Television Golf
Albertsons Team Championship
The Albertsons Team Championship presented by Key Bank, having recently finished its 24th year, is the longest running, most popular made-for-television team golf competition in the nation. The Albertsons Team Championship featured 16 teams from the most prestigious private golf clubs and public courses in the Western United States, each vying for a $50,000 first prize awarded to the winning team’s PGA club professional.
Each three-player team consisted of one PGA professional, one male amateur and one female amateur. The Albertsons Team Championship presented by Key Bank featured a bracket tournament format that pits teams head-to-head in best ball competition, medal play.
The Albertsons Team Championship presented by Key Bank airing in 2011 featured teams from the following:
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Each week’s hour-long show featured one nine-hole head-to-head matchup. An additional highlight was the exclusive feature, “Golf Rules and Tips with Gary McCord.” The segment featured the well-known television golf personality’s irreverent take on some of golf’s lesser known rules.
The world-class Indian Wells Golf Resort, Southern California’s premier golf destination, in Indian Wells, CA played host to the Albertsons Team Championship presented by Key Bank. Matches were contested on the highly acclaimed John Fought-designed Players Course, which offers breathtaking views and poses unique challenges for competitors.
Broadcast Partners
The Albertsons Team Championship presented by Key Bank aired on 18 affiliates in seven Western states (Oregon, Washington, Idaho, California, Utah, Nevada and Hawaii), providing 500 hours of golf action that were seen by more than 20 million people each season. Please CLICK HERE for the complete list of affiliates.
Hosts
The Albertsons Team Championship presented by Key Bank featured play-by-play from Emmy award-winning broadcaster Paul Linnman and color commentary from former PGA TOUR professional Jeff Sanders. The Big Break golf star, Courtney Erdman, conducts on-course interviews while popular TV golf personality Gary McCord hosted the weekly “Golf Rules and Tips” feature.
Paul Linnman
Paul Linnman has been a respected broadcast and print journalist in Portland, Oregon for more than 40 years. Known around the world as the TV news reporter responsible for exclusive coverage of Oregon’s infamous exploding whale in 1970, Paul is also one of the Pacific Northwest’s most popular TV news anchors and talk show hosts. The Emmy award-winning broadcaster now hosts the top-rated morning radio news show in Portland. An avid life-long golfer, Paul has also served as the long-time play-by-play commentator for the Albertsons Team Championship presented by Key Bank. Paul has written numerous articles for newspapers and magazines and is a noted author, having written the definitive books on both golf in Oregon and, of course, the exploding whale.
Jeff Sanders
Jeff Sanders has made golf his life’s work, both as a competitor and as a businessman. Jeff was an All America golfer at the University of Oregon, where he still holds the school record as a sophomore for best individual finish at the 1976 NCAA Championships. After graduating in 1979, Jeff reached the pinnacle of the golf world — the PGA TOUR. Jeff competed on the PGA TOUR for five years and then decided to return to his hometown of Portland, Oregon to channel his passion for golf into the business side of the game. In 1989, he founded Jeff Sanders Promotions, and he remains the golf event management company’s President and CEO. The Albertsons Team Championship presented by Key Bank is a production of Jeff Sanders Promotions, and Jeff serves not only as the show’s expert analyst, but also as its Executive Producer.
Courtney Erdman
Courtney Erdman, best known for her appearance on GOLF CHANNEL’s The Big Break Ka’anapali, joined the Albertsons Team Championship presented by Key Bank broadcast crew as the on-course reporter for the 2011 season. After playing golf at and graduating from College of the Canyons, Erdman turned pro in 2006 and played two years on the FUTURES Tour. In 2008, Erdman appeared on season nine of The Big Break, The Big Break Ka’anapali, making it to week seven of the golf challenge show before being eliminated. Since The Big Break, Erdman has worked as a club pro in Southern California while also playing FUTURES Tour and Canadian women’s tour events. She is currently the two-time Southern California PGA Women’s Section Professional Champion.
Gary McCord
There are few personalities in the game of golf quite like that of Gary McCord. An outstanding player, announcer, instructor, author, speaker, and even actor, Gary is truly one of golf’s celebrities. Gary is well known for enduring 23 years and 422 tournaments on the PGA Tour without nabbing a single victory. A man of good humor, he at one time boasted a “NO WINS” license plate to poke fun at his own less-than-glamorous career as a professional golfer. He eventually found his calling providing color commentary for CBS golf broadcasts. Fans and critics alike praise him for his knowledgeable perspective, refreshing humor, and sometimes irreverent wit toward a game that is known for taking itself too seriously. Gary also currently plays on the Champions Tour, where he has scored two victories.
Source: tourtalent.com
The Albertsons Team Championship is a production of Jeff Sanders Promotions, Inc.
