The PGA Tour will roll out its first live virtual reality and 360-degree video of competition during next week's Players Championship. The VR/360 video will feature play from the significant island 17th hole at TPC Sawgrass during all four rounds of the tournament set for May 11 to May 14. The live VR content will be made available on Samsung VR headsets globally through the PGA Tour Live app available on the Oculus store. The Tour will also have a 360-degree video stream of the 17th hole coverage that will be available exclusively on Twitter and Periscope during all four days of the event. The VR production is done in collaboration with Intel and will shoot with three VR cameras positioned around the 17th hole during play. The VR coverage comes after the Tour spent nearly two years experimenting with technology, including a live test at this year's Genesis Open in February (John Lombardo, Staff Writer). In Jacksonville, Garry Smits notes The Players Championship will be the first time Twitter has "distributed live 360-degree video during a major sports event." The announcement of this collaboration between the Tour and Twitter "follows the live streaming relationship announced earlier this year" (FLORIDA TIMES-UNION, 5/2). CABLEFAX' Alex Silverman noted Nike will "slap its swoosh on the PGA Tour’s 360-degree coverage from the 17th hole" (CABLEFAX.com, 5/1).
