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PGA Tour Valspar Championship, LPGA Tour Fortinet Founders Cup headline live coverage this week on Golf Channel

Defending champion Viktor Hovland headlines strong field at Valspar Championship, live on Golf Channel beginning at 2 p.m. ET Thur.-Fri., 1 p.m. Sat.-Sun.; Happy Hour with Smylie presented by Michelob Ultra continues Friday at the Valspar Championship; Fortinet Founders Cup showcased live in primetime on Golf Channel Thur.-Sun.at 6 p.m. ET; LPGA Tour legends Meg Mallon, Judy Rankin and Juli Inkster will join Golf Channel booth throughout the week at Founders Cup; Golf Today presents LPGA Tour preview show today at 4:30 p.m. ET; PGA Tour Champions — Cologuard Classic airs on Golf Channel Fri-Sun.

STAMFORD, Conn. – March 17, 2026 – The PGA TOUR wraps up its Florida swing with the Valspar Championship, and the LPGA Tour returns stateside for the Fortinet Founders Cup, headlining this week’s tournament coverage on Golf Channel. 

PGA TOUR: VALSPAR CHAMPIONSHIP

The PGA TOUR’s Florida swing concludes with the Valspar Championship at Innisbrook Resort’s Copperhead course, where players will take on the one of the hardest closing stretches on TOUR on holes 16-18, known as the “Snake Pit”.  

Viktor Hovland won in 2025 by one stroke over Justin Thomas, with both set to compete after playing in contention last weekend at THE PLAYERS Championship. The Valspar Championship boasts a strong field including Xander Schauffele, Matt Fitzpatrick and Akshay Bhatia.

Happy Hour with Smylie presented by Michelob Ultra will air Friday during Golf Channel’s tournament coverage of the Valspar Championship.  

DAYGolf ChannelNBC/Peacock
Thursday2-6 p.m. 
Friday2-6 p.m. 
Saturday1-3 p.m.3-6 p.m.
Sunday1-3 p.m.3-6 p.m.
*All times ET  

 
Golf Channel Broadcast Team

  • Play by Play: Steve Sands
  • Analyst: Brad Faxon / Tom Abbott
  • On-Course: Smylie Kaufman / Jim “Bones” Mackay
  • Reporter: Amy Rogers

Notable Players in the Field

  • Akshay Bhatia 
  • Patrick Cantlay
  • Viktor Hovland
  • Brooks Koepka
  • Xander Schauffele
  • Jordan Spieth
  • Justin Thomas

LPGA TOUR: FORTINET FOUNDERS CUP
Each year, the Fortinet Founders Cup honors the LPGA Tour’s 13 Founders and legends of the women’s game, including 2026 LPGA Pioneers Meg Mallon, an 18-time LPGA Tour winner and four-time major champion, and Juli Inkster, a 31-time winner and seven-time major champion.

The event, which has been held on the East Coast for the past five years, moves to Sharon Heights Golf and Country Club in Menlo Park, Calif., for the 2026 playing of the event.  

In 2025, American Yealimi Noh earned her first LPGA Tour victory at Bradenton Country Club in Bradenton, Fla., beating out former World No. 1 Jin Young Ko by four strokes. 

Golf Channel will provide live, primetime coverage of the tournament starting at 6 p.m. ET Thur.-Sun. Mallon will join the booth during live coverage on Thursday, as will former LPGA Tour player and analyst Judy Rankin (Friday) and Inkster (Saturday). 

Golf Channel Broadcast Team

  • Play by Play: Grant Boone
  • Analyst: Morgan Pressel
  • On-Course: Karen Stupples / Kay Cockerill

Notable Players in the Field

  • Lydia Ko
  • Nelly Korda
  • Minjee Lee
  • Yealimi Noh
  • Maja Stark
  • Jeeno Thitikul
  • Lottie Woad
  • Rose Zhang

GOLF TODAY & GOLF CENTRAL
Golf Today and Golf Central will provide news, analysis, highlights and interviews around the Valspar Championship and Fortinet Founders Cup throughout the week. 

Today at 4:30 p.m. ET, Golf Central presents an LPGA Tour Season Preview Show as the Tour returns to the U.S. from its Asian swing. The show will feature insight and analysis of the women’s game as well as a message from LPGA Tour commissioner Craig Kessler. 

George Savaricas and Eamon Lynch host Golf Today starting at noon ET today and tomorrow. Savaricas also hosts Golf Central starting at 4 p.m. ET this afternoon and Lynch hosts on Wednesday at 4 p.m. ET, both joined by analyst Tripp Isenhour. 

For the remainder of the week, Anna Jackson takes over as host of Golf Central alongside analyst Mark Rolfing. 

Amy Rogers will report for Golf Today and Golf Central from on site at the Valspar Championship. 

DayGolf TodayGolf Central
Tuesday12-1 p.m.4-5 p.m.
Wednesday12-1 p.m.4-5 p.m.
Thursday 1-2 p.m. / 9-10 p.m.
Friday 1-2 p.m. / 9-10 p.m.
Saturday 12-1 p.m. / 9-10 p.m.
Sunday 12-1 p.m. / 9-10 p.m.
*All times ET  

Golf Today Team

  • Hosts: George Savaricas / Eamon Lynch
  • Reporter: Amy Rogers

Golf Central Team

  • Host: George Savaricas (Tue.) / Eamon Lynch (Wed.) / Anna Jackson (Thur.-Sun.)
  • Analyst: Tripp Isenhour (Tue.-Wed.) / Mark Rolfing (Thur.-Sun.)
  • Reporter: Amy Rogers

PGA TOUR CHAMPIONS: COLOGUARD CLASSIC
The Cologuard Classic will be played at La Paloma Country Club in Tucson, Ariz., where Steven Alker claimed the 2025 title in a playoff over Jason Caron. 

On Friday, GolfChannel.com will air live coverage of the event starting at 4 p.m. ET, with an encore presentation beginning at 10 p.m. ET on Golf Channel. Saturday’s and Sunday’s rounds air live on Golf Channel starting at 3 p.m. ET. 

Notable Players in the Field

  • Steven Alker
  • Angel Cabrera
  • Fred Couples
  • Ernie Els
  • Padraig Harrington
  • Zach Johnson
  • Bernhard Langer
  • Mike Weir

Emily Carman
Publicist
emily.carman@versantmedia.com
(714) 742-8301


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