2012 PLAYERS Championship TV schedule

It’s golf’s unofficial fifth major, featuring one of the sport’s most recognizable holes, and it gets going today at TPC Sawgrass in Ponte Vedra Beach, Fla., with THE PLAYERS Championship. That hole, of course, is the notorious No. 17 island green (pictured above), which has ruined more than a few players’ games over the years. K.J. Choi managed to negotiate it successfully last year in a playoff with David Toms, winning by a single stroke after Toms blew a 3 1/2-foot par putt. Rory McIlroy, Luke Donald, Lee Westwood, Hunter Mahan, Steve Stricker, Tiger Woods and Rickie Fowler are among the favorites this year. (Masters champion Bubba Watson has decided to skip THE PLAYERS to spend time with his family.)

GOLF CHANNEL and NBC air live tournament coverage May 10-13. GOLF CHANNEL airs the first and second rounds Thursday and Friday beginning at 1pm ET. NBC airs the third and final rounds Saturday and Sunday beginning at 2pm ET. Both GOLF CHANNEL and NBC will air news, analysis, interviews and other features during Live From THE PLAYERS throughout the tournament.

2012 PLAYERS Championship TV schedule and press release from the NBC Sports Group below:

NBC SPORTS GROUP TO DELIVER MORE THAN 70 HOURS OF COMBINED LIVE NEWS AND TOURNAMENT COVERAGE OF THE PLAYERS CHAMPIONSHIP

22 Hours of Live Tournament Coverage Thursday-Sunday

54 Hours of Live News Programming from TPC Sawgrass

Dan Hicks and Johnny Miller Join Golf Channel’s Tournament Coverage

Morning Drive Special Editions Monday-Sunday During PLAYERS Week

Live From THE PLAYERS to Air on NBC During Weekend for First Time

ORLANDO, Fla. -May 7, 2012 – NBC Sports Group is primed to deliver more than 70 hours of combined live tournament and wrap-around news coverage of THE PLAYERS Championship on-site at TPC Sawgrass this week – the most coverage in the history of the tournament – featuring live tournament action, news reports, inside analysis, player interviews, special guest appearances and compelling features throughout the week.

Golf Channel and NBC will combine to present 22 hours of live tournament coverage Thursday-Sunday, with limited commercial interruption from TPC Sawgrass. Throughout the week, Golf Channel will air 54 hours of comprehensive news and instruction programming from The PLAYERS Championship, headlined by its franchise news show, Live From THE PLAYERS, which will include complete coverage of the World Golf Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony, pre-tournament news conferences and wrap-around news coverage before and after tournament play.

Broadcast Team: Host Dan Hicks and analyst Johnny Miller, together for their 13th season, will anchor Golf Channel on NBC coverage from the 18th tower. They will be joined by tower reporters Gary Koch (17th hole) and Peter Jacobsen (14th hole); on-course reporters Roger Maltbie, Mark Rolfing and Dottie Pepper; interviewer/essayist Jimmy Roberts and Golf World’s Tim Rosaforte. Steve Sands will conduct post-round interviews during weekend coverage.

Hicks and Miller also will join Golf Channel’s coverage Thursday and Friday, rotating with Terry Gannon and Nick Faldo. Jacobsen, Sands and Koch will provide tower coverage for Golf Channel while Rolfing, Maltbie and Pepper will work both the tower and the course for Golf Channel. Phil Parkin also will report from the course both days, and Kelly Tilghman will serve as show host. Roberts will conduct post-round interviews.

Periscope Returns and Action Cam Debuts: NBC Sports Group covers the famous “Island Green” par-3, 17th hole with an event-record 12 HD cameras, including a lipstick-sized camera embedded in the lip of the tiny front bunker and two ‘periscope cams.’ The periscope cams sit atop two pipes that are anchored to the bottom of the pond, allowing the cameras to rotate 360 degrees and providing a green-high view of hole. The cameras peek just above the surface of the water resembling a submarine’s periscope.

For the first time at THE PLAYERS Championship, NBC will utilize “Actioncam,” an overhead cable-suspended camera system. It will ‘fly’ over the lake between 16 and 17. Actioncam will be used throughout the week on Golf Channel and NBC.

NBC Sports Group’s comprehensive coverage of 17 also includes a camera operator lifted by a crane 150 feet into the air above the trees from right of the 16th fairway where his camera has a clear view of 16, 17 and 18. Another camera operator is ferried via boat to the island right of the 17th green where he is marooned for approximately eight hours to get reactions from the 17th tee and operate the super-slow-motion camera.

Golf Channel’s Live From THE PLAYERS also will utilize super-slow-motion cameras for its news coverage, a first for the network’s Live From coverage, and also will feature computer generated aerial shots of TPC Sawgrass that are shotlink compatible.

54 Hours of On-Site News Coverage: Golf Channel will air more than 54 hours of live news coverage from THE PLAYERS Championship throughout the week, headlined by its franchise news show – Live From THE PLAYERS – beginning Monday with a special World Golf Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony preview show. Live From THE PLAYERS will originate from three sets at TPC Sawgrass – the main stage overlooking the iconic 17th hole at TPC Sawgrass; a round-table stage on the driving range and a television “perch” at the TPC Sawgrass Clubhouse. Live From will continue Tuesday and Wednesday with pre-tournament news conference shows, followed by two-hour shows in primetime each evening. Thursday-Sunday, Live From THE PLAYERS will deliver wraparound news coverage before and after tournament play. Morning Drive, the network’s live weekday morning show, will expand to seven days this week with additional live hours Thursday-Sunday, featuring daily special guests from TPC Sawgrass. The Grey Goose 19th Hole will broadcast live Wednesday at 6 p.m. ET from TPC Sawgrass, and on Monday at 7 p.m. ET, Michael Breed will host a special episode of The Golf Fix from the TPC Sawgrass driving range.

World Golf Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony Coverage: Today (Monday) at 5 p.m. ET, Golf Channel will air a special, hour-long Live From THE PLAYERS previewing the newest inductees to the World Golf Hall of Fame – Peter Alliss, Dan Jenkins, Sandy Lyle, Phil Mickelson and Hollis Stacy. Golf Channel will air the World Golf Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony tonight (Monday) at 10 p.m. ET.

News Conferences: Live From THE PLAYERS will continue Tuesday and Wednesday with pre-tournament news conferences on-site from TPC Sawgrass. News conference coverage airs from 2-4 p.m. ET Tuesday and Wednesday. Morning Drive also will expand to four hours on Tuesday (7-11 a.m. ET) for pre-tournament news conference coverage.

Live From THE PLAYERS on NBC: Saturday and Sunday from 1:30-2 p.m. ET, Golf Channel will prepare NBC viewers for weekend tournament action of THE PLAYERS Championship with Live From THE PLAYERS preview shows, the first time Golf Channel’s Live From news franchise will air on NBC.

Live From THE PLAYERS Scheduled Features:

· Nobilo Goes Tee to Green at TPC Sawgrass – Frank Nobilo scouts all 18 holes at TPC Sawgrass and provides insight into the course changes and setup, the key holes, moments and shots throughout the week.

· Perks Reflects on 10-Year Anniversary of THE PLAYERS Win – Golf Channel analyst and 2002 PLAYERS Champion Craig Perks recounts his dramatic victory and how it affected his life and career.

· Mickelson on Hall-of-Fame Induction – Phil Mickelson sits down with Steve Sands to discuss his induction into the World Golf Hall of Fame.

· Tiger Woods at THE PLAYERS – Golf Channel will recap Tiger Woods’ last two years at THE PLAYERS Championship that have ended in withdrawals from the tournament.

· Greatest Moments from 17 – Golf Channel will provide viewers with some of the greatest memories and moments from the iconic 17th hole at TPC Sawgrass.

· Lee Westwood on THE PLAYERS – Lee Westwood sits down with Frank Nobilo to discuss his return to THE PLAYERS Championship and why he did not play in 2011.

Live From THE PLAYERS Broadcast Team: Golf Channel’s Live From THE PLAYERS broadcast team will include Rich Lerner, Kelly Tilghman, Steve Sands, Whit Watson, Todd Lewis, Terry Gannon, Nick Faldo, Brandel Chamblee, Frank Nobilo, Charlie Rymer, David Feherty, Tim Rosaforte, Alex Miceli, Rex Hoggard and Jason Sobel reporting from two sets at TPC Sawgrass – overlooking the famed 17th hole at TPC Sawgrass and from the driving range. Members of Golf Channel on NBC’s on-air team also will contribute daily to the broadcasts, including Dottie Pepper, Gary Koch, Roger Maltbie and Jimmy Roberts.

Wall-to-Wall Coverage on GolfChannel.com: GolfChannel.com will feature expanded editorial content and interactive capabilities with fans timed to THE PLAYERS Championship including:

Live Blogs & Chats
Jason Sobel and John Hawkins will host live chats Thursday-Sunday to keep fans up to date as the action unfolds (1-7 p.m. ET).

Editorial Coverage
Jason Sobel, Rex Hoggard, Randall Mell, Jay Coffin, John Hawkins and Ryan Ballengee will contribute daily to the Golf Talk Central blog, along with daily columns, news articles, features and breaking news.

Exclusive Online Video Content
· Morning and evening updates from Golf Channel’s Live From THE PLAYERS team will be available each day.

· The Golf Fix will air a special focused on The PLAYERS Championship exclusively on GolfChannel.com today (Monday), featuring tips and previewing the key holes at TPC Sawgrass. Breed also will play the closing three holes at TPC Sawgrass on Golf Channel’s in-studio simulator.

· Win McMurry will provide an exclusive behind-the-scenes look into World Golf Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony.

· John Hawkins and Win McMurry will provide daily video updates and video blogs each day Thursday-Sunday.

Live From THE PLAYERS Programming (all times ET)

Monday, May 7 
Morning Drive    7-9 a.m.
Live From THE PLAYERS    5-7 p.m.
The Golf Fix    7-8 p.m.
World Golf HOF Induction Ceremony    10 p.m.-Midnight
Tuesday, May 8  
Morning Drive    7-11 a.m.
Live From THE PLAYERS    2-4 p.m. (news conferences)
Live From THE PLAYERS    7-9 p.m.
Wednesday, May 9  
Morning Drive    7-9 a.m.
Live From THE PLAYERS    2-4 p.m. (news conferences)
Grey Goose 19th Hole    6-7 p.m.
Live From THE PLAYERS    7-9 p.m.
Thursday, and Friday, May 10-11 
Morning Drive    7-10 a.m.
Live From THE PLAYERS    10 a.m.-1 p.m.
THE PLAYERS    1-7 p.m.
Live From THE PLAYERS    7-9 p.m.
THE PLAYERS    9 p.m.-12 a.m. (Re-air)
Saturday and Sunday, May 12-13
Morning Drive    7-10 a.m.
Live From THE PLAYERS    10 a.m.-2 p.m.
Live From THE PLAYERS (NBC)    1:30-2 p.m.
THE PLAYERS (NBC)    2-7 p.m.
Live From THE PLAYERS    7-9 p.m.

 

About Ryan Berenz 2166 Articles
Member of the Television Critics Association. Charter member of the Ancient and Mystic Society of No Homers. Squire of the Ancient & Benevolent Order of the Lynx, Lodge 49, Long Beach, Calif. Costco Wholesale Gold Star Member since 2011.