V Krishnaswamy
A new era of fan engagement is set to make its arrival in these Covid times. The PGA TOUR’s return to competition at the Charles Schwab Challenge, June 11-14 at Colonial Country Club in Ft. Worth, Texas, will see the TOUR and Twitter bring global live content execution that will be a first-of-its kind for the social media platform.
Called “Twitter Multicast” it will take place on Thursday, June 11, from approximately 1-2:30 pm ET (10.30 pm IST to midnight). It will showcase athletes, celebrities and other personalities creating their own live, audio/video commentary in conjunction with PGA TOUR LIVE Featured Groups coverage during the first round of the event.
The list of includes cricket star, Kevin Pietersen, a keen golfer, besides a mix of legendary golfers, professional golfers, celebrities and stars from the showbiz. Pietersen is a very keen and regular golfer.
Golf Legend Annika Sorenstam, legendary coach David Leadbetter, pros Eddie Pepperell, Brittany Lincicome, golfer and celebrity golfer Paige Spirinac are among those who can heard or seen on their twitter feeds.
The PGA TOUR and Twitter have had an arrangement from 2016 and it has grown each year since.
“The PGA TOUR is proud to be among the first major sports leagues to return to competition,” said Rick Anderson, Chief Media Officer of the PGA TOUR. “With no spectators on site, we want to work harder than ever to connect our fans to the event, across numerous platforms and devices in addition to the PGA TOUR LIVE, Golf Channel and CBS broadcasts. Working with Twitter on this all-new fan engagement initiative is a nod to how important fans are to the TOUR and our players.”
The Charles Schwab Challenge features the top-five ranked players in the world and 17 of the top 20 in the FedExCup Standings. The Twitter Multicast will offer nine versions of the live stream with distribution from more than 20 different Twitter accounts.
The video streams will cover pre-game, practice sessions, and the first two holes of competition of players such as Rory McIlroy, Brooks Koepka, Jon Rahm, Justin Thomas, Rickie Fowler and Jordan Spieth.
Each stream will carry PGA TOUR LIVE featured groups coverage complemented with live audio/video commentary from commentators who will provide their point of view on the return of the TOUR.
A full list of the guest commentators across nine video streams:
CBS Sports: Charles Davis (@CFD22) and Danny Kanell (@dannykanell)
SKY Sports/NBC Sports: Kevin Pietersen (@KP24) and Conor Moore (@ConorSketches)
Discovery/GOLFTV: Henni Zuel (@hennizuel) and Eddie Pepperell (@PepperellEddie)
Golf Digest: Hally Leadbetter (@hallylead) and David Leadbetter (@davidleadbetter)
The Action Network/GolfBet: Darren Rovell (@darrenrovell), Jason Sobel (@JasonSobelTAN) and guest
LPGA: Annika Sorenstam (@ANNIKA59) and Brittany Lincicome (@Brittany1golf)
Celebrity Stream: Darius Rucker (@dariusrucker) and Golden Tate (@ShowtimeTate);
Celebrity Stream: Dude Perfect (@DudePerfect)
Celebrity Stream: Paige Spiranac (@PaigeSpiranac) and Wells Adams (@WellsAdams)
