Masters golf on BBC Sport

[BGonaSTICK]

BBC Sport has extended its agreement with the Augusta National Golf Club in the US, allowing it to continue broadcasting exclusive coverage of the Masters golf tournament in the UK.

The new deal ensures that 12-and-a-half hours of live Masters Tournament coverage will be available exclusively on the BBC for another year, on television and radio across all four days of play, as well as news and updates on radio and on the bbc.co.uk website.

The BBC's director of sports rights and finance Dominic Coles said the new deal, on the eve of the 40th anniversary of the BBC's Masters coverage, highlights BBC sport's continuing commitment "to bring world golf to the widest possible audiences."

The BBC's television golf rights currently include 42 hours of The Open Championship; extensive daily highlights of The Ryder Cup (until 2008); The Best of The European Tour (up to and including 2008); the Quinn Direct British Masters at The De Vere Belfry; the BMW Championship at Wentworth Club; the Barclays Scottish Open at Loch Lomond; and the HSBC World Match Play Championship, also at Wentworth.