Televised golf will make a welcome return with TaylorMade Driving Relief, a US$3 million charity skins match supported by UnitedHealth Group to raise money and awareness for the American Nurses Foundation and CDC Foundationid, two organisations helping to lead Covid-19 relief efforts.
To be held on Sunday, May 17 at Seminole Golf Club in Florida, the event will feature two-time FedExCup champion and World No 1 Rory McIlroy and 20-time PGA Tour winner Dustin Johnson, teaming up against two Oklahoma State University alumni – Rickie Fowler and 2019 first-time PGA Tour winner and 2019 NCAA National Champion Matthew Wolff. The competition will follow strict CDC social distancing guidelines, local mandates and will utilize appropriate testing measures to help protect the health and safety of the golfers, production crew and others on site.
Additionally, Farmers Insurance has pledged US$1 million to back a birdies-and-eagle pool to benefit Off Their Plate, a charitable organization helping Covid-19 healthcare workers and impacted frontline shift employees.
Building upon this initial fundraising of US$4 million, PGA Tour Charities will announce a Text-To-Donate activation and online donation platform powered by GoFundMe to allow viewers to make additional contributions and raise funds for Covid-19 relief.
EVENT INFORMATION:
• Players: All four golfers will donate their time for the 18-hole, two-man team skins competition, with McIlroy/Johnson playing for the American Nurses Foundation and Fowler/Wolff playing for the CDC Foundation.
• Location: Seminole Golf Club (Juno Beach, Fla.) A majestic Donald Ross design with a clever routing on a rectangular site, each hole at Seminole encounters a new wind direction. Seminole has long been one of America’s most-revered clubs and this marks the club’s first ever golf event broadcast. No fans or spectators will be permitted on site.
• Date/Time: Sunday, May 17; live coverage will air from 2-6 p.m. ET
• Television Broadcast: NBC, Golf Channel, NBCSN, Sky Sports and other PGA Tour global media partners
• Digital: Unauthenticated streaming of the entire event available via PGA Tour Live (NBC Sports Gold and Amazon Prime Video), GolfPass, GolfChannel.com and GolfTV powered by PGA Tour. Pre-match coverage as well as the first two holes of the event also will stream on Twitter.
• Safety measures: PGA Tour will follow all guidelines, executive orders and mandates issued by the state of Florida, Palm Beach County and the city of Juno Beach.
“We are excited about the safe and responsible return of live golf and the opportunity to raise significant funds for those on the front lines of the Covid-19 pandemic through the TaylorMade Driving Relief event,” said PGA Tour commissioner Jay Monahan. “With four of the PGA Tour’s top stars in Rory, Rickie, Dustin and Matthew of Team TaylorMade participating and UnitedHealth Group serving as the foundation of charitable giving, and Farmers Insurance providing an additional bonus pool, golf fans around the world can look forward to a unique, interactive and entertaining event that will help those in need.”
PGA Tour Entertainment will produce live coverage, which will feature commentary from NBC Sports’ Mike Tirico from his home in Michigan, as well as analysts Paul Azinger and Gary Koch and play-by-play with Rich Lerner from an off-site production facility. On site at Seminole Golf Club will be on-course reporters Jerry Foltz and Steve Sands.
