POSTED: Wednesday March 11th 2009
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

TIGER RETURNS AS NBC SPORTS BROADCASTS 8 HOURS FROM WGC-CA CHAMPIONSHIP AT DORAL

Tiger Woods returns to the course for the World Golf Championships in California.

       I think this is an important week for him…because he might start doubting his form.” – NBC’s Miller on Tiger

       “I don’t think Tiger doubts himself… I expect him to do very well at Doral.” – NBC’s Maltbie on Tiger

       NEW YORK – March 11, 2009 – Tiger Woods returns to action seeking his fourth victory in the last five tries at Doral as NBC Sports broadcasts live high definition coverage of the World Golf Championships-CA Championship Saturday 2-6 p.m. ET and Sunday 3-7 p.m. ET, from Doral\‘s \“Blue Monster\” in Miami, Fla. The field includes the top 50 players in the world led by Phil Mickelson, Vijay Singh, Sergio Garcia, Anthony Kim, Camilo Villegas, defending champion Geoff Oglivy and Ernie Els (2002 champion).

Host Dan Hicks and analyst Johnny Miller, in their 10th season together as NBC\‘s lead golf team, will anchor the coverage from the 18th hole tower. They are joined by tower reporters Gary Koch (1983 Doral champion) and Bob Murphy; course reporters Roger Maltbie, Dottie Pepper and Mark Rolfing; 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.

MILLER ON TIGER: \“He\‘s played great at Doral. I think this is an important week for him either to win or have a chance to win because he might start doubting his form getting ready for Augusta.\”

MALTBIE ON TIGER: \“I don\‘t think Tiger doubts himself, at least not yet. Getting back into competition gives him a much better barometer on where his game is at. Now he can practice with a purpose. I expect him to do very well at Doral.\”

MALTBIE ON VILLEGAS: \“He\‘s a star everywhere but he\‘s a really big star in South Florida. They love him down here and he\‘s the kind of guy who thrives from the attention.\”

MALTBIE ON THE 18TH HOLE AT DORAL:  \“I can\‘t think of a harder finishing hole in golf. With the lengthening of the tee box, it had gotten to a point there for a while that with the players length they could pull the ball left off the tee and carry the water. They can still do that given the right wind condition, but it has to be something that is helping. So without that, it\‘s pretty much restored to what it was when I was playing the tour and when Johnny (Miller) was playing the tour. If you went left you went in the water.  That\‘s all there was to it. The angle of the hole, and now with the new tee and the resurrection of the length, makes it hard to feel comfortable on any shot on that hole. It\‘s a great, great hole.\”

WORLD GOLF CHAMPIONSHIPS: The Doral event transitioned into a World Golf Championship event in 2007. One of four World Golf Championship events, the CA Championship will feature the top-50 players from the Official World Golf Ranking along with top finishers on the money lists of the six Tours comprising the International Federation of PGA Tours (PGA TOUR, European Tour, Australasian Tour, Japan Golf Tour, Asian Tour and Sunshine Tour).

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.\”

ON JOHNNY MILLER:
Golf Digest: \“The dominant voice in golf.\”

LA Times: \“Doesn\‘t just sound like an expert, he is one.\”

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.\”

Pittsburgh Post-Gazette: \“He interacts with Roger Maltbie (aka, The Course Whisperer) as though they are at a backyard BBQ.\”

ON MILLER AND DAN HICKS:
Pittsburgh Post-Gazette: \“Golf\‘s best announcing team.\”

ON HICKS:
USA Today: \“Smooth and underrated. The perfect complement to Johnny Miller.\”

LA Times: \“Few are smoother than Hicks.\”

ON DOTTIE PEPPER:
NY Post: \“Strong, well-informed, direct, concise, not to shy to speak non-pandering, been-there opinion.\”

Palm Beach Post: \“Genuine emotion by a knowledgeable player. Golf needs a dose of passion, not just whispered euphemism.\”

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):

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.

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Keywords · Tiger Woods · NBC · World Golf Championships

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Name: Brian Walker
Organization: NBC
Email:
Phone: +1.212-664-5533
URL: http://www.nbcuni.com

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