Golf Films Unit Offers Most-Robust Slate Ever in 2019

GOLF Films today announced its most-robust slate ever, with five films scheduled to premiere in 2019, beginning with Hogan, a two-night, comprehensive biopic on the remarkable life and legacy of Ben Hogan. Hogan will premiere Monday-Tuesday, June 17-18 at 9 p.m. ET on the heels of the U.S. Open. GOLF Films' 2019 slate includes:

· Hogan: a two-night film on the life and incredible comeback story of Ben Hogan.

· Tiger Woods - Chasing History: a career retrospective on the 81-time PGA TOUR winner, and weighing Woods' chances at surpassing Sam Snead's record of 82 wins.

· Tom at Turnberry - The 2009 Open: commemorating the 10-year anniversary of Tom Watson's unthinkable run (at age 59) at winning a sixth Claret Jug.

· The Road to Royal Portrush: Sky Sports chronicles the significance of The Open's return to Northern Ireland for the first time in 68 years, and for only the second time ever.

· The Legend of East Lake: reflecting on Bobby Jones and Tom Cousins' impact on the East Lake (Atlanta) golf landscape and community, and reflecting on Tiger Woods' unforgettable TOUR Championship victory last September.

· Payne: On the eve of the PGA TOUR's 20th annual Payne Stewart Award recognition, the updated version of the Emmy-nominated Payne film will focus on how the late Stewart's charismatic spirit is being passed down to future generations of professionals.

Launched with the critically acclaimed, four-part Arnie biopic and Emmy-nominated Payne film in 2014, GOLF Films' 2019 slate complements the existing award-winning GOLF Films library, which includes its most-recent project, the Emmy-nominated 27 Years: The Exoneration of Valentino Dixon. For an overview of the full library of projects, visit GOLF Film's dedicated online home at Golf-Films.com.

"Storytelling is a hallmark of NBC Sports, and GOLF Films is a tremendous example of our commitment to telling authentic, engaging and heartfelt stories," said Mike McCarley, president of GOLF, NBC Sports Group. "Golf is a sport rich with compelling stories and unforgettable moments that we chronicle through both long-form documentaries and short films. Our 2019 GOLF Films slate is our most-robust ever, expanding our library of high-quality, award-winning and critically-acclaimed projects."

Hogan: Monday-Tuesday, June 17-18, 9 p.m. ET

Hogan (trailer), a two-part biopic on 64-time PGA TOUR winner Ben Hogan chronicles one of the greatest comeback stories in sports history, reflecting on the Texan's indelible impact on professional golf in spite of a near-fatal automobile accident that put the prime years of his career in serious jeopardy. Coming from humble beginnings, the film examines Hogan's incredible journey to becoming one of the greatest golfers of all-time, serving as the inspiration for the 1951 motion picture "Follow the Sun". Being presented with limited commercial interruption by Charles Schwab, Hogan's two parts - Monday night's "Perseverance" and Tuesday night's "Perfection" - will be narrated by Emmy Award-winning actor Kyle Chandler, and be produced for GOLF Films by 13-time Emmy Award winner Israel DeHerrera.

Tom at Turnberry - The 2009 Open: July

Tom at Turnberry - The 2009 Open will recount how Tom Watson, who at age 59 and 26 years removed from his most-recent major championship victory, made a remarkable run at his sixth Claret Jug at The 2009 Open at Turnberry, ultimately losing in a playoff to Stewart Cink. Premiering in July ahead of NBC Sports' comprehensive coverage of The 148TH Open, Tom at Turnberry will commemorate the 10th anniversary of one of the most-improbable sports moments in recent memory, detailing the circumstances that led to Watson's magical week that no one could have anticipated. The project is being produced for GOLF Films by DeHerrera.

The Road to Royal Portrush: July

Ahead of The Open's return to Northern Ireland for the first time in 68 years, The Road to Royal Portrush will document the political and cultural tension that contributed to the long lapse dating back to 1951. The Sky Sports-produced film will explore the significance of golf's original championship returning to Royal Portrush for just the second time ever. The Road to Royal Portrush is produced for GOLF Films by Sky Sports' Pete Macleod.

Tiger Woods - Chasing History: July

Tiger Woods' victory at the Masters last month represented his first major championship in more than a decade, and marked the 15-time major champion's 81st career PGA TOUR win. Tiger Woods - Chasing History will offer a retrospective on Woods' legendary career, and examine his chances at passing Sam Snead's 82 victories for the most all-time on the PGA TOUR. Tiger Woods - Chasing History is produced for GOLF Films by Jay Kossoff and DeHerrera.

Payne: August

As the PGA TOUR's FedExCup Playoffs culminate in August for the very first time, GOLF Films will present an updated version of its Emmy-nominated Payne. In celebration of the 20th anniversary of the PGA TOUR's annual Payne Stewart Award, the updated version of the film not only will focus on the life and legacy of Stewart, but also on how his spirit lives on and is being passed down to future generations through the annual award presented in an emotional ceremony the week of the TOUR Championship. The special airing of the film will be broadcast on NBC leading into Final Round coverage of the BMW Championship, as well as across Golf Channel the week of the TOUR Championship. Payne, an Emmy-nominated Outstanding Sports Documentary in 2015, was originally produced by 15-time Emmy Award winner Peter Franchella.

The Legend of East Lake: August

Also in conjunction with the TOUR Championship, GOLF Films will debut The Legend of East Lake, detailing how East Lake's (Atlanta) legend continues to grow, most recently through Tiger Woods' unforgettable victory at the TOUR Championship on the PGA TOUR last September. The film also will reflect on the influence of Bobby Jones on East Lake Golf Club, as well as the impact of Tom Cousins on the revitalization of the East Lake community. The Legend of East Lake is produced for GOLF Films by DeHerrera.

FUTURE SLATE: In an effort to continue to broaden its storytelling archive, GOLF Films is currently working with producers from around the world on projects that are in development for future production. An upcoming GOLF Films project will detail the allure and mystique of St Andrew Links in Scotland, the birthplace of the sport.

Augusta National Women's Amateur Film: Monday, June 24

In addition to the five new GOLF Films premiering this summer, Golf Channel also is scheduled to air a special film provided by Augusta National Golf Club on Monday, June 24 (9 p.m. ET), that will reflect on the exciting inaugural edition of the Augusta National Women's Amateur earlier this year. This follows GOLF Films having expanded its storytelling offerings through GOLF Films shorts last month, led by When I Grow Up, I Want To..., and Greatness (narrated by Tom Brady), which kicked off NBC Sports' coverage of the Augusta National Women's Amateur and Drive, Chip and Putt National Finals respectively in April. Collectively, the two GOLF Films shorts drew more than one million views across social media and online.

GOLF-FILMS.COM LAUNCHES FEATURING ARCHIVED CONTENT: This week, GOLF Films launched a dedicated website (www.Golf-Films.com) that features excerpts from the division's full library of films, along with archived content and testimonials on respective film projects. The website also will serve as a source for dedicated information on current and future projects in the works for GOLF Films.

GOLF Films is a division of Golf Channel and NBC Sports, led by Emmy-nominated films including Payne (2014), on the late Payne Stewart, and 27 Years: The Exoneration of Valentino Dixon (2018), on how Dixon's sketch of a famous golf hole would lead to a release from prison for a murder he claims he did not commit. Additional critically-acclaimed GOLF Films projects include a series of "shorts", led by Emmy Award-winning features, "Don't Cry for Me - the Ryan Korengel Story" and "Feeling and Reality: the Billy Hurley Story". GOLF Films is led by 13-time Emmy Award-winning coordinating producer Israel DeHerrera, who has served as the lead producer for several award-winning projects.

Other critically-acclaimed GOLF Films include the four-part ARNIE (2014) and three-part Jack (2017) films on Arnold Palmer and Jack Nicklaus; Famous 5, chronicling how five European golfers - born within 11 months of one another - collectively helped revitalize the Ryder Cup; Go Down Swinging (2018), reliving the unforgettable conclusion to the 1999 Open; Summer of '76 (2017), recounting the 1976 Open at Royal Birkdale; '86 (2016), a chronicle of Nicklaus' final major championship win at the 1986 Masters that aired to coincide with the 30th anniversary of his iconic win; and Ben Crenshaw: A Walk Through Augusta (2015), on the two-time Masters champion's special relationship with the tournament. Films previously produced by Golf Channel that have since been added to the network's GOLF Films library include American Triumvirate (2012), celebrating the 100-year anniversary or the birth of three of golf's greatest legends: Ben Hogan, Byron Nelson and Sam Snead; Lee Trevino: An American Champion (2013), recounting Trevino's dramatic victory over Jack Nicklaus at the 1971 U.S. Open; and Uneven Fairways (2009), sharing the stories of the little-known, but rich history of the African-Americans who had the courage to stand up for their rights and pave the way for future stars of golf.

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