Tour event moves from Norman course to Woods’

The PGA TOUR plays its tournaments at some of the most beautiful courses in the world. Thanks to its latest innovation, the TOUR has made watching golf feel almost like being there, even if you’re sitting on your couch. On Monday, the PGA TOUR announced a new AR app called PGA TOUR AR, available to fans for free around the world, on iPhone and iPad. It will allow fans of the TOUR to engage with ShotLink player data in a totally different way, plus attract new fans that might be interested in the technology first and golf second. “To be out in the market with this content is cool because we’re taking advantage of a new technology (AR) and we get to show people how great our sport is,” said Rick Anderson, the executive vice president of global media for PGA TOUR. “That’s what drives us.” The release of the PGA TOUR AR app marks the first time live sports data has been integrated into ARKit, Apple’s exclusive AR platform. It’s the perfect accompaniment to the TOUR’s broadcasts as users will, for the first time, be able to truly see how steep a downhill shot is, the depth a TOUR player sees while debating about carrying a water hazard, and more. What is Augmented Reality? Augmented Reality places virtual objects in your physical world. With ARKit, iPhone and iPad users don’t need any extra hardware in order to take advantage of the stunning graphics and the opportunity to see the depth of some of the TOUR’s most iconic golf courses. The PGA TOUR is once again pushing the boundaries at the intersection of sports and digital technology after its live 360 and virtual reality experience from the Waste Management Phoenix Open earlier this season. “Augmented Reality is the next stage in bringing our fans closer to seeing the details of the holes that test the best players in the world,” said Scott Gutterman, vice president of PGA TOUR digital product and operations. “It is another way for us to bring fans inside the ropes. We are very excited about the opportunities that AR creates for the sport.” How it works It couldn’t be easier. Fans of the PGA TOUR can download the app via the App Store for free starting March 12, and get into this week’s action from the Bay Hill Club and Lodge in Orlando, Florida at the start of the Arnold Palmer Invitational presented by Mastercard. Users select a hole and find a horizontal surface – a table or desk, for example – and via iPhone or iPad can follow along with the shot trails of their favorite TOUR players. “We’ve been getting really excited about this technology and how it will help us bring great content to our fans, and this technology is particularly cool because it allows us to create an experience for our core fan that’s really unique,” Anderson said. Data available via ShotLink and CDW is presented to fans of the PGA TOUR in a totally new way, as users are able to see physical characteristics of the golf course unseen on the broadcast – something fans could only get in the past by being on-site for a tournament. “We’re not just giving people something to look at, but in the context of our sport, we’ve got great data. We don’t just want to show the holes, but how the players perform on those holes. And if we can do it, do it live,” Gutterman said. “We think we’re pretty far ahead of the AR crowd by using live data in the experience, so we’re pretty excited about what we’re going to be seeing.” Starting at the Arnold Palmer Invitational, the featured hole will be the par-5 6th, while fans can go back to the par-3 7th at Pebble Beach Golf Links to review shot trails from this year’s AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am. THE PLAYERS Championship will feature TPC Sawgrass’ iconic three-hole closing stretch – including the par-3 17th island green – live and in AR, while at the TOUR Championship, East Lake Golf Club’s final hole will be highlighted. The TOUR is excitedly planning to add more holes from other tournaments leading up to the TOUR Championship, with the ultimate plan to feature at least one hole at every tournament on the schedule. How to get the app Step-by-step on how to download the PGA TOUR App 1. Open the App Store on your iPhone or iPad by tapping on the App Store icon 2. Type “PGA TOUR AR” into the search bar and tap on the blue “Search” button in the keyboard or by clicking here. 3. When the PGA TOUR AR app appears in the search results, tap on the “GET” button 4. Once the app has finished downloading, tap the app icon to launch the app 5. When the app opens, a series of screens and dialog boxes will appear. When the dialog boxes pop up, tap “OK” to allow the PGA TOUR AR app to access your camera and location How to use the app 1. After allowing the PGA TOUR AR app to access your camera and location, a screen that explains how to interact with the hole models will appear. Tap on the blue “CONTINUE” button at the bottom of the screen. 2. Find a flat, horizontal surface to view the hole models in the app. 3. When the blue box appears, tap the screen to lock the blue box in place on the horizontal surface. The hole models will appear in the area marked by the blue box. To choose a new area for the hole models, tap the white circular arrow in the top right corner to restart the surface detection process. 4. A hole model selection slider menu will appear. To view the available holes, swipe your finger left or right. When you find a hole model you want to view, tap the white arrow on the hole model. 5. Once the hole model has finished downloading, it will appear in full colour. Tap the hole to place it on the horizontal surface. 6. When the hole model loads, tap the arrow on the “SELECTED PLAYERS” navigation on the bottom left side of the screen. Tap the name of the players you want to view. Their shot trails will appear on the hole model. To turn off a player’s shot trails, tap on the player in the “SELECTED PLAYERS” area of the screen. The model will default to Round 1 but another round may be selected by tapping on the round number. 7. To view a different hole model, simply tap on “Hole Selector” in the top left corner of the screen and choose a new hole model to view. Some holes have unique changes in elevation and the hole models allow you to see them more clearly. 8. If an app rating dialog box pops up, feel free to give it 5 stars.

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AUGUSTA, Ga. — Hideki Matsuyama showed he could handle Augusta National when he first showed up as a 19-year-old amateur. Ten years later, the Japanese star put himself on the cusp of a green jacket Saturday at the Masters Tournament. RELATED: Leaderboard | Round 3 review: The Masters In a stunning turnaround after storms doused the course, Matsuyama had four birdies, an eagle and a superb par at the end of a 7-under 65, turning a three-shot deficit into a four-shot lead as he tries to become the first Japanese player to win a major. “This is a new experience for me being a leader going into the final round in a major,” Matsuyama said. “I guess all I can do is relax and prepare well and do my best.” Matsuyama was at 11-under 205, and no one could stay with him after the delay. It lasted 1 hour, 18 minutes because of dangerous weather and just enough rain fell that crusty Augusta National was a little more forgiving. He hit what he said was his worst shot of the day right before the delay, a tee shot into the trees on the right. He punched a 7-iron out to 20 feet for birdie and was on his way. The break brought the Masters to life, and at times it was hard to keep up. Xander Schauffele ran in a 60-foot eagle putt across the 15th green to momentarily join a four-way tie for the lead. Seconds later, Justin Rose holed a 25-foot birdie putt back on the par-3 12th to regain the lead. That lasted as long as it took Matsuyama to knock in his 5-foot eagle putt on the 15th to take the lead for good. The entire sequence took no more than two minutes. But after that, no one could catch Matsuyama. When the round ended, Schauffele (68), Rose (72), Marc Leishman (70) and Masters rookie Will Zalatoris (71) were all at 7-under 209. Jordan Spieth was within two shots of the lead despite a double bogey on the seventh hole, but he couldn’t keep pace and shot 72 to fall six shots behind. Matsuyama will play in the final group with Schauffele, a comfortable pairing. Schauffele’s mother was raised in Japan and he speaks enough Japanese to share a few laughs with Matsuyama during Saturday’s pairing. That won’t eliminate all the pressure. His lone shot at a major was at Quail Hollow in the 2017 PGA Championship when he was one shot behind with three holes to play and missed a crucial par putt. He was in tears after that round, a player under enormous pressure in golf-mad Japan. Matsuyama wasn’t the first Japanese star of his generation — that was close friend Ryo Ishikawa — but he is by far the most accomplished. Matsuyama has 14 worldwide wins, five on the PGA TOUR. He has reached as high as No. 2 in the world. He won the Asia-Pacific Amateur in 2010 that earned him a spot in the Masters the following year. He was the only amateur to make the cut, finishing on the same score (1 under) as defending champion Phil Mickelson. A decade later, he is on the cusp of history. The only other player from an Asian country to win a men’s major is Y.E. Yang in the 2009 PGA Championship at Hazeltine. Matsuyama wouldn’t have believed he could leave Augusta National on Saturday night with a four-shot lead. But he knew he was playing well, and he showed it. On a course that has played difficult all week, he delivered the first bogey-free round of the week. The signature shot was his 5-iron to a left pin to 5 feet for eagle. Equally stellar was an 8-iron to the front right shelf on the par-3 16th to 5 feet for a birdie, and then his pitching wedge to 10 feet behind the hole on the 17th. His work still wasn’t through. From a fairway bunker on the 18th, Matsuyama sent it soaring over the green and up the walkway toward the clubhouse, some 25 yards to the hole with little margin for error with a back pin. His chip bounced with enough spin to trickle out to 3 feet for par. It was reminiscent of Spieth closing out his third round in 2015 with a tough par save on the 18th to take a four-shot lead into the final round. That’s what Matsuyama has on Sunday, with a nation watching. He rarely can go anywhere on the PGA TOUR without a dozen or more Japanese media following. Their numbers are limited this year because of COVID-19 travel restrictions. “Being in front of the media is still difficult. It’s not my favorite thing to do,” Matsuyama said through his interpreter. “It’s been a lot less stress for me. I’ve enjoyed this week.” A victory would give Japan a sweep this week. Tsubasa Kajitani won the Augusta National Women’s Amateur last Saturday.

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