Sky has strengthened its position as the home of live golf by confirming an agreement for exclusive live coverage of the Ricoh Women’s British Open from 2017.
The five-year deal with the Ladies Golf Union and IMG will run through until 2021, and follows last week’s announcement that the Open Championship will be added to Sky’s growing golf portfolio in two years’ time
Sky Sports will provide live coverage of all four days of the Ricoh Women’s British Open in the UK, as it does for The Open, the Masters tournament, the US Open and the PGA Championship as well as all three days of the Ryder Cup.
The LGU’s Trish Wilson said: “We are delighted with the structure of the new agreement, which will be a positive step for women’s golf and our Championship.”
The BBC will offer a one-hour daily highlights segment each evening of the Championship.
Already showing more than 100 live tournaments a year, Sky Sports also holds the exclusive rights to cover the European Tour, PGA Tour, Ladies European Tour and LPGA Tour in both the UK and Ireland.
Barney Francis, Sky Sports Managing Director, added: “We have been committed to women’s sport since Sky Sports began and it’s a commitment that keeps on growing. This year we are showing more women’s sport than ever before, including, of course, women’s golf.
“We are delighted to be able to offer the prestigious Ricoh Women’s British Open live to our audience and are looking forward to working with the LGU and IMG to continue to grow this great Championship.”
Sky Sports’ inaugural live Women’s British Open will be at Kingsbarns in 2017, a course that will be hosting a major for the first time.
Sky Sports www.skysports.com
Ladies Golf Union www.lgu.org
Ricoh Women’s British Open http://ricohwomensbritishopen.com
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