Top of the Tech Leaderboard
The PGA TOUR is the world’s premier membership organization for touring professional golfers. Founded in 1938, engagement and innovation have always been the priority for our global members and fanbase. From lasers, radar, and cameras, we have tracked shots, media, and player performance for decades. Investing in technology helps us get ahead of the game.
Advisors
Chris Wandell
Vice President, Media Business Development for the PGA TOUR
Chris and his team are responsible for driving and supporting new media revenue, primarily related to the TOUR’s video content and data distribution rights. Since joining the company in late 2012, Chris and his team have closed or supported the launch of key deals such as 2015 launch of PGA TOUR LIVE, a global deal in partnership with MLB Advanced Media (nowDisney Streaming Services), $2 billion media rights deal with Discovery to launch ‘GOLFTV powered by PGA TOUR,” “Co-exclusive”partnership structure for PGA TOUR LIVE in the U.S. between Comcast’s NBCSports Gold and Amazon’s Prime Video Channels, establishment of the PGA TOUR’s “Official Betting Operator” program, launched in 2020 withDraftKings, BetMGM, PointsBet, FanDuel, and the Score as well as the TOUR’s first-ever daily fantasy partnership in 2019 with DraftKings.
Scott Gutterman
Senior Vice President Digital Operations at PGA TOUR
Scott oversees the Digital Product Development and Revenue Operations teams as well as the TOUR’s Broadcast Technology groups. These teams focus on delivering the best digital and live streaming experiences for the fans of the PGA TOUR. He led the transition team that brought the TOUR’s digital assets and capabilities in-house in 2013. In 2021, the Digital and Broadcast tech team implemented Every Shot Live for the THE PLAYERS Championship which live streamed every shot from every player for the first time at a professional golf tournament. The teams have released a new version of the TOUR Cast platform, a 3d Simulated Experience that lets fans see every shot live from all PGA TOUR Events. Scott came to the TOUR in September 2005.
Lance Stover
SVP, New Ventures at PGA TOUR
Lance leads New Ventures which seeks to drive strategic and financial value outside of the TOUR’s traditional businesses of sponsorship, media, events, and courses. Lance serves as a Board Member of Golfbreaks Limited, a leading golf specialty travel provider, that operates as Golfbreaks by PGA TOUR in North America and Europe. He is Past Chairman of the Board for EZLinks Golf Holdings LLC, A PGA TOUR Affiliated Company (sold to Comcast in November 2019). He oversaw TOUR’s licensing and ownership position in Golf & Tennis Pro Shop, Inc., theleading golf brick-and-mortar and e-commerce golf merchandiser, that operates as PGA TOURSuperstore throughout North America. Lance negotiated the commercial agreements between PGA TOUR and IMG ARENA that allow for the sub-licensing of PGA TOUR ShotLink data and Par 3 video to legal and regulated sports gambling operators globally. Lance negotiated the commercial agreement between PGA TOUR and CAA Sports that allows for CAA to license various retail categories / products on behalf of TOUR.
Innovation Focus
Fan/Player Engagement
The way fans consume sports is changing. With increasing demand for multichannel entertainment and more personalized interactions with both teams and players, fans are getting closer to the action and real-time engagement before and after sporting events. Younger, mobile generations are consuming more and more content on smartphones. Every technology innovation has the opportunity to change and influence the way we experience sports.
Media & Entertainment
Sports media is becoming a participatory event that extends far beyond the televised slots of scheduled games. Immersive and interactive media is fueling video production and democratization of both production and sports video content is creating entirely new distribution models for new companies that had never even been considered part of the sports media ecosystem.
Fantasy Sports & Betting
Today, 13 American states have some form of legalized sports betting. Seven are on-deck, and 25 await passage of legislation. Research projects media and entertainment companies could generate $9 billion of gambling revenue over the next few years. Fantasy sports and game wagering will need a robust technological backbone to support it. With that comes lots of opportunities to create new products.
Venue & Event Innovation
Because fans can watch sports virtually anywhere, stadiums are being built with the latest technology enhancements that can create an unparalleled gameday experience. Now, they’re catching up to the changes in technology to create smart stadiums that are thinking about scheduling, ticketing and merchandising in new, innovative ways. Increasingly, as consumers are also seeing ways that teams are thinking about cybersecurity to protect consumers from ticketing to in-game purchases.
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