Golf Channel to Recount Best Golf Moments of 2016, Dec. 13-30

Stenson’s Unforgettable Win at The Open; Golf’s Return to the Olympic Games; Ryder Cup Redemption for U.S. & Ko’s 1st Major Among Rounds to be Revisited

(ORLANDO, Fla.) – Golf Channel will tie a bow on 2016 by giving viewers a look back on some of the most memorable moments from the year that was, beginning today and continuing through Friday, Dec. 30. From Lydia Ko claiming her first major championship in April, Henrik Stenson and Phil Mickelson’s unforgettable duel at Royal Troon in July; golf’s return to the Olympic Games for the first time in more than 100 years in August; and the United States’ Ryder Cup redemption at Hazeltine, 2016 has provided no shortage of memorable moments in golf.

In total, more than 300 hours of encore 2016 tournament programming will air between today and Friday, Dec. 30. For the first time, Golf Channel will air an encore of every 2016 PGA TOUR final round airing in succession, Tuesday, Dec. 13 through Sunday, Dec. 18. And, the top-10 “Fan Favorite” rounds from 2016 as voted by viewers will air in primetime (in descending order) Monday-Friday, Dec. 19-23 and Dec. 26-30. Other highlights include:

Rio Olympic Games – Monday, Dec. 19:
Final rounds of both the women’s and men’s Olympic Golf competition in the sport’s return to the Olympic Games for the first time in more than 100 years. Korea’s Inbee Park claimed gold in spite of having received pressure from some in her native country for even playing given her nagging thumb injury, and Great Britain’s Justin Rose edged out Sweden’s Henrik Stenson for gold on the men’s side.

Women’s Majors – Tuesday, Dec. 20:
Highlighted by Lydia Ko winning her first major at the ANA Inspiration in April; Brooke Henderson outlasting Ko in a playoff to win the KPMG Women’s PGA Championship in June; the United States’ improbable comeback to win the International Crown in July; and In Gee Chun’s win at the Evian Championship, setting a record for lowest score ever in a major (men’s or women’s) in relation to par.

PGA TOUR Champions – Wednesday, Dec. 21: 
Events revisited include Bernhard Langer’s win at the Regions Tradition in May; Rocco Mediate’s first-career major title at the Senior PGA Championship; Langer’s victory at the Constellation Senior Players Championship to move within one senior major championship of Jack Nicklaus’ all-time record; and Langer winning his third consecutive season-long Charles Schwab Cup.

Junior Golf – Wednesday, Dec. 21:
Encore airings of both the 2016 Drive, Chip and Putt National Finals in April from Augusta National Golf Club, and the 2016 PGA Junior League Golf National Championship in November at Grayhawk Golf Club in Scottsdale, Arizona.

NCAA Golf – Thursday, Dec. 22: 
The Washington Huskies women’s golf team claimed the first national championship in program history in May, taking down defending national champion Stanford, 3-2. On the men’s side, Oregon similarly claimed its first national title in June (also 3-2 and coming down to extra holes), in front of its home crowd as host university for the event. In November, the top-performing universities from the NCAA Championships earlier in the year reconvened in Atlanta, where Duke (women) and Illinois (men) claimed the second annual East Lake Cup.

Ryder Cup – Friday, Dec. 23: 
An encore of all three days of competition at the 2016 Ryder Cup from Hazeltine National Golf Club in Minnesota. The United States claimed its first victory in the biennial international event since 2008.

The R&A’s Major Championships – Tuesday, Dec. 27: 
One of the more unforgettable final rounds in recent history, Henrik Stenson won the first major championship of his career after dueling head-to-head with Phil Mickelson at Royal Troon in Scotland. On the women’s side, Ariya Jutanugarn claimed her first major championship as well at the Ricoh Women’s British Open at Woburn Golf Club, while Paul Broadhurst became an unlikely victor in the Senior Open at Carnoustie.

World Golf Championships (WGC) Events – Wednesday, Dec. 28: 
2016’s four World Golf Championship (WGC) events are revisited, featuring Adam Scott’s win at the WGC-Cadillac Championship in March; Jason Day’s victory at the WGC-Dell Match Play in Texas; Dustin Johnson’s win at the WGC-Bridgestone Invitational in Ohio in August; and Hideki Matsuyama’s title at the WGC-HSBC Champions in October.

PGA TOUR FedExCup Playoffs – Thursday, Dec. 29: 
An encore of the four PGA TOUR FedExCup Playoff events, highlighted by Rory McIlroy ultimately claiming the FedExCup title after winning in a playoff at the TOUR Championship in September. Other events featured include Patrick Reed’s win at The Barclays; McIlroy’s victory at the Deutsche Bank Championship and Dustin Johnson’s win at the BMW Championship.