FRISCO, Texas – The PGA of America recently announced that NBC Sports will provide live broadcast coverage of the 2023 PGA WORKS Collegiate Championship (PWCC) presented by Chase Sapphire for the first time in the Championship’s history on GOLF Channel and Peacock.
The “Most Culturally Significant Championship in Collegiate Golf” will be played May 8-10, at Shoal Creek Club and Bent Brook Golf Course in Birmingham, Ala. GOLF Channel and Peacock will present all three championship rounds at Shoal Creek Club on Monday through Wednesday from 4:30-7:30 p.m. ET.
The PWCC annually hosts student-athletes enrolled in Historically Black Colleges and Universities, Hispanic-Serving Institutions, and other Minority-Serving Educational Institutions.
The Championship was created in 1986 to highlight golf programs at the most underserved and underrepresented Minority-Serving Institutions on a national stage, and educate and inspire student-athletes to pursue career opportunities in the business of golf.
The PWCC is a 54-hole, stroke-play event contested across five divisions including: Division I Men’s Team, Division II Men’s Team, Women’s Team Division, Men’s Individual Division, and Women’s Individual Division.
The individual competition is open to all minority women and men student-athletes playing collegiate golf at the Division I, Division II, Division III, NAIA and NJCAA level, or minority women and men enrolled in one of the PGA of America’s PGA Golf Management University Programs.
“We are thrilled to have GOLF Channel and Peacock provide live broadcast coverage of the 2023 PWCC,” said PGA of America President and Director of Golf at The Country Club of Lansing, John Lindert. “NBC Sports’ commitment to the PWCC will undoubtedly help us continue to highlight the talented golf programs and athletes at Minority-Serving Universities and Colleges across the country. We look forward to honoring the late PGA President Pat Rielly, who played a groundbreaking role in opening the door to diversity and inclusion in golf during the pivotal 1990 PGA Championship at Shoal Creek.”
GOLF Channel is the television home for college golf, annually providing live coverage of 10 college golf championships. In addition to live tournament coverage, the network surrounds collegiate events with season preview shows, signing day and award specials, and regional and national qualifying coverage while also serving as the exclusive media partner of PGA TOUR University and the PGA TOUR University Ranking.
NBC Sports’ commentary team at the PWCC will include Fran Charles (play-by-play), Smylie Kaufman (analyst), Steve Burkowski (holes), Doug Smith (on-course reporter) and Julia Johnson (on-course reporter).
“Partnering with the PGA of America and bringing an event with the history and significance such as the PWCC into our college golf portfolio is truly special,” said Tom Knapp, Executive Vice President, Golf, NBC Sports. “We are looking forward to sharing the stories and accomplishments of these student athletes across our platforms.”
Shoal Creek is a Jack Nicklaus design that opened in 1977. It has hosted the 1984 and 1990 PGA Championships, the U.S. Amateur (1986), the U.S. Junior Amateur (2008) and the U.S. Women’s Open (2018), among other events. It is currently ranked among the top courses in the U.S. by both Golf Digest and Golf.com.
“We are very excited to have the PWCC broadcasted live on GOLF Channel and Peacock this year,” says Shoal Creek Club President Greg King. “We look forward to showcasing Shoal Creek as one of the premier golf clubs in the country. More importantly, this opportunity will allow us to highlight the student-athletes, colleges, and universities on a national level. These students deserve all of the recognition for all of their hard work and determination.”
For more information on the 2023 PGA WORKS Collegiate Championship, visithttps://pgaworkscollegiate.org/.
