Nine, FOX SPORTS to air The Presidents Cup 2011

MELBOURNE, Australia -- Nine Wide World of Sports and FOX SPORTS will both, independently, air The Presidents Cup 2011, which will be held at The Royal Melbourne Golf Club in Melbourne, Australia, Nov. 17-20, 2011. Fans will be able to watch all 28 hours of live coverage in both standard and high definition on FOX SPORTS and Nine.

Nine Wide World of Sports is on free air television throughout Australia. The Today show will also broadcast live from the course on the opening day and day two.

In addition, FOX SPORTS is the home of the PGA TOUR in Australia, carrying exclusive rights to not only PGA TOUR events, but also the Nationwide Tour and Champions Tour broadcasts as well.

The Presidents Cup 2011 will see the return of 2009 team captains Fred Couples and Greg Norman. As first-time captains at The Presidents Cup 2009 in San Francisco, Couples and Norman each led strong teams as they competed in front of record crowds at Harding Park Golf Course. The U.S. Team retained the Cup, winning by a score of 19-1/2 to 14-1/2 to stretch their overall record in the competition to 6-1-1. The International Team's lone victory in the event came in 1998, which was also held at Royal Melbourne.

In addition to their 2009 captaincies, Couples and Norman have significant experience in the biennial match-play competition. Couples has appeared four times (1994, 1996, 1998, 2005) and Norman three (1996, 1998, 2000).

Players from both teams have until Sunday, Sept. 18, 2011, to qualify, with names like Tiger Woods, Phil Mickelson, Jim Furyk and Steve Stricker looking to make the U.S. squad. The International team will be made up of the top 10 international players (excluding those eligible for the European Ryder Cup team). This could include players like Australia's own Geoff Ogilvy, Robert Allenby and Adam Scott as well as Ernie Els, Mike Weir and Camilo Villegas. The captains will then each make two additional selections to the teams on Sunday, Sept. 26, 2011.

"Nine is delighted to add The Presidents Cup to its Wide World of Sports schedule, which boasts the best calendar of premium sporting events within Australia and around the world," said Jeffrey Browne, Nine Network Executive Director.

FOX SPORTS CEO David Malone said The Presidents Cup is a strong addition to FOX SPORTS unrivalled portfolio of international golf coverage.

"The Presidents Cup is counted among the leading golf tournaments in the world, and we're proud to announce that FOX SPORTS will be covering the 2011 event in partnership with the Nine Network," said Malone.

"With FOX SPORTS and Nine airing The Presidents Cup, fans across Australia will be provided with thorough and exciting coverage of one of the world's premier sporting events," said Matt Kamienski, Executive Director of The Presidents Cup. "The Presidents Cup is competition at the highest level and one of golf's finest showcases of sportsmanship. There is no doubt that FOX SPORTS and Nine will highlight the best that The Presidents Cup provides."