Ryder Cup To Get Full Monty on NBC and Golf Channel

Ryder Cup action at Celtic Manor, 2010  photo courtesy of PGA of America

Come the last weekend in September, you'll want to set your alarm for extra early or put on an extra pot of coffee to stay up all night because NBC and Golf Channel will provide live full-round coverage of the 2014 Ryder Cup from Gleneagles Hotel in Perthshire, Scotland.  This will be the first time the European-based event will be televised live in its entirety in the United States. Additionally, Golf Channel has acquired the exclusive Ryder Cup telecast rights for Friday's matches, so the NBC Sports Group's live coverage will run from the opening tee shot through the final putt of this biennial event between Friday, Sept. 26, and Sunday, Sept 28.

"For the first time when played on European soil, fans in the United States will be treated to watching the Ryder Cup live in its entirety, and we're thrilled that NBC Sports Group will deliver the drama and passion of this unparalleled event, as it unfolds," said PGA of America CEO Pete Bevacqua in a statement released today. "Beginning with Golf Channel, the daily television voice of the golf community, and continuing through the weekend on NBC, audiences will be able to experience all of the breathtaking moments that define the Ryder Cup. By showcasing one of sport's most exciting events live, on a global stage, the PGA of America is furthering our commitment to growing the game through our partnership with NBC Sports."

If you can't get to a TV set (or want to watch on your tablet or laptop in bed without disturbing your partner) all of NBC and Golf Channel's live coverage will be available for authenticated streaming via NBC Sports Live Extra and Golf Live Extra. Just don't forget to use your earphones to drown out those screams from US Ryder Cup Captain Tom Watson.

Here's the schedule:

• Sept. 26 Day One 2:30 AM-1 PM     Golf Channel
• Sept. 27 Day Two 3 AM-1 PM NBC
• Sept. 28 Final Day 7 AM-1 PM NBC

Golf Channel's Friday coverage is part of a trade that includes an exchange of highlight rights and other considerations with ESPN. And after NBC Sports Group and the PGA of America's new partnership agreement takes effect, Golf Channel will continue as the exclusive cable home of the Ryder Cup through 2030 as part of this deal, which is the longest national TV rights agreement in professional sports.

Among many other books, Dave Donelson is the author of Weird Golf: 18 tales of fantastic, horrific, scientifically impossible, and morally reprehensible golf