CBS Sports Expands Coverage Of 2017 PGA Championship
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By Matt Citak
The 2017 PGA Championship, the final major of the year, is set to begin next Thursday at Quail Hollow Club in Charlotte, North Carolina. It will be the tournament's 99th edition, and for the 27th consecutive year, CBS Sports will be there with live 18-hole coverage. Quail Hollow is a regular stop on the PGA Tour, hosting the Wells Fargo Championship from 2003-2016, but this will be its first major.
"This is a major championship venue..." said Jim Nantz, who will serve as the anchor of CBS Sports' 2017 PGA Championship coverage. "This course has produced really great champions... We've been there to see Tiger [Woods] win there. Rory's [Mcllroy] first American win there. Rickie Fowler [won] there. It's produced some thrilling action..."
CBS Sports's live coverage runs Saturday, August 12 and Sunday, August 13 (2 - 7 p.m. ET both days) featuring Nantz, Nick Faldo, Dottie Pepper and others. CBS Sports will also broadcast highlights of the early-round action with Bill Macatee and Ian Baker-Finch on Thursday, August 10 and Friday, August 11 (12:35 - 1:07 p.m. ET both days).
CBS Sports' coverage of this year's PGA Championship will feature expanded technical enhancements and innovations.
"We've got a lot of technology this year. More than we've ever had at the PGA Championship," said Sean McManus, Chairman of CBS Sports. "We, for the first time, have Trackman, which, as you all know, shows the apex, the ball speed, the distance and the curve. We have that for the first time on all 18 holes, which is pretty exciting."
While most of the world's top golfers will participate in next week's PGA Championship, the biggest storyline heading into the tournament is Jordan Spieth and his quest for history. After winning last month's British Open, Spieth is one victory shy of becoming only the sixth golfer in history to complete the career grand slam. At 24 years old, Spieth, with a win at Quail Hollow, would become the youngest golfer ever to complete the impressive feat.
As Nantz put it, golf could be on the precipice of one of the "most historic moments in the history of the sport."
In addition to the live coverage, CBS Sports Network will air the PGA Championship Clubhouse Report live after the conclusion of each round of play from 8 - 9 p.m. ET. Hosts Brian Crowell and Luke Elvy, along with Rich Beem, Mark Immelman, and 2008 Masters winner Trevor Immelman, will show highlights, give analysis and air player interviews each night.
PGA Championship On The Range will also return this year, live from Quail Hollow's Tournament Practice Range from 11 a.m. - 1 p.m. ET on Thursday, August 10 and Friday, August 11. This program will feature analysis, player interviews and a preview of that day's round.