BBC digital channels to air GolfSixes tournament

GolfSixes Cascais, the European Tour’s six-hole knockout event featuring men’s and women’s teams representing 15 different nations, will be accessible on the BBC’s digital channels for the first time this week.

The GolfSixes format was introduced for the first time in 2017, aimed at growing the game and promoting a more accessible way to play the game of golf for kids and adults alike.

Oitavos Dunes is hosting the third edition of the European Tour’s GolfSixes tournament

Following a hugely successful first two editions at the Centurion Club in England, this year the event moves to continental Europe and the Portuguese coastal resort of Cascais for the first time, with Oitavos Dunes Golf Club playing host this coming Friday and Saturday, June 7-8.

The event will be broadcast live on Sky Sports, and for the first time it will also be available to British viewers on BBC’s digital platforms – BBC Sport website and app, BBC iPlayer on desktop, BBC’s iPlayer app and the connected red button BBC channel.

Former Ryder Cup winners Jamie Donaldson, Stephen Gallacher and Edoardo Molinari are among the European Tour stars in the field, while the two female teams include an England Women’s side featuring Meghan McLaren, who finished second in the recent Jordan Mixed Open.

The agreement with BBC digital means the GolfSixes concept – which has been adopted by grassroots golf campaigns across Europe and also featured in the build-up to The 2018 Ryder Cup in Paris – will be accessible to a whole new audience of sports fans in Britain.

Rufus Hack, the European Tour’s Chief Content Officer, said: “GolfSixes has been one of our leading lights in the drive for innovation in golf as we continue to reach out to new audiences, and this agreement with the BBC means this week’s event will be available to an additional audience than those watching on Sky Sports. We are committed to growing and developing this format, which has been extremely popular among young people in particular, and we have no doubt fans watching on BBC’s digital channels will enjoy the excitement GolfSixes Cascais provides as nations from across the world – men and women – battle it out for the title.”