The PGA Tour’s ambitious “Every Shot Live” platform only got one round at the 2020 Players Championship.
The whole package will be available this week, beginning with Thursday’s first round – all 32,000 shots, or less, if the best professionals in the world have anything to say about it.
The estimate for the total number of shots was drawn from the 2019 tournament. Thanks to 120 dedicated cameras spread out over the TPC Sawgrass Players Stadium Course, fans don’t need to miss a single shot from their favorite player or a select group – an option even more important this year, since the capacity for the tournament is being limited to 20 percent.
Every Shot Live is available to PGA Tour Live subscribers on NBC Sports Gold but fans will get a bonus this year: the first round will available free, and a one-week trial is available on PGA Tour Live.
Past ticket purchasers will qualify for the free week and will be notified by email on March 8 with directions on how to register.
Every Shot Live got a big power boost last week with the announcement that the Tour had forged a partnership with Amazon Web Services to be the official cloud provider for the Tour.
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“This transformational partnership with AWS will give our fans the opportunity to experience the PGA Tour like never before,” said Tour commissioner Jay Monahan said in a statement. “Growing and diversifying our fan base is a top priority for us, and thanks to the collaboration and innovation from AWS, we are creating more ways to experience the game of golf, while personalizing our content to enable fans to engage with the tournaments and players they support.”
Fans will also be able to control their viewing experience with AWS’ TOURCast, a leaderboard that will provide new camera angles, course navigation, speed rounds and on-demand stats.
AWS will also assist First Tee in developing an online community for its teachers and youth leaders in order to grow the program.
The Tour will also move almost a century’s worth of content to AWS, with video, audio, and images dating back to the 1928 Los Angeles Open into a data lake, where live footage from future tournaments will also be streamed.
The task of utilizing the cameras to cover every shot by 144 players, for 72 holes, is being undertaken by PGA Tour Entertainment and NBC Sports Group.
“The Players has developed a tradition of innovation where we’ve been able to deliver new technology to golf, and we are excited to welcome Every Shot Live back for the 2021 event,” said Players executive director Jared Rice in a statement. “With a limited footprint of fans on site this year, we want to ensure those closest to this event – our friends and neighbors here in Northeast Florida – feel engaged with us. We know the impact of Every Shot Live, as well as the various opportunities our partners are offering throughout this community, will allow for everyone to feel as though they are part of the action taking place onsite.”
In addition to Every Shot Live, The Players also is offering fan engagement opportunities in the area for the 2021 Players, which sold out of its available tickets within hours on Feb. 16.
The Players has partnered with area restaurants and golf courses to bring the tournament to the community in the form of promotions, nightly food and drink specials and opportunities for fans to win Players merchandise.
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