For the second year in a row one of the LPGA?s premier events will be held at Bulle Rock Golf Course in Havre de Grace.
The McDonalds LPGA Championship, the second major of the year, has attracted worldwide attention with its star-studded field.
Annika Sorenstam, bidding for a fourth straight McDonald?s LPGA Championship title, and a host of budding stars such as Paula Creamer, Morgan Pressel and Michelle Wie, are vying for the title in what most golf experts are calling the best field ever.
The Golf Channel?s exclusive coverage begins Thursday and continues through Sunday. Live air times will be from 4-7 p.m., daily.
I spoke to The Golf Channel?s executive producer Keith Hirshland about the network?s coverage and its special plans for thisyear?s event.
JW: How do you rank this event on the list of events The Golf Channel covers?
Hirshland: “It is at the top of the list. You have the best women golfer?s in the world, playing on one of most challenging and beautiful golf courses on either tour. What more could a fan want?”
JW: Tell us about your coverage?
“We will follow the action on all 18 holes. We plan on keeping the many story lines moving and giving the fans some insight to who the players are. Then we have over 25 cameras. There will be an I-Cam stationed above the tee-box, which will give viewers a bird?s-eye view of the golfers? swing and impact at the tee. Impact Cam will capture players? shots from a unique angle: directly in front. Stationed on the ground several feet in front of the players on the tee-boxes, a mini-camera will give viewers another way to enjoy televised golf. The Impact Cam will be virtually unnoticeable to the players, but will produce great visuals for television. Our goal is to give the fans a balance of the latest technology while never missing the all-important story lines.”
Brian Hammons and former LPGA Tour standout Dottie Pepper will serve as host and analyst of the telecast. Veteran broadcaster Peter Oosterhuis, who has reported for The Golf Channel and CBS Sports, will call the action from several critical holes, including the tower at the 17th, while LPGA Tour veterans Kay Cockerill and Rosie Jones ? who also will compete in the tournament ? will handle reporting on the course.
The Golf Channel will be the cable home for all golf in 2007, when the PGA Tour moves to the network.
Their fair share
Preakness ratings are up with a 5.4 national rating, 14 share. The most interesting thing about the ratings came with the race coverage ? Buffalo was the number one market in the country to watch the race, with Baltimore coming in second.
Jim Williams is a seven-time Emmy Award-winning TV producer, director and writer.
