroy 61-Degree TaylorMade Wedge Commemorating His Course Record at Royal Portrush

GOLFPASS Collection of GOLF Films Shorts Feature the Faces and Places Surrounding The Open, Royal Portrush and Northern Ireland

Newest Episode of “Rory & Carson” Podcast Focuses on McIlroy’s Preparations for The Open in His Home Country

GOLFPASS, golf’s most-comprehensive digital membership program, is celebrating The Open throughout July with exclusive offers, entertainment and benefits to members throughout North America, U.K. and Ireland. Featured is insight and commentary from global golf superstar and GOLFPASS founder Rory McIlroy, an exploration of Northern Ireland and its people, and observations of Royal Portrush Golf Club, host course for the year’s final major championship.

“The Open is going to be a massive week for golf, for the country and for me, personally,” said McIlroy, a four-time major champion who already in 2019 has won The Players and RBC Canadian Open and has 11 top-10 finishes on the PGA TOUR. “It’s exciting to see all the things GOLFPASS is featuring in July surrounding The Open.  Not only are members getting an insider’s look at why this particular championship is so special but also all the other GOLFPASS perks and benefits that go along with it.”

LIVE STREAMING:  The week prior to The Open, GOLFPASS will host exclusive live streaming of all four rounds of the Aberdeen Standard Investments Scottish Open, July 11-14. McIlroy will be part of a featured player group, including Rickie Fowler and Scotsman Robert MacIntyre, during the first two rounds of live streaming, with coverage continuing throughout the weekend. First Round coverage begins at 8:40 a.m. ET. Production elements for the streaming will be highlighted by Toptracer technology, which displays the flight of a golf ball digitally within a camera feed; and ARL Virtual Eye, which uses Toptracer within a 3D model of a hole layout.

COMMEMORATIVE “RORS” WEDGE:  Celebrating the return of The Open to Northern Ireland and McIlroy’s course-record score of 61 at Royal Portrush, GOLFPASS and partner TaylorMade Golf are offering the “RORS” 61-degree wedge exclusively for GOLFPASS members. The wedge commemorates the course-record McIlroy achieved in 2005 at the age of 16 on the Dunluce course during the North of Ireland Amateur Open. Only 1,000 wedges have been made, each numbered and milled with custom graphics.

NEW RORY & CARSON PODCAST:  On the newest installment of the Rory & Carson Podcast on GOLFPASS, McIlroy and Carson Daly preview The Open, with a sampling of McIlroy’s comments covering topics, including:

• His history at Royal Portrush, where he shot a course-record 61, and success at Harry Colt-designed golf courses: “Portrush is designed by Harry Colt, who also designed Royal Liverpool, where I won The Open in 2014. And he also designed Hamilton Country Club, where I just won the Canadian Open. So, I’ve had some pretty good success on Harry Colt courses.”
• His top priorities and strategies heading into The Open: “Give myself permission to be free, give myself permission to storm the castle … I’d rather lose playing that way, than lose playing conservatively and not giving myself a chance. I’d rather play to win.”
• What he misses most about living in Northern Ireland and what he expects to experience on his return home for The Open: “It feels like one big, sort of, village … people are generally happy for you whenever you do well and come home. They feel like your success is their success, in some way, and that’s cool.”

Extended video versions and behind-the-scenes access to the Rory & Carson Podcast are available exclusively on GOLFPASS. Abridged audio-only versions can be found on iTunes, Spotify and on other podcast platforms.

EXCLUSIVE VIDEOS:  Exclusive GOLFPASS Originals leading up to The Open include:

• Toughest Tracks: My Memories – After years of competing around the world, McIlroy offers a new perspective on Royal Portrush Golf Club, shares memories of his milestone achievement there, and offers his thoughts about competing there later this month. Watch video HERE.
• My Roots: Rory McIlroy, “Yesterday & Today” – In this episode of the GOLFPASS Original Series, McIlroy talks about what it’s like to play golf in his native Northern Ireland and how learning there helped form the creativity in his game. He also discusses sports and cultural heroes from Northern Ireland; what it’s like to return to his home country; Irish fan culture; and his legacy. Watch the video HERE.
• Toughest Tracks: Royal Portrush – McIlroy provides a tour and strategies for playing the new 7^th hole at Royal Portrush. The visually spectacular par-5 layout cuts seamlessly through the dunes and appears as if it was part of the original course. McIlroy expects No. 7 to provide a healthy challenge but also a good opportunity to card a birdie during the tournament. Watch the video HERE.

Additionally, GOLFPASS features a collection of GOLF Films shorts for The Open, including:

• GOLF Films Short: The Troubles – As a native Northern Irishman, David Feherty visits key locations in and around Belfast and discusses progress before and after the Good Friday Agreement. Feherty talks with politicians, journalists and other locals who paint a picture of the unlikely role that golf is playing today to reshape the world view, including McIlroy’s position as the region’s first post-conflict, global sports star.
• GOLF Films Short: Waterville – Mike Tirico narrates this story about veterans of war and U.S. Army Green Beret Mike Morales, who lost 30 percent of his skull when a shell exploded near his head. Special forces veterans suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder come to Waterville in Ireland seeking therapy, where golf serves as a critical part of their healing process.
• GOLF Films Short: Nick Edmund – Todd Lewis tells the story of cancer survivor Nick Edmund, author of 27 books on golf and a former managing director of Nick Faldo’s course design company. Four years ago, the 58-year-old Englishman was diagnosed with cancer of the neck and scalp. That’s when he started GlobalGolf4Cancer. The significance of the word “four” relates to the four million people in the U.K. afflicted with cancer, four stages of the disease, one in four people likely to be affected by cancer, as well as those that are golf related, like “Fore” and a four-ball format. While he battles the disease, Nick plays the fourth hole at every golf course he can, planting the GlobalGolf4Cancer flag, which now flies at more than 1,000 courses around the world, including Royal Portrush.

MORE PERKS AND BENEFITS:  GOLFPASS delivers comprehensive perks and benefits that span five pillars – Play, Learn, Shop, Travel, Watch – which are the most frequent ways golfers engage with the sport. A GOLFPASS membership is unmatched in golf and available today via GOLFPASS.com and via connected TV, iOS and Android apps.

• PLAY: Every month, GOLFPASS members receive a tee-time credit toward a round of golf, good at a choice of more than 7,000 GOLFNOW partner golf courses in 26 countries around the world. Top courses in Ireland include Carton House Golf Club in County Kildare and Druids Glen Golf Course in County Wicklow. Top resorts in the U.S. include Harbour Town at Sea Pines Resort, TPC Deere Run and Pasatiempo Golf Club.

• LEARN: GOLFPASS members have access to more than 4,000 on-demand instruction videos featuring many of the world’s elite coaches. GOLFPASS Originals include Lessons with a Champion Golfer with McIlroy’s coach, Michael Bannon, as well as GOLFPASS’ new goal-focused, game-improvement series Breaking:

• Breaking Par, hosted by Cameron McCormick, swing coach for Jordan Spieth
• Breaking 80, hosted by Martin Hall, GOLF Channel’s School of Golf
• Breaking 90, hosted by Martin Chuck, Revolution GOLF Coach
• Breaking 100, hosted by Andrew Rice, Revolution GOLF Coach

GOLFPASS instructional content also features other top coaches, including Sean Foley (Justin Rose’s coach) and Chris Como, and includes tips from golf legends like Paul Azinger, Nick Faldo, Gary Player, Annika Sorenstam and more. Other GOLFPASS benefits include special pricing and early access to Revolution GOLF Schools, and golf-specific fitness and training programs, including Core Golf with Don Saladino.

• SHOP: GOLFPASS members can shop more than 70 top brands, including Linksoul, J. Lindeberg, as well as American icon Bill Murray’s golf lifestyle brand, William Murray Golf, through Shop with GOLF, an e-commerce platform recently launched by NBCUniversal. Members can take advantage of exclusive member-pricing on clubs, apparel, accessories, digital instructional tools and training aids. Shipping is free in North America and discounted for international orders. Also, launch partner TaylorMade Golf offers GOLFPASS members member-pricing benefits on a variety of TaylorMade products and accessories.
• TRAVEL: Members receive unlimited $100 travel credits at a selection of top resorts, including Sea Island in Georgia, The Biltmore in Miami and Bali Hai Golf Club in Las Vegas. Additionally, insider travel information and custom itineraries built from GOLF Advisor experiences at more than 10,000 golf destinations around the world are always available to GOLFPASS members.
• WATCH: Showcasing a video library totaling nearly 200 hours, GOLFPASS is home to award-winning franchises, including Feherty, with two-time Emmy-nominated host David Feherty. Also included is a selection of Emmy Award-winning GOLF Films, exclusive GOLFPASS Originals, and a robust GOLF Channel video archive that spans historic competitions and insight from golf’s biggest names.

About GOLFPASS

GOLFPASS is the only comprehensive digital golf membership that delivers exclusive content and comprehensive benefits tailored to the modern golfer’s lifestyle across five pillars – Play, Learn, Shop, Travel, Watch – which are the most frequent ways golfers engage with the sport. Developed in partnership between global golf superstar Rory McIlroy and NBC Sports Group, GOLFPASS is a first-of-its-kind, direct-to-consumer subscription program, which offers opportunities to play more golf, comprehensive tools to improve any golfer’s game, high-quality video content, and enhanced shopping and travel experiences. A GOLFPASS membership is available in North America at GOLFPASS.com, and in the U.K. and Republic of Ireland at GOLFPASS.co.uk. The GOLFPASS membership also is available via connected TV, iOS and Android apps.

-NBC Sports Group-

Media Contact:

Dan Higgins
GOLF Communications
Dan.Higgins@GOLFChannel.com
407-355-4018