The PGA TOUR and THE PLAYERS Championship announced today that fans will be able to experience the twists and turns of the island-green 17th hole at THE PLAYERS Stadium Course at TPC Sawgrass through live 360 video and virtual reality (VR) during all four days of THE PLAYERS Championship from May 11-14.

 

The live VR experience can be viewed on Samsung Gear VR headsets on a global basis through the “PGA TOUR VR Live” app available on the Oculus store. For fans who don’t have a Gear VR headset, the 360 video stream will be available exclusively on Twitter and Periscope during all four days of the event. Using any smartphone, fans will be able to watch live, 360 video from the 17th hole during THE PLAYERS.  Fans can find the coverage starting on May 11 at twitter.com/PGATOUR or by following @PGATOUR on Twitter and Periscope.

 

The live VR experience is done in collaboration with Intel and will be produced with Intel True VR technology, bringing fans closer to the action than ever before with three concurrent VR camera positions during competition. One camera will be placed on the 17th tee, one camera on the walkway from tee box to the green, and one camera mounted in the water next to the island green.

“We are excited that THE PLAYERS Championship will host the PGA TOUR’s first live virtual reality production,” said Rick Anderson, PGA TOUR Chief Media Officer. “The PGA TOUR has experimented with virtual reality content for nearly two years. We tested Intel’s True VR technology on a live basis at the Genesis Open in February, and were very pleased with the quality. We decided that executing a live VR experience on one of the most dramatic holes in golf was something that our fans would love, and the fact that we are partnering with Twitter to deliver 360 video will offer tremendous scale.”

 

“The Intel True VR platform will provide golf fans with a new, immersive experience using our end-to-end solution. From our stereoscopic cameras at the iconic 17th hole to creating a PGA TOUR VR application for THE PLAYERS Championship, we work with our partners to create the best fan experience,” said David Aufhauser, managing director, Intel Sports Group. “Working with the PGA TOUR, as well as global distribution via Twitter and Periscope, gives us the ability to expand the Intel True VR experience to more fans.”

 

"The PGA TOUR continues to innovate for their highly-engaged fan base on both Twitter and Periscope," said Laura Froelich, Twitter's global head of sports partnerships. "Thanks to this collaboration, golf fans around the world will have exclusive and unique live access to the renowned 17th hole at TPC Sawgrass

 

THE PLAYERS Championship marks the first time Twitter has distributed live 360 video during a major sports event. The announcement of this collaboration between the PGA TOUR and Twitter follows the live streaming relationship announced earlier this year. Twitter’s early round distribution of PGA TOUR LIVE coverage, viewable weekly at pgatourlive.twitter.com, has averaged almost half a million unique viewers each day, more than 70% of which are under 35 years old.

 

More information about THE PLAYERS is available at http://THEPLAYERSChampionship.com. THE PLAYERS is set to return to THE PLAYERS Stadium Course at TPC Sawgrass, May 9-14, 2017.

 

THE PLAYERS Championship annually combines the best field in golf with the world-class venue that is THE PLAYERS Stadium Course at TPC Sawgrass. Morgan Stanley, PwC and Optum are the exclusive Proud Partners of THE PLAYERS. Proceeds from THE PLAYERS benefit Northeast Florida charities and have totaled more than $84 million since the event moved to Ponte Vedra Beach in 1977, including a record $8.5 million generated in 2016. In April 2011, THE PLAYERS announced a new charitable focus, committing to generate $50 million for youth-related charities over 10 years. For more on THE PLAYERS and the surrounding area, visit THEPLAYERSChampionship.com or floridashistoriccoast.com.

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Optum is a leading information and technology-enabled health services business dedicated to helping make the health system work better for everyone. With more than 100,000 people worldwide, Optum delivers intelligent, integrated solutions that help to modernize the health system and improve overall population health. Optum is part of UnitedHealth Group (NYSE:UNH). For more information, visit www.Optum.com.