A shot-tracking system would help the LPGA control information used in prop bets unique to golfGETTY IMAGES
LPGA Commissioner Mike Whan is "positioning the tour to be ready to manage and benefit from real-time betting" by investing in a "shot-tracking system that would give the LPGA real-time data similar to what PGA Tour ShotLink offers," according to Randall Mell of GOLFCHANNEL.com. The system would be "specifically designed to accommodate the intense new interest gambling could bring." A shot-tracking system and database would "help the LPGA control the information used in a variety of prop bets unique to golf." Asia's interest in the sport is "intense," and so is its "appetite for sports betting." Whan "imagines beginning with a limited real-time betting window, where a shot-tracking database is focused on the final three or four holes of a tournament." He said, "The reality is we are three or four years from being able to jump into that." Meanwhile, Whan is also "implementing 'integrity' training for his players this year." The program will be "designed to educate players on the dangers of gambling and to protect the integrity of competition from corrupting influences" (GOLFCHANNEL.com, 1/16). Golf Channel’s Amanda Blumenherst said the fact that the LPGA can benefit from gambling, that the players can "reap the benefits and we're talking about closing in that pay gap between the PGA Tour and LPGA Tour, little things like this is going to make it stay up with the PGA Tour" ("Morning Drive," Golf Channel, 1/17).
DOUBLING UP: GOLFWEEK's Beth Ann Nichols noted the '19 LPGA season will "feature a record 430 hours of tournament coverage." NBC Sports will "air 33 LPGA events this season," and nearly 90% of coverage "will be live." For the first time, NBC will "bookend the season, with weekend coverage" of this week's opening Diamond Resorts Tournament of Champions and live coverage of the season-ending CME Group Tour Championship. Additionally, NBC will "air live coverage of the KPMG Women's PGA and the AIG Women's British Open, nearly doubling the number of live tournament hours" on the net from '18 (GOLFWEEK.com, 1/16).
