Golf Central Talent:
Tom Abbott
Golf Central Anchor / Reporter
A United Kingdom native, Tom Abbott will don several hats in 2009, including studio host and commentator for GOLF CHANNEL’s live tournament coverage of the European Tour. Abbott also will conduct post-round interviews and report for Golf Central at select LPGA Tour events, as well as reporting and anchoring Golf Central from the network’s studios in Orlando, Fla. Abbott began his golfing career at age ten through encouragements by his father. After playing amateur golf in the UK, he accepted a golf scholarship to Mercer University. While in college, Abbott caught the broadcasting bug and developed an on-campus station as well as working with local ABC Affiliate WPGA-TV in Macon. In addition, he interned with CBS-46 in Atlanta, WGCL-TV. Before coming to GOLF CHANNEL in 2005, Abbott was sports director for WCAV-TV in Charlottesville, Va.
Brandel Chamblee
Analyst
After 15-year PGA TOUR career that included more than $4 million in earnings, Brandel Chamblee made a full-time transition to the broadcast booth in 2004. He joined the GOLF CHANNEL as lead analyst for its Champions Tour tournament coverage and studio shows after serving as a part-time golf commentator for ABC Sports in 2003. In 2009, Chamblee is lead analyst for several PGA TOUR events and an analyst for Golf Central , Golf Central Pre Game and the network’s Live From telecasts during majors weeks. A three-time All-American out of the University of Texas, his career highlights include victories at the 1998 Greater Vancouver Open on the PGA TOUR and the Ben Hogan New England Classic on the Nationwide Tour in 1990. He also shared the first-round lead at the Masters in 1999, and finished within the top-100 on the PGA TOUR Money List for seven consecutive years.
Kraig Kann
Anchor, Golf Central / Golf Central Pre Game
Host, The Approach with Callaway Golf
One of the GOLF CHANNEL’s originals, Kraig Kann has been a part of the on-air talent team since 1995. He currently serves as an anchor for Golf Central and Golf Central Pre Game, quarterbacking a team of analysts in a lively breakdown of the day’s tour events. He also hosts The Approach with Callaway Golf on Tuesday nights. Known for his versatility during 14 years at the GOLF CHANNEL, Kann has hosted virtually every show on the network, including Academy Live, Golf Talk Live, Viewers Forum and Leaderboard Report. Kann has also served as play-by-play voice of GOLF CHANNEL's PGA TOUR, LPGA, Nationwide and Canadian Tour events.
A Chicago area native, Kann’s prior stints include television stops in Kalamazoo, Mich., Fort Myers, Fla., Columbus, Ga., and Columbia, Mo. Kann is a 1988 graduate of the University of Missouri. He and wife Kimberly reside in Windermere, Fla., with their three children.
Rich Lerner
Anchor/Reporter, Golf Central
Play-by-Play Host and Essayist, PGA TOUR
Since 1997, Rich Lerner has been a mainstay at the GOLF CHANNEL, where his distinctive essays have punctuated the network’s coverage of golf’s major championships In 2009, he can be seen doing play-by-play commentary, conducting player interviews and delivering his signature essays for PGA TOUR events and, as show host, he sets the scene for viewers at the beginning of PGA TOUR telecasts. Called by noted golf writer Lorne Rubenstein “an essayist and reporter of distinction,” Lerner was honored with the Women’s Sports Foundation Journalism Award for his documentary, Se Ri Pak, A Champions Journey. His work also helped the GOLF CHANNEL land a Cable Ace Award. From Tiger Woods: Millennium Man to Courage on the Fairways to New York Stories, Lerner has brought a number of in-depth specials to the GOLF CHANNEL. His most recent specials have touched on a variety of subjects, including the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina, the 1986 Masters, Annika Sorenstam, John Daly and the youthful wave on the LPGA Tour.
Lerner earned a degree in broadcasting from Temple University in Philadelphia. In addition, he received The Hands of Peace Award for his continuing efforts to curb violence against women and children in his hometown of Orlando, Fla. He and his wife, Robin, host the annual December Classic charity event benefitting adults with developmental disabilities. The Lerners have two sons, Jesse and Jack.
Todd Lewis
Anchor/Reporter, Golf Central, PGA TOUR
An avid golfer with a single-digit handicap, Lewis brought more than 15 years of sports broadcasting and journalism experience when he joined GOLF CHANNEL in 2008. He currently anchors and reports for Golf Central and can be seen conducting interviews during the network’s PGA TOUR telecasts. Prior to joining GOLF CHANNEL, Lewis was an eight-year member of the on-air team at CBS affiliate WKMG in Orlando, most recently as sports director. He also worked for Orlando-based Sun Sports cable television network, serving as a reporter for Florida Gators pre and post game shows. He also was previously host for the Summertime Golf Show, a weekly 30-minute golf travel show.
A graduate of the University of North Carolina Greensboro, Lewis’ broadcasting career began in 1991 in Winston-Salem, N.C. as a sports reporter for independent WXII. He then joined NBC affiliate WECT in Wilmington, N.C., producing and anchoring the weekend sportscasts, where he received Associated Press Best Sports Feature award in 1995. His next career move took him to Spokane, Wash., at ABC affiliate KXLY as weekend sports anchor. Lewis returned to his home state of North Carolina in 1998 as weekend sports anchor for CBS affiliate WRAL in Raleigh, before moving to Orlando and WKMG in 1999.
Frank Nobilo
Analyst, PGA TOUR, Champions Tour, Golf Central
The assistant captain for the 2009 International Presidents Cup team, Frank Nobilo serves as the network’s lead analyst for its PGA TOUR and Champions Tour coverage, Golf Central, Golf Central Pre Game and the network’s Live From telecasts at golf’s major championships. A veteran of several professional golf tours worldwide, Nobilo won 14 times around the world including two Sarazen World Opens and the 1997 Greater Greensboro Chrysler Classic on the PGA Tour. He played numerous World and Dunhill Cups for his native New Zealand and was also a three-time member of the International Presidents Cup team. When he is not working, Nobilo enjoys Formula 1 motor racing, home improvements and photography. He and his wife Selena have a teenage daughter, Bianca.
Tim Rosaforte
Golf Channel Insider
Tim Rosaforte joined GOLF CHANNEL in 2007, lending an insider’s look into the PGA TOUR and throughout the world of golf. He contributes to Golf Central and Golf Central Pre Game, the network’s Live From telecasts during major championships and as an interviewer/essayist at select Champions Tour events in 2009.
A veteran senior writer at Golf World Magazine, Rosaforte has covered golf’s major professional championships and every Ryder Cup since the early 1980s. He has been honored 30 times with writing awards during his 20-year career, including first place in the Golf Writers Association of America (GWAA) magazine feature and column categories. He also is the author of three books: Raising the Bar: The Championship Years of Tiger Woods; Heartbreak Hill: The Anatomy of a Ryder Cup; and Tiger Woods: The Making of a Champion. He has covered golf for Sports Illustrated, Golf Digest, Golf Illustrated and Links Magazines, as well as several Florida newspapers.
Rosaforte is no stranger to television, having served as a contributing analyst for USA Network’s PGA TOUR Sunday and co-hosting PGA TOUR Florida Style. He also lent his expertise to USA Network’s early round coverage of PGA TOUR events, The Masters and The Ryder Cup, and currently contributes to NBC’s PGA TOUR coverage.
A graduate of the University of Rhode Island, Rosaforte resides in Jupiter, Florida with his wife, Genevive, and two daughters, Genna and Molly.
Charlie Rymer
Co-host, Big Break Prince Edward Island
Analyst, Golf Central
A native of Fort Mill, South Carolina, Rymer joined GOLF CHANNEL in 2008 as a cast-member of Road Trip: Myrtle Beach, the network’s original series focusing on the ultimate golf vacation to Myrtle Beach, S.C. In 2009, Rymer can be seen as co-host for Big Break Prince Edward Island alongside Stina Sternberg and as an analyst for Golf Central.
Rymer has been treating golf fans to his quick wit and “down home” humor as a sports commentator for ESPN since 1998. Relying on his experiences on the PGA Tour, Rymer uses his views on life and golf to entertain audiences all over the world. After graduating as a two-time All American at Georgia Tech, Charlie spent over 10 years playing professional golf and recorded his best finish on tour with a third-place finish at the Shell Houston Open in 1995. He also won the 1994 South Carolina Classic Champion.
Steve Sands
Anchor/Reporter, Golf Central, PGA TOUR
Steve Sands joined the GOLF CHANNEL in 2001, bringing nearly a decade of sports broadcasting experience with him to the GOLF CHANNEL. Steve anchors Golf Central and Golf Central Pre Game and reports on-site from PGA TOUR events and golf’s major championships as part of the network’s Live From telecasts. Sands also has hosted a variety of shows and specials for GOLF CHANNEL, including the Grey Goose 19th Hole, The Approach with Callaway Golf and The Big Break All Star Challenge. A native of Washington, D.C., Sands began his career as a cable television station sports anchor and reporter while in college at Colorado State University. Prior to joining the GOLF CHANNEL Steve was a sports anchor/reporter in Scottsbluff, Neb., Martinsburg, W.V., Utica, N.Y., Richmond, Va., and Orlando, Fla.
Kelly Tilghman
Play-by-Play Host, PGA TOUR
Anchor/Reporter, Golf Central
A member of GOLF CHANNEL’s original cast and one of the network’s most versatile anchors, Kelly Tilghman serves as play-by-play host for the network’s PGA TOUR coverage. She also co-anchors the network’s signature news program, Golf Central, as well as Live From telecasts from golf’s major events. In May of 2009, she hosts Operation Links, a GOLF CHANNEL special presentation that documents her first USO Tour to Iraq that took place December of 2008. Over the course of her GOLF CHANNEL career, she has hosted numerous shows and specials, including Sprint Post Game, Academy Live and Grey Goose 19th Hole, and has served as an on-course reporter for the network’s live tournaments team. In 2007, she became the first full-time female play-by-play commentator in the history of the PGA TOUR when GOLF CHANNEL embarked on its 15-year contract as the TOUR’s exclusive cable home.
Tilghman currently is the play-by-play voice for EA Sports’ Tiger Woods PGA TOUR 2009 video game, and for three consecutive years (2006-08), she caddied for Arnold Palmer at the Par-3 Contest at the Masters.
Tilghman grew up in North Myrtle Beach, S.C., where her family owned and operated a golf course for 22 years. She earned a scholarship to play on the Duke University women’s golf team, where she won the 1990 Lady Paladin Invitational hosted by Furman University, and graduated with a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science and History. From 1992-96, Tilghman played professional golf in Australia, Europe and Asia, and served as a teaching and touring pro.
Scott Walker
Anchor/Reporter, Golf Central, PGA TOUR
Veteran sports broadcaster Scott Walker joined GOLF CHANNEL’s on-air team in 2008, serving as an anchor and reporter for Golf Central and contributing to the network’s news reporting team at PGA TOUR and LPGA Tour events for 2009. Walker brought more than 15 years of sports broadcasting and journalist experience to GOLF CHANNEL, including four years as ESPN as a national correspondent and SportsCenter reporter. Walker also was a correspondent for USA Network’s PGA TOUR Sunday and a college football sideline reporter for ABC Sports.
A graduate of Stanford University, Walker’s career began in 1994 as a production assistant for CNN Sports, followed by the NBC affiliate KNSD in San Diego as a sports reporter, where he won the San Diego Press Club Award for best sports reporting in 1997 and the Golden Mike Award for best sports reporting in Southern California in 1998.
