Golf Channel announced today that each of the semifinalist teams from the 2015 Division I NCAA Men’s and Women’s Golf Championships have committed to compete in the inaugural East Lake Cup match play championship, airing live on the network Nov. 2-3 at historic East Lake Golf Club in Atlanta, Ga.
The men’s division of the East Lake Cup will feature a rematch of the National Championship semifinals. The four participating teams include: reigning National Champions Louisiana State University (LSU); the University of Southern California (USC), who lost to LSU in the championship match; University of Georgia (UGA), two-time National Champions (1999 and 2005); and the University of Illinois, which is coming off a school-record eight tournament-win season.
“Golf Channel’s coverage of the NCAA golf championships has been tremendous and brought the excitement of college golf to a broader audience,” said LSU men’s golf coach Chuck Winstead. “We look forward to competing at East Lake Golf Club, one of golf’s storied venues.”
The 2015 National Championship winning Stanford University will headline a women’s division comprised of all four teams from the 2015 National Championship semifinals. That field also includes: 2015 championship runner-up Baylor University; Duke University, six-time National Champions, including 2014; and the University of Southern California (USC), which earned the No. 1 seed for both stroke and match play portions of the 2015 championships.
“We are very excited to partake in the first ever East Lake Cup,” said Stanford women’s golf coach Anne Walker. “Golf Channel has invested a lot of time and energy into college golf; we feel very fortunate to be able to benefit from its commitment. The four participating women’s teams are all very experienced, and the competition will no doubt make for great viewing.”
Teams for the East Lake Cup will compete on the championship golf course at East Lake Golf Club, home of the TOUR Championship by Coca-Cola, the season-ending event of the PGA TOUR’s FedExCup Playoffs. The East Lake Cup will benefit the East Lake Foundation, a charitable organization dedicated to helping families build better lives and children reach their highest potential through its holistic approach to community revitalization incorporating mixed-income housing, cradle-to-college education and community wellness.
The East Lake Cup also will feature the Tom Cousins Award, a new annual recognition presented to an outstanding male and female golfer who exemplify the values of the East Lake Foundation: excels in academics, engaged in his or her community and has overcome adversity. This award is named for Tom Cousins, founder of the East Lake Foundation, which transformed a community in despair into a thriving neighborhood, now a national model for community redevelopment through Purpose Built Communities.
Two match-play tournaments will be hosted simultaneously at East Lake Golf Club for the women’s and men’s divisions. Monday, Nov. 2 will feature the semifinals and Tuesday, Nov. 3 the finals and consolation matches. Within both the semifinals and finals, the competing teams will pair five players in singles matches.
2015 EAST LAKE CUP SCHEDULE OF EVENTS (all times Eastern)
Monday, Nov. 2:
10 a.m. Semifinal Matches Begin
2-5 p.m. Golf Channel Live coverage
Tuesday, Nov. 3:
10 a.m. Consolation Matches begin
11:45 a.m. Championship Matches begin
2-5 p.m. Golf Channel Live Coverage
General admission to the inaugural East Lake Cup is free on Monday, November 2 and Tuesday, November 3. Limited complimentary parking is available at East Lake Golf Club on a first come, first serve basis.
For more information about the East Lake Cup please visit the tournament website here. Stay connected with the championship on Twitter via @GolfChannel using hashtag #EastLakeCup.
About the East Lake Foundation
Founded in 1995 on the belief that everyone deserves a chance to succeed, the East Lake Foundation collaborates with public and private organizations to provide tools that enable Atlanta’s East Lake residents to build a better future through its model for community revitalization.
The East Lake model includes cradle-to-college education at Charles R. Drew Charter School and its early learning partners, mixed-income housing at The Villages of East Lake and community wellness through programs including The First Tee® of East Lake, the Resident and Community Support Program, the East Lake Community Learning Garden, Start ME: East Lake micro-entrepreneur program and East Lake Healthy Connections. This approach to building a strong community not only helps break the intergenerational cycle of poverty, but creates a place where people of all ages and incomes choose to live. East Lake has become a national model for holistic community revitalization programs through its sister organization, Purpose Built Communities. Additional information is available at www.eastlakefoundation.org.
About East Lake Golf Club
Located in Atlanta, the East Lake Golf Club is the home course of legendary golfer Bobby Jones and is the oldest golf course in the city of Atlanta. The Club is not only historic, but philanthropic as well. Proceeds from operations support the East Lake Foundation, now serving as a national model for holistic community redevelopment across the country through Purpose Built Communities.
Over the years, the golf course has hosted many national and regional championships, including the 1950 U.S. Women’s Amateur, 1963 Ryder Cup, and 2001 U.S. Men’s Amateur. It is now the permanent home of the TOUR Championship by Coca-Cola, the culminating event of the PGA TOUR Playoffs for the FedEx Cup. Additional information may be found at www.eastlakegolfclub.com
About Golf Channel
Golf Channel is a multimedia, golf entertainment and services company based in Orlando, Fla. Serving the most-affluent audience in all of television, Golf Channel – co-founded by Arnold Palmer in 1995 and now part of NBC Sports Group – is available in more than 200 million homes in 84 countries and 13 languages around the world. Exclusive partnerships with the world’s top tours allow Golf Channel to feature more live golf coverage than all other networks combined, as well as a programming schedule distinguished by golf’s highest-quality news, instruction and original content. Golf Channel’s digital platforms, headed by GolfChannel.com, are the leading golf destinations on the Internet, delivering unmatched coverage of the world of golf. Fans are able to enjoy 24/7 live streaming of Golf Channel content through Golf Live Extra and select programming is simulcast via SiriusXM’s PGA TOUR Radio. In addition, Golf Channel connects the world to golf through a wide array of digital and lifestyle services including Golf Channel Mobile, a comprehensive app covering golf’s latest headlines, scores and analysis; GolfNow, the world’s largest online tee time booking platform and golf course technology partner, which includes the GolfNow Mobile App, featuring on-course GPS tracking, in-round scoring and game tracking; GolfAdvisor.com, a golf course ratings and review portal for golfers, by golfers; a North American network of Golf Channel Academy instructional facilities; and Golf Channel Am Tour, the world’s largest amateur golf tour.
-NBC Sports Group-
Media Contacts:
Jeremy Friedman
Golf Channel Communications
407-355-4058
Jeremy.Friedman@golfchannel.com
Tom Sprouse
East Lake Cup Media Director
614-889-6791
Catherine Woodling
East Lake Foundation/East Lake Golf Club
404-974-4506
cwoodling@eastlakefoundation.org
