Golf Channel: 124,000 Viewers Per Minute In 2nd Quarter '13

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For Immediate Release:

ORLANDO, Fla. (July 8, 2013) – Golf Channel continues to carry momentum after marking 2012 as the most-watched year ever and first quarter 2013 posting the most-watched quarter ever by wrapping June with the most-watched second quarter in network history. Second quarter reached nearly 29 million unique viewers.
 
For 24-hour Total Day (6AM-6AM), 124,000 average viewers per minute were tuned into Golf Channel in second quarter 2013, representing an 8% year-over-year increase compared to second quarter 2012, 39% vs. second quarter 2011 and 44% vs. second quarter 2010, according to data released by the Nielsen Company.
 
The record numbers in second quarter 2013 are built off Golf Channel’s viewership momentum in 2012, which drove Golf Channel’s status as the fastest-growing network on U.S. television since joining the NBC Sports Group (among networks serving 80 million or more homes throughout that span).
 
HIGHLIGHTS FROM JUNE:
· June 2013 logged the network’s most-viewed June mark with almost 18 million unique viewers.
· Golf Channel’s LIVE FROM THE U.S. OPEN and MORNING DRIVE drove the network to its most-watched U.S. Open Week for an East Coast venue.
· The week of the U.S. Open, MORNING DRIVE reached almost 2 million unique viewers, setting a new weekly high for the daily morning show in 2013.

GOLFCHANNEL.COM AND GOLF CHANNEL MOBILE POSTS RECORD TRAFFIC
Golf Channel’s digital presence experienced its best quarter ever with GolfChannel.com and Golf Channel mobile pulling in record numbers for unique visitors and page views. GolfChannel.com was up 26% in unique visitors and 39% in page views vs. second quarter 2012, while Golf Channel Mobile was up 47% in unique visitors and 76% in page views vs. second quarter 2012.  Contributing to these record numbers was GolfChannel.com’s and Golf Channel Mobile’s best month ever in June for unique visitors.  This was driven by GolfChannel.com’s and Golf Channel Mobile’s best month ever in June for unique visitors.

A.V. Club Returns To Bushwood: "It's like going to ruins…only for 80s snob versus slob comedy."

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Thanks to Shane Bacon for finding Kyle Ryan's A.V. Club story and short film from Grande Oaks Golf Club, home to much of Caddyshack's filming.

Included are some great shots of the foundation remnants of the caddyshack and other photos of the Caddyshack merchandise sold at Grande Oaks where the logo features a gopher.

The video:


The golf club that hosted Caddyshack’s raucous production

PGA Tour Slugs Break 4 Hours Thanks To Looming Monday Finish!

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Because of the decision not to tee off early in threesomes off split tees--a controversial call which John Strege explains may not have been to Greenbrier resort boss Jim Justice's liking--the Greenbrier Classic faced a fight to finish before Sunday night darkness.

While the rush may have benefitted tournament winner Jonas Blixt, third round leader Johnson Wagner wasn't quite so amused, reports Jason Sobel.

“It was dark, it was really dark,” said the 54-hole leader, who shot a 73 to finish in a four-way tie for second place. “We should have played threesomes early this morning. Not that, that would have made any difference with my round, but the last few holes I felt like we were just trying to finish.

Even better was this buried lede:

The final twosome played in three hours and 38 minutes.

That's right, they can break four hours in twosomes with marshals to find balls if it means not coming back the next day. But most weeks now that is not the case, which is why I know you'll be shocked to learn that the PGA Tour did not make Golf Channel's list of golf "entities" doing something about pace of play.

The final round highlights courtesy of PGA Tour Entertainment:

West Lothian's Gallacher Misses Open By £755

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A Press Association story on Marc Warren finishing raggedly in Paris but still edging out fellow Scot Stephen Gallacher by £754 on the final pre-Open Championship money list.

Punters Note: Watson Has 22 Putts In Greenbrier Final Round 67

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Okay so he finished T38 but the 63-year-old five time Open champion Tom Watson--including 1980 at Muirfield--is rounding into form. Just saying…he certainly is a candidate for low geezer. 

Jason Sobel with the post-round quote from Greenbrier's Pro Emeritus.

Watson is generally around 500-1 according to Oddschecker, where you can also see that Graeme McDowell is holding steady at 25-1 after his win in Paris.

"Our government must withdraw all funding and support for the R&A in its schemes to deliver golf to young people."

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tells the world that a significant part of it remains backward and ridiculous. We permit Muirfield to be Scotland for a week or so and thus we tell the world that we treat women like second-class citizens.

The Observer's Kevin McKenna files what figures to be the first of many columns denouncing the Honourable Company Of Edinburgh Golfers and the R&A over their discriminatory membership policies, writing that the Open at Muirfield "tells the world that a significant part of it remains backward and ridiculous."

This was more interesting:

Our government must withdraw all funding and support for the R&A in its schemes to deliver golf to young people. Nor should government ministers, who are supposed to represent us all, be sharing platforms in the run-up to the Ryder Cup next year with officials who see nothing wrong with awarding golf tournaments and all the prestige that goes with them to clubs that refuse to treat women as equals.

Muirfield shames this country. Equally shameful, though, is how successive liberal administrations in post-devolution Scotland turn a blind eye.

Paul Lawrie On Graeme McDowell Dissing Scottish Open: "He should know better."

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Nick Rodger talks to Paul Lawrie about this week's Aberdeen Asset Management Scottish Open at Castle Stuart, which Graeme McDowell recently said was an event that had "lost its prestige" on a course he called too easy and too one-dimensional.

Lawrie's response:

"My answer to what he said would simply be that the Scottish Open has a title sponsor, it's got more money than Graeme's national open and it's played on a links course," said Lawrie in defence of the Scottish event which has a purse almost double that of the Irish Open and still holds that much sought after slot in the schedule the week before The Open itself. "Everyone is entitled to their opinions but they were poor comments. He should know better."

He left out that the Scottish now also has American network television coverage!

Ewan Murray has a nice Observer summation of the whole bizarre situation with top players, Castle Stuart and schedules prior to the Open.

McDowell has a share of the French Open lead with Richard Sterne heading into final round play

Videos: Muirfield's 5th and 6th Holes

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The players get a reprieve at the 559-yard 5th where a benign opening to the green allows those hitting the fairway to have a go in two, assuming the wind is favorable.

The view from the 5th tee (click to enlarge):


Hopefully you've made birdie at the fifth because the 467-yard sixth is narrow with fantastic contours that almost guarantee an unlevel lie and obscured views to a green. The second shot is framed by Archerfield Wood as a backdrop, which distorts depth perception. The hole also features an old stone wall just under 300 yards off the tee and at the dogleg, adding to the fun here.



Bunkers out of play for today's players before the fairway narrows and the rolls begin:

The wall at 300 or so yards from the tee:

Videos: Muirfield's 3rd And 4th Holes

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Counting down to Muirfield kicked off with the 1st and 2nd hole analysis by Golf Monthly with Strokesaver flyovers, so we move on to the 3rd and 4th holes.

At 377 yards the third features a tee shot that must be less than 289 yards to avoid the pinching bunkers. The left side opens up the best angle of attack for front and middle holes to a 44-pace deep green.

The fourth features a new and quite difficult tee at 227 yards from a new more leftward angle into the right-to-left shaped green. The old tee, now one of six on the hole, played more into the length of the green and hopefully wil be used if the wind is up since this exposed green complex would be difficult with a short iron approach.

A zoomed-in view from the new back tee shows the alignment of flagsticks at four, twelve green and the thirteenth.

A view of the approach shows why run-up approaches will be difficult if not impossible due to the slope taking balls to penal bunkers short right of the green.

Houston Chronicle: Equal Pay For U.S. Open Winners

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Here's something you don't see everyday, a newspaper editorial board advocating change in golf. In this case, it's the Houston Chronicle suggesting that winners of the U.S. mens and women's Opens play for the same purses.

A national championship is a national championship. The money should more fairly reflect that for U.S. golf's national championship. Wimbledon and the U.S. Tennis Open have decreed parity for men's and women's purses. Why not the USGA, the keeper of golf's history and grand traditions?

Phil: Merion The One That Got Away Most

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Jason Sobel with some frank commentary from Phil Mickelson on his recent second place finish at Merion in the U.S. Open, including 2013 moving to the top of his list of ones that got away, his continued dedication and the shot that was his undoing.

The par-3 13th and his wedge shot there as well as on the 15th.

“I misclubbed on 13,” he admits. “I never should have hit a pitching wedge; I should have hit a gap and take the back out of play. Because if I overcook to the pin, it goes long, so that was a misclub. … We had a lot of wind. We had wind swinging in and left to right. It picked up when we got there. I thought, ‘Gosh, if I hit a gap wedge into this wind, I wonder if it will carry.’ It just kind of came up at a bad time. That’s when the rain came. I started putting on 12 and the wind and the rain picked up. We got to the 13th tee box and I ended up taking one more cl

Videos: Muirfield's 1st and 2nd Holes

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Thanks to Golf Monthly and Strokesaver for these looks at Muirfield's first two holes, starting with the straightforward but difficult 448-yard opener.

And the 365 second hole, with a horrible new bunker added to the front of the cluster of three guarding the green to discourage players from driving the hole when downwind. That would be one of the R&A's "The Treatment" bunkers. The rough up the left side also negates a play to the best angle of attack at a green with a distinct right to left and back to front tilt. Other than that, I think it's a splendid preparation of a really nice hole.