World's Top Golf Stars to be Featured in Five-Tournament Week on Golf Channel

Golf Channel will broadcast tournament action from five professional golf tours this week, featuring nearly 70 hours of tournament coverage Wednesday-Sunday and headlined by many of the game's biggest stars, including members of the U.S. and European Ryder Cup Teams and several of the biggest names in women's professional golf.

Golf Channel's total number of hours of tournament coverage this week will be the largest airing in one week on Golf Channel in 2012. Including replays, 100 hours of tournament action from the PGA TOUR, European Tour, Ladies European Tour, PGA Tour Australasia and the Asian Tour will be featured on Golf Channel Wednesday-Sunday.

Franklin Templeton Shootout
Dates: Dec. 7-9
Venue: Tiburon Golf Club, Naples, Fla.

Golf Channel Airtimes (Eastern):
Friday 1-4 p.m. (Live) / 4:30-7:30 p.m. (Replay)
Sunday 8:30-11:30 p.m. (Replay) / Midnight-3 a.m. (Replay)

NBC Airtimes (Eastern):
Saturday 4-6 p.m. (Tape Delay)
Sunday 3-6 p.m. (Tape Delay)

Golf Channel / NBC Broadcast Team:
Rich Lerner (Golf Channel Play by Play) / Dan Hicks (NBC Play by Play)
Frank Nobilo (Golf Channel Lead Analyst) / Roger Maltbie (NBC Lead Analyst)
Gary Koch (Tower)
Dottie Pepper (On Course)
Mark Rolfing (On Course)
Steve Sands (On Course / Interviews)

Broadcast Notes:
- Elite 24-Player Field – The Franklin Templeton Shootout features 12 two-man teams competing in the three-day event that boasts a total of 183 PGA TOUR victories, including 12 victories in 2012. Eight players in the field have won major championship titles during their careers, and seven players participated in the 2012 Ryder Cup, headlined by U.S. Ryder Cup Captain Davis Love III.
- Headlining the Field -- The teams are: Keegan Bradley & Brendan Steele, Dustin Johnson & Ian Poulter, Fredrik Jacobson & Greg Norman, Jerry Kelly & Steve Stricker, Jason Dufner & Vijay Singh, Stewart Cink & Carl Pettersson, Davis Love III & Brandt Snedeker, Bud Cauley & Rickie Fowler, Justin Leonard & Scott Verplank, Charles Howell III & Rory Sabbatini, Mark Calcavecchia & Mike Weir and Sean O'Hair & Kenny Perry.

Nelson Mandela Championship
Dates: Dec. 6-9
Venue: Royal Durban Golf Club, Durban, South Africa

Golf Channel Airtimes (Eastern):
Thursday 6:30-10:30 a.m. (Live)
Friday 6:30-10:30 a.m. (Live)
Saturday 5:30-9:30 a.m. (Live)
Sunday 5:30-9:30 a.m. (Live)

Golf Channel Broadcast Team:
Dougie Donnelly (Play by Play)
Denis Hutchinson (Analyst)
Jay Townsend (Tower)
Julian Tutt (On Course)

Broadcast Notes:
- 2013 Race to Dubai Kicks Off – The Nelson Mandela Championship is the first event of the 2013 European Tour Season and also the first of six events to be played in South Africa on the European Tour.
- Headlining the Field – The field includes Branden Grace, John Parry, Thomas Aiken, Garth Mulroy, George Coetzee and Bryce Easton.

Omega Dubai Ladies Masters
Dates: Dec. 5-8
Venue: Emirates Golf Course, Dubai, United Arab Emirates

Airtimes (Eastern):
Wednesday 3:30-7:30 p.m. (Tape Delay)
Thursday 3:30-7:30 p.m. (Tape Delay)
Friday 10:30 a.m.-1 p.m. (Tape Delay)
Saturday 3:30-7:30 p.m. (Tape Delay)

Broadcast Notes:
- Season-Ending Event on the Ladies European Tour – The Omega Dubai Ladies Masters is the season-ending event for the 2012 Ladies European Tour season, with Spain's Carlota Ciganda and Germany's Caroline Masson battling for the ISPS Handa Order of Merit Crown.
- Featured Groupings – Ciganda and Masson will join Michelle Wie as one of the tournament's featured groupings during the first two rounds. Also featured will be defending champion Lexi Thompson, Scotland's Carly Booth – No. 3 on the LET Order of Merit – and Sweden's Caroline Hedwall. China's Shanshan Feng (Wegmans LPGA Championship winner) also headlines the field and will tee off in between the two groupings above.

Thailand Golf Championship
Dates: Dec. 6-9
Venue: Amata Spring Country Club, Bangkok, Thailand

Airtimes (Eastern):
Thursday 1-5:30 a.m. (Live) / 10:30 a.m.-1 p.m. (Replay)
Friday 1-5:30 a.m. (Live)
Saturday 1-4:30 a.m. (Live) / 9:30 a.m.-1 p.m. (Replay)
Sunday 1-4:30 a.m. (Live) / 9:30 a.m.-1 p.m. / 6:30-8:30 p.m. (Replay)

Broadcast Notes:
- Lee Westwood and Bubba Watson Headline Strong Field – Defending champion Lee Westwood and 2012 Masters champion Bubba Watson headline an elite field that includes 2011 Masters winner Charl Schwartzel, Ryder Cup stars Sergio Garcia and Nicolas Colsearts, 2011 Open champion Darren Clarke, Ryo Ishikawa, PGA TOUR winner Hunter Mahan and eight of the top-10 from the Asian Tour's Order of Merit, led by number one Thaworn Wiratchant.

Emirates Australian Open
Dates: Dec. 6-9
Venue: The Lakes Golf Club, Sydney, Australia

Airtimes (Eastern):
Wednesday 8 p.m.-1 a.m. (Live) / 1-3:30 p.m. (Thursday Replay)
Thursday 8 p.m.-1 a.m. (Live)
Friday 8 p.m.-1 a.m. (Live) / 1-3:30 p.m. (Saturday replay)
Saturday 8 p.m.-1 a.m. (Live) / 1-6 p.m. (Sunday replay)

Broadcast Notes:
- Headlining the Field – The field includes Adam Scott, Geoff Oglivy, Tom Watson, Justin Rose, John Senden, Greg Chalmers, Robert Allenby, Stuart Appleby, Rod Pampling, Nick O'Hern and Peter Senior.

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