POSTED: Wednesday March 4th 2009
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Garcia, Els, Villegas Lead Field at Honda Classic on NBC
“THE BEAR TRAP” LOOMS AS NBC’s PGA TOUR COVERAGE MOVES TO PALM BEACH GARDENS WITH HONDA CLASSIC SATURDAY & SUNDAY AT 3 PM ET
NBC Tees Up Week Two of Seven Straight Weekends of PGA TOUR Coverage
Pepper on “The Bear Trap”: “The finish is one of the very best in golf.”
NEW YORK – March 4, 2009 – \“The Bear Trap\” looks to catch a field led by Sergio Garcia, defending champion Ernie Els, Boo Weekley and Camilo Villegas (runner-up in 2007) as NBC Sports tees up week two of seven straight weeks of PGA TOUR broadcast coverage at the Honda Classic in Palm Beach Gardens, Fla., Saturday and Sunday from 3-6 p.m. ET, presented in high definition.
The Honda Classic enters its third year at the Jack Nicklaus re-designed PGA National Championship Course, with its signature 15th, 16th and 17th holes, a daunting test known as \“The Bear Trap.\” The 17th hole is a 172-yard par three over water. The course played host to the 1983 Ryder Cup and 1987 PGA Championship.
Host Dan Hicks and analyst Johnny Miller, in their 10th season together as NBC Sports\’ lead golf announcers, will anchor the coverage from the 18th hole tower. They are joined by tower reporters Gary Koch and Bob Murphy; course reporters Roger Maltbie and Dottie Pepper; and interviewer/essayist Jimmy Roberts. NBC\‘s golf coverage is produced by Tommy Roy, among the most nominated persons in the history of the Sports Emmys.
\“Villagas really started coming on at the end of last year and that has continued at the start of this year,\” said Maltbie. \“As he\‘s shown, he knows how to play this course. He\‘s definitely a force to be reckoned with.\”
Pepper said: \“I played three PGA Junior Championships on this course and I can honestly say there wasn\‘t a hole that I didn\‘t like. The finish is one of the very best in golf with two par threes, 15 and 17, and 15 in particular, that I believe will decide the event. Water is in play on each of the four closing holes and coupled with the usual Florida winds, the players have their hands full.\”
WHAT THEY\‘RE SAYING ABOUT NBC\‘S GOLF COVERAGE:
USA Today: \“With avid golfer Tommy Roy as producer, NBC seems to capture more of the beyond-the-obvious nuances of the game… The most thorough coverage in golf.\”
St. Petersburg Times: \“It\‘s clear that NBC has the best golf coverage.\”
The Sports Network: \“The yardstick by which all other broadcast teams should be measured.\”
On Johnny Miller:
Golf Digest: \“The dominant voice in golf.\”
NY Post: \“Unquestionably golf\‘s best analyst.\”
USA Today: \“The best color analyst in golf, if not all sports TV.\”
Vijay Singh: \“Miller knows what goes through our heads. A lot of times we just don\‘t want to hear it.\”
On Tommy Roy:
Arizona Daily Star: \“Tommy Roy prepares for a TV golf event as if he were planning for the Normandy Invasion. If ever there has been a right man for a job, the skillful Roy is that man.\”
HIGHLIGHTS OF NBC\‘S 2009 GOLF SCHEDULE: NBC\‘s 2009 PGA TOUR coverage is highlighted by two World Golf Championship events, THE PLAYERS, and three of the four season-ending events in the PGA TOUR Playoffs for the FedEx Cup, including The TOUR Championship. NBC also broadcasts the U.S. Open, U.S. Women\‘s Open and Presidents Cup.
Remaining schedule (all times ET):
The Honda Classic – Palm Beach Gardens, Fla.
Saturday, March 7 3–6 p.m.
Sunday, March 8 3–6 p.m.
WGC-CA Championship at Doral – Miami, Fla.
Saturday, March 14 2–6 p.m.
Sunday, March 15 3–7 p.m.
Transitions Championship – Tampa Bay, Fla.
Saturday, March 21 3–6 p.m.
Sunday, March 22 3–6 p.m.
Arnold Palmer Invitational – Orlando, Fla.
Saturday, March 28 2:30–6 p.m.
Sunday, March 29 2:30–6 p.m.
Shell Houston Open – Houston, Texas
Saturday, April 4 1–5 p.m.
Sunday, April 5 3–6 p.m.
THE PLAYERS – Ponte Vedra Beach, Fla.
Saturday, May 9 2–7 p.m.
Sunday, May 10 2–7 p.m.
Senior PGA Championship – Cleveland, Ohio
Saturday, May 23 Noon-3 p.m.
Sunday, May 24 Noon–3 p.m.
U.S. Open Championship – Bethpage State Park, Farmingdale, N.Y.
Thursday, June 11 3–5 p.m.
Friday, June 12 3–5 p.m.
Saturday, June 13 2–8 p.m.
Sunday, June 14 1:30–7:30 p.m.
U.S. Women\‘s Open Championship – Bethlehem, Pa.
Saturday, July 11 3–6 p.m.
Sunday, July 12 3–6 p.m.
U.S. Senior Open Championship – Carmel, Ind.
Saturday, August 1 3–6 p.m.
Sunday, August 2 3–6 p.m.
Deutsche Bank Championship – Norton, Mass.
Sunday, September 6 3–6 p.m.
Monday, September 7 3–7 p.m.
BMW Championship – Chicago, Ill.
Saturday, September 12 3–6 p.m.
Sunday, September 13 2–6 p.m.
Samsung World Championship – Palm Desert, Calif.
Saturday, September 19 1:30-3:30 p.m.
Sunday, September 20 4-6 p.m.
The TOUR Championship – Atlanta, Ga.
Saturday, September 26 2–6 p.m.
Sunday, September 27 1:30–6 p.m.
Senior Players Championship – Baltimore, Md.
Saturday, October 3 1:30-3:30 p.m.
Sunday, October 4 4-6 p.m.
Presidents Cup – San Francisco, Calif.
Saturday, October 10 11 a.m. – 9 p.m.
Sunday, October 11 Noon – 6 p.m.
Merrill Lynch Shootout – Naples, Fla.
Saturday, December 12 4-6 p.m.
Sunday, December 13 3-6 p.m.
Chevron World Challenge – Thousand Oaks, Calif.
Saturday, December 19 3-6 p.m.
Sunday, December 20 3-6 p.m.
Members of the media can get more information about NBC Universal and its programming on the NBC Universal Media Village Web site at www.nbcumv.com.
# # #
Name: Brian Walker
Organization: NBC
Email:
Phone: +1.212-664-5533
URL: http://www.nbcuni.com
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