In a rare development in major professional sports and a first for the PGA, digital users will help determine how top pro golfers play the PGA Championship by voting on the pin placement for the par 3 15th hole on the last day of the tournament at Oak Hill in Rochester, N.Y.
That feature is one of several enhancements to digital coverage of this year’s PGA Championship. Besides letting users vote on pin placement at PGA.com, Turner Sports has launched an expanded suite of apps and will offer extensive streaming coverage at PGA.com in addition to the 18 hours TNT will televise Aug. 8-11.
The digital coverage itself has become a major undertaking, accomplished with some 75 to 80 people and two dedicated trucks, explains Tom Sahara, VP of operations and technology for Turner Sports.
Turner’s digital coverage draws on the host broadcaster CBS’ massive presence, which will include 49 HD cameras, one blimp, three large television mobile units, two small television mobile units, eight large trailers, two mobile editing units, four uplink trucks and some 35 miles of 12-strand fiber optic cable. “It is really one of the bigger events we do,” says Ken Aagaard, executive VP of engineering, operations and production services, CBS Sports.
