McIlroy, Scheffler Each Lead Teams of Four in Unique, Made-For-TV Challenges from Trump National Golf Club Jupiter in Jupiter, Fla.
Coverage of PGA TOUR’s PNC Championship Airs Live Fri.-Sun. Across Golf Channel, NBC and Peacock
DP World Tour’s AfrAsia Bank Mauritius Open Headlines Early Morning Coverage This Week
2025 Notah Begay III Junior Golf Championship – Premiere of Girl’s and Boy’s Championship Air Back-to-Back Tonight on Golf Channel, Starting at 7 p.m. ET
STAMFORD, Conn. – December 16, 2025 – The Optum Golf Channel Games – the live, made-for-TV event featuring Rory McIlroy and Scottie Scheffler leading four-man teams competing in a series of unique challenges – premieres Wednesday at 7 p.m. ET on Golf Channel and USA Network, highlighting this week’s live programming on Golf Channel.
Airing live in primetime from Trump National Golf Club Jupiter in Jupiter, Fla., Team Rory and Team Scottie will compete head-to-head in a never-before-seen format. Featuring challenges such as the Timed Drive and Short Game Competitions, 14-Club Challenge, Team Relay, and Captain’s Challenge, the fast-paced competition will be must-watch TV.
On the PGA TOUR, the PNC Championship tees off from the Ritz-Carlton Golf Club in Orlando and features champions from across the PGA TOUR, LPGA Tour and PGA TOUR Champions. Golf Channel will begin live coverage with Friday’s pro-am and will present tournament coverage at 11:30 a.m. ET on Sunday. NBC and Peacock will present live coverage of the PNC Championship on Saturday and Sunday.
The DP World Tour heads to Mauritius this week for the AfrAsia Bank Mauritius Open. Golf Channel will present live coverage in the early-morning hours starting at 3:30 a.m. ET on Thursday.
In the world of junior golf, the epic finale of the Notah Begay III Junior Golf Championship will premiere tonight on Golf Channel, with an encore presentation of the girls junior championship beginning at 7 p.m. ET and the boys junior championship at 9 p.m. ET.
OPTUM GOLF CHANNEL GAMES
The Optum Golf Channel Games are here, airing live in primetime on Wednesday night at 7 p.m. ET on Golf Channel and USA Network.
Fans can expect fast-paced, high-stakes competition from the teams of Rory McIlroy and Scottie Scheffler, and a must-watch made-for-TV experience from an Emmy award-winning Golf Channel production team of Mark Loomis, Chris Maguire,and Jeff Jastrow. The Optum Golf Channel Games are being launched in association with PGA TOUR Studios and were created in partnership with EverWonder Studio and producer Bryan Zuriff.
The Optum Golf Channel Games pre-game show, hosted by Anna Jackson and Johnson Wagner with special commentary from Kai Trump, kicks off the Games at 7 p.m., with competition starting at approximately 7:30 p.m. ET. A post-game recap show featuring special analysis, highlights, and more begins around 10:30 p.m. ET.
Team Rory McIlroy:
- Rory McIlroy
- Shane Lowry
- Luke Donald
- Haotong Li
Team Scottie Scheffler:
- Scottie Scheffler
- Keegan Bradley
- Sam Burns
- Luke Clanton
Golf Channel Broadcast Team:
- Play by Play: Steve Sands
- Analyst: Keith Mitchell
- On-Course: Smylie Kaufman / Brad Faxon / Johnson Wagner
- Pre- and Post-Show: Anna Jackson / Johnson Wagner
- Special Commentary: Kai Trump
Optum Golf Channel Games Competition Lineup:
- Timed Drive Competition
- Timed Short Game Competition
- 14-Club Challenge
- Team Relay
- Captain’s Challenge
PGA TOUR: PNC CHAMPIONSHIP
The PGA TOUR’s family-favorite PNC Championship is a 36-hole scramble event that features 20 teams consisting of a major champion or Players champion from the PGA TOUR, LPGA Tour and PGA TOUR Champions competing alongside a family member.
Bernhard Langer and his son Jason are the two-time defending champions and will return to the Ritz-Carlton Golf Club in Orlando to try for a third straight title. Other notable teams include Lee Trevino and his son Daniel, Fred Couples and stepson Hunter and Annika Sorenstam and son Will.
Golf Channel will air live coverage of the PNC Championship’s Friday Pro-Am starting at 12 p.m. ET. NBC and Peacock will air first-round coverage of the event on Saturday, then Golf Channel will begin Sunday’s final-day coverage at 11:30 a.m. ET before NBC/Peacock take over for the remainder of the round.
| Day | Golf Channel | Peacock | NBC/Peacock |
| Friday (Pro-Am) | 12-2:30 p.m. | ||
| Saturday | 1-2:30 p.m. | 2:30-6 p.m. | |
| Sunday | 11:30 a.m.-12:30 p.m. | 12:30-1:30 p.m. | 1:30-4:30 p.m. |
| *All times ET |
Golf Channel Broadcast Team:
- Play by Play: Dan Hicks
- Analyst: Peter Jacobsen
- Holes: Steve Sands
- On-Course: John Wood / Jim Mackay
- Reporter: Todd Lewis
Notable Teams:
- Gary Woodland & Dan Woodland (Father)
- Trevor Immelman & Jacob Immelman (Son)
- Fred Couples & Hunter Hannemann (Stepson)
- Nelly Korda & Petr Korda (Father)
- Lee Trevino & Daniel Trevino (Son)
- Annika Sorenstam & Will McGee (Son)
- Bernhard Langer & Jason Langer (Son)
GOLF CENTRAL
Golf Central will bring news, highlights and analysis of this week in golf beginning Thursday at 5 p.m. ET with a recap of the Optum Golf Channel Games and preview coverage of the PNC Championship.
Rich Lerner will host Golf Central from in-studio throughout the week, with expert analysis provided by Tripp Isenhour and on-site reporting from Todd Lewis at the PNC Championship. The team will preview and recap each round of the PNC Championship, with a back-to-back, double-edition of Golf Central airing live on NBC/Peacock and Golf Channel Saturday evening.
| Day | Golf Central Pregame | Golf Central Postgame |
| Thursday | 5-6 p.m. | |
| Friday | 11:30 a.m.-12 p.m. | 2:30-3:30 p.m. |
| Saturday | 12-1 p.m. | 5:30-6 p.m. (NBC/Peacock), 6-6:30 p.m. (Golf Channel) |
| Sunday | 10:30-11:30 a.m. | 4:30-5 p.m. |
| *All times ET |
Golf Central Team:
- Host: Rich Lerner
- Studio Analyst: Tripp Isenhour
- On-Site Reporting: Todd Lewis
DP WORLD TOUR: AFRASIA BANK MAURITIUS OPEN
This tournament is the fifth and final event of the DP World Tour’s Opening Swing, and the tour’s final event in calendar year 2025. Golf Channel’s live coverage begins Thursday morning as the field tees-it-up from Heritage La Réserve Golf Links in Heritage Bel Ombre, Mauritius.
| Day | GOLF Channel |
| Thursday | 3:30-8:30 a.m. |
| Friday | 3:30-8:30 a.m. |
| Saturday | 4-8:30 a.m. |
| Sunday | 1-6 a.m. |
| *All times ET |
Notable Players This Week:
- Daniel Brown
- Eugenio Chacarra
- MJ Daffue
- Ryan Gerard
- Christo Lamprecht
- Renato Paratore
- John Parry
2025 NOTAH BEGAY III JUNIOR GOLF NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP
The Notah Begay III Junior Golf National Championship is one of the largest junior golf championships televised on Golf Channel. Named after the four-time PGA TOUR winner and Golf Channel analyst, the championship series works throughout the year to elevate all levels of junior golfers, culminating in the National Championship in November.
This year’s event was held at Koasati Pines Golf Club in Kinder, La. And featured exceptional talent from girls and boys junior golfers from around the world.
Golf Channel will air coverage from the event on Tuesday beginning with the girls championship at 7 p.m. ET, followed by the boys championship at 9 p.m. ET.
2025 Girls Champions:
- Combined Girls 14-18: Grace Carter (Jupiter, FL)
- Ages 16-18: Angela Nip (Port St. Lucie, FL)
- Ages 14-15: Grace Carter (Jupiter, FL)
- Ages 12-13: Anna Norris (Johns Creek, GA)
- Ages 10-11: Nora Shelor (Rogers, AR)
2025 Boys Champions:
- Combined Boys 14-18: Owen Coniaris (Glen Ellyn, IL)
- Ages 16-18: Owen Coniaris (Glen Ellyn, IL)
- Ages 14-15: JT Cochrane (La Jolla, CA)
- Ages 12-13: Ryan Chen (Houston, TX)
- Ages 10-11: Jayden Wei (Lake Mary, FL)
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