PGA Tour on TNT
Encyclopedia
TNT's golf coverage is produced by Turner Sports
and consists of television broadcasts of some of the key professional golf events in the United States
. Currently, TNT has the cable
rights to the PGA Championship
(with full coverage of the first two rounds and early coverage of the weekend rounds), as well the PGA Grand Slam of Golf
, under a contract with the PGA of America that runs through 2019.
The channel has generally only carried major competitions, as opposed to the other week-to-week tournaments which are under the auspices of the PGA Tour
, an organization which is independent from the PGA of America.
In the past, TNT owned cable rights to the (British) Open Championship
, as well as the Women's British Open
and Senior British Open, from 2003
to 2009
(with ABC
picking up weekend coverage), replacing (and ultimately being replaced by) ESPN
. TNT also carried the biennial PGA Tour-managed Presidents Cup
from 2000
to 2007
; Golf Channel assumed those rights beginning with the 2009 event
as part of its overall deal for PGA Tour cable rights.
Turner Sports
Turner Sports is the division of Turner Broadcasting System responsible for sports broadcasts on Turner channels including TBS, TNT, and TruTV, and for operating the interactive properties , , , and...
and consists of television broadcasts of some of the key professional golf events in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. Currently, TNT has the cable
Cable television
Cable television is a system of providing television programs to consumers via radio frequency signals transmitted to televisions through coaxial cables or digital light pulses through fixed optical fibers located on the subscriber's property, much like the over-the-air method used in traditional...
rights to the PGA Championship
PGA Championship
The PGA Championship is an annual golf tournament conducted by the PGA of America as part of the PGA Tour. It is one of the four major championships in men's professional golf, and is the golf season's final major, usually played in mid-August, customarily four weeks after The Open Championship...
(with full coverage of the first two rounds and early coverage of the weekend rounds), as well the PGA Grand Slam of Golf
PGA Grand Slam of Golf
The PGA Grand Slam of Golf is an annual off-season golf tournament contested by the year's winners of the four major championships of regular men's golf, which are the Masters Tournament, the U.S. Open, The Open Championship , and the PGA Championship...
, under a contract with the PGA of America that runs through 2019.
The channel has generally only carried major competitions, as opposed to the other week-to-week tournaments which are under the auspices of the PGA Tour
PGA Tour
The PGA Tour is the organizer of the main men's professional golf tours in the United States and North America...
, an organization which is independent from the PGA of America.
In the past, TNT owned cable rights to the (British) Open Championship
The Open Championship
The Open Championship, or simply The Open , is the oldest of the four major championships in professional golf. It is the only "major" held outside the USA and is administered by The R&A, which is the governing body of golf outside the USA and Mexico...
, as well as the Women's British Open
Women's British Open
The Women's British Open is a leading event in women's professional golf and the only tournament which is classified as a major championship by both the Ladies European Tour and the LPGA Tour. Since 2007, it has been called the Ricoh Women's British Open, for sponsorship reasons...
and Senior British Open, from 2003
2003 Open Championship
The 2003 Open Championship was the 132nd Open Championship held from 17-20 July at Royal St George's Golf Club in Sandwich, Kent, England. Ben Curtis won his first major by one stroke over Thomas Bjørn and Vijay Singh...
to 2009
2009 Open Championship
The 2009 Open Championship was the 138th Open Championship, one of the four major golf championships, and was played from 16–19 July at the Turnberry Resort, in Ayrshire, Scotland. It was the fourth time The Open Championship had been played at Turnberry...
(with ABC
PGA Tour on ABC
PGA Tour on ABC was a television program that broadcast the main professional golf tours on the American Broadcasting Company television network. ABC initially broadcast the PGA Tour through 1978 and then from 1999–2006. From 1966 through 2009, ABC was the broadcast home of the British...
picking up weekend coverage), replacing (and ultimately being replaced by) ESPN
PGA Tour on ESPN
Golf coverage on ESPN and ESPN2 has been a regular feature of the cable sports channels' programming since soon after ESPN's launch in 1979. Although ESPN no longer owns any share of the rights to the week-to-week events on the PGA Tour, LPGA Tour, or Champions Tour, the ESPN networks continue to...
. TNT also carried the biennial PGA Tour-managed Presidents Cup
Presidents Cup
The Presidents Cup is a series of men's golf matches between a team representing the United States and an International Team representing the rest of the world less Europe. Europe competes against the U.S. in a similar but considerably older event, the Ryder Cup. The Presidents Cup is held biennially...
from 2000
2000 Presidents Cup
United States 21½ - International 10½The 4th Presidents Cup Matches were held in 2000 between October 19 and October 22. They were played at the Robert Trent Jones Golf Club in Gainesville, Virginia, USA. The United States team won the competition by a margin of 21½–10½...
to 2007
2007 Presidents Cup
United States 19½ - International 14½The 7th Presidents Cup Matches were held in 2007 between September 27 and September 30. They were played at the Royal Montreal Golf Club in Île Bizard, Quebec, Canada. The United States team won the competition by a margin of 19½–14½.-Format:On the first day six...
; Golf Channel assumed those rights beginning with the 2009 event
2009 Presidents Cup
United States 19½ - International 14½The 8th Presidents Cup Matches were held October 8–11, 2009 at the Harding Park Golf Club in San Francisco, California. The United States team won the golf competition by a margin of 19½–14½, their second consecutive win by that exact score and third in a row...
as part of its overall deal for PGA Tour cable rights.
Commentators
- Ian Baker-FinchIan Baker-FinchIan Michael Baker-Finch is an Australian professional golfer, who is best known for winning The Open Championship in 1991.-Early years:...
- Bobby ClampettBobby ClampettRobert Daniel Clampett, Jr. is a television golf analyst, golf course architect, writer, and professional golfer, who played on the PGA Tour from 1980 to 1995. Clampett began playing on the Champions Tour in April 2010....
- Jim Huber
- Ernie Johnson, Jr. - In 2003, Johnson was diagnosed with non-Hodgkin's lymphoma, but continued his work through June 2006, when he began treatment. Due to his cancer, Johnson, Jr. missed TNT's coverage of the British Open2006 Open ChampionshipThe 2006 Open Championship was the 135th Open Championship, played from 20-23 July at Royal Liverpool Golf Club. Tiger Woods held off Chris DiMarco, Ernie Els, Jim Furyk, and Sergio García for a two-shot victory. The win was his second consecutive Open Championship title and third overall. It was...
and PGA Championship2006 PGA ChampionshipThe 2006 PGA Championship was the 88th PGA Championship, played from August 17 to August 20 at Medinah Country Club Course No. 3. The PGA Championship returned to Medinah for the first time since 1999 when Tiger Woods captured his first PGA Championship...
, the last two golfGolfGolf is a precision club and ball sport, in which competing players use many types of clubs to hit balls into a series of holes on a golf course using the fewest number of strokes....
major tournaments in 2006. Mike TiricoMike TiricoMichael Todd Tirico is an announcer for ESPN's presentation of Monday Night Football, and second lead broadcaster for ESPN's presentation of the NBA. In addition, Tirico hosts a multitude of programming on ESPN/ABC. He was the host of ABC's golf coverage from 1996 to 2007, and continues in that...
replaced him in the British Open, and Verne LundquistVerne LundquistMerton Laverne "Verne" Lundquist, Jr. is an American sportscaster, currently employed by CBS Sports television.-Early life and career:Lundquist was born in Duluth, Minnesota...
in the PGA Championship. Johnson was also relieved of his duties at the 2011 PGA Championship2011 PGA ChampionshipThe 2011 PGA Championship was the 93rd PGA Championship. Keegan Bradley won his first major championship, in a three-hole playoff over Jason Dufner. The tournament began on Thursday, August 11, 2011 and concluded on Sunday, August 14...
following the death of his father after the second round. - Billy KratzertBilly KratzertWilliam August Kratzert is an American professional golfer and sportscaster, who has played on both the PGA Tour and the Champions Tour....
- Verne LundquistVerne LundquistMerton Laverne "Verne" Lundquist, Jr. is an American sportscaster, currently employed by CBS Sports television.-Early life and career:Lundquist was born in Duluth, Minnesota...
- 1995-1998, 2011 (early weekend coverage after Johnson was placed on bereavement) - Bob NealBob Neal (Atlanta sportscaster)Bob Neal is an American sportscaster. Currently, he can be seen as anchor of SportsNite, a daily sports show on Comcast Sports Southeast, serving thirteen southern states...
- Craig SagerCraig SagerCraig Sager , is currently a sportscaster for TNT and TBS. Sager is a graduate of Northwestern University. He has previously covered sports for CBS and CNN. His nickname is "America's Sideline Reporter"....
- Matt WinerMatt WinerMatthew Ward Winer is an American television personality for Turner Sports and formerly with ESPN.-Career:Turner Sports signed Winer in 2010 to contribute to coverage of sports across its networks. He became the primary studio host for Major League Baseball on TBS, replacing Ernie Johnson Jr., who...