Two-Time World Long Drive Champion Tim Burke Top Seed in Open Division; Women’s Division Being Showcased Live for First Time Ever on Television
(MESQUITE, Nev.) – The field has been narrowed to eight men and four women having advanced to compete in tonight’s live coverage of the “Clash in the Canyon” World Long Drive Association (WLDA) event, airing in primetime from Mesquite, Nevada, at 8 p.m. ET on Golf Channel.
The group of competitors in the Open (Men’s) Division quarterfinals is led by two-time World Long Drive champion Tim Burke, while the Women’s Division semifinalists are led by defending 2016 World champion Phillis Meti. The “Clash in the Canyon” – in partnership with Golf Mesquite Nevada at the Mesquite Regional Sports and Event Complex – also marks the first time ever that the Women’s Division will air live on television, and is the first of three events scheduled to air live on Golf Channel in 2017.
OPEN DIVISION QUARTERFINAL MATCHES
- Tim Burke (Orlando, Fla.) vs. Dan McIntosh (Alberta, Canada)
- Ryan Steenberg (Rochester, N.Y.) vs. Kevin Shook (Bradenton, Fla.)
- Maurice Allen (Pine Hills, Fla.) vs. Glenn Wilson Jr. (Houston, Texas)
- Ryan Reisbeck (Leyton, Utah) vs. Ryan Winther (Lodi, Calif.)
WOMEN’S DIVISION SEMIFINAL MATCHES
- Sandra Carlborg (Alingsas, Sweden) vs. Chloe Garner (Johnson City, Tenn.)
- Phillis Meti (Auckland, New Zealand) vs. Troy Mullins (Los Angeles, Calif.)
The Open Division is competing for a $50,000 purse, with a first place prize of $20,000, while the Women’s Division will be vying for a $7,000 first place prize with a $15,000 overall purse. Both divisions will utilize a single-elimination, match play bracket which will be played out over the course of the telecast.
COVERAGE: Live coverage of the “Clash in the Canyon” will air in primetime from 8-10 p.m. ET tonight, with Golf Central previewing and recapping the event (7-8 p.m. ET, 10-10:30 p.m. ET). In addition, Golf Channel will air an encore telecast of the 2016 World Long Drive Championship, featuring the Round of 16 (3-5 p.m. ET) and Finals (5-7 p.m. ET) leading into the live Golf Central at 7 p.m. ET.
The production centering around live coverage of the competition will utilize six dedicated cameras, capturing all angles from the hitting platform and the landing grid, including a SuperMo camera as well as a crane-positioned camera that will track the ball in flight once it leaves the competitor’s clubface. The telecast also will feature a custom graphics package suited to the anomalous swing data typically generated by Long Drive competitors, tracking club speed, ball speed and apex in real-time via Trackman. Top Tracer technology also will provide viewers with a sense of ball flight, tracking drives from the moment of impact.
BROADCAST TEAM: Golf Channel’s Grant Boone will conduct play-by-play, Art Sellinger – long-drive pioneer and two-time Long Drive champion – will provide analysis, and Golf Channel’s Jerry Foltz will provide reports from the teeing platform and conduct interviews with competitors.
DIGITAL & SOCIAL MEDIA COVERAGE: Fans will have an opportunity to stay up-to-date on all of the action surrounding the “Clash in the Canyon” by following @GolfChannel and @WorldLongDrive on social media. On-site activations will include an oversized video board adjacent to the grid showcasing social media interaction from fans in attendance and those following along at home.
In an effort to help viewers get to know some of the personalities behind the top competitors in the Long Drive community, Golf Channel Digital has created a series of player profiles, featuring Sandra Carlborg, Will Hogue, Tim Burke and Trent Scruggs.
A familiar setting in the Long Drive community, Mesquite previously hosted the World Long Drive Championship and a number of qualifying events dating back to 1997, including the World Championship having been staged at the Mesquite Regional Sports and Event Complex from 2008-2012.
The 2017 Open Division schedule consists of qualifying events spanning from March through August, with competitors from each event advancing to the Volvik World Long Drive Championship, which will feature a 96-man field competing for a $270,000 purse. The Women’s Division will feature a field of 32 competitors vying for a purse of $40,000. The event will return to WinStar World Casino & Resort (Thackerville, Okla.) for a third consecutive year, following a multi-year extension as the host site. For the full 2017 World Long Drive Association schedule, visit https://www.worldlongdrive.com/schedule/.
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