TOUR builds on LIVE@ success, more set for '09

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There's something about the 17th hole at the TPC Sawgrass that makes the best golfers in the world seem a bit more human. When you seen them stand on the tee of the infamous, island green par 3, toss a little grass into the air to measure the wind direction and fret over a club selection, it makes every hacker in the world feel a little better about their own high handicap.

It was 10 years ago that the PGA TOUR decided to test an idea. Take a few cameras, put them around the 17th hole and share all the spike-shaking drama via the worldwide web. The TOUR had a great stage and a field of Academy winning players, why not let the whole world watch?

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That's how LIVE@ THE PLAYERS came into being. The PGA TOUR became the first major professional sport to stream live video onto its Web site, an act that is commonplace today.

"Live video was just starting to become available on the Web, and we had a unique hole at No. 17," said Scott Gutterman, executive producer of PGATOUR.COM. "It ended up working out pretty good."

Other sports came on board, too. Major League Baseball streamed its first game in 2002 and streamed the entire 2003 season. MLB has also partnered to show March Madness On-Demand, Masters Live, and Major League Soccer. Today the NFL and NHL offer games on streaming video, too.

But the PGA TOUR was the first to take the leap. Now LIVE@ is a feature that is included at seven tournaments, including all four stages of the PGA TOUR Playoffs for the FedExCup.

The LIVE@ THE PLAYERS feature was originally only available on Thursday and Friday, as the TOUR hoped to capture a few of those fans who wanted to sneak a peek at the office. It became a four-day production in 2007 and now features nearly 36 hours of coverage at Pete Dye's diabolical dandy.

In 2004, there were 339,000 streams over the two days, with the number increasing to 540,000 by 2006. The first year of four-day coverage in 2007 brought in 1.066 million streams, and the production has shown more than 2.5 million streams since 2004.

This year, LIVE@ THE PLAYERS will again show every shot on the 17th hole, from the time the first group trundles through to the very last pairings. Times are 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. on Thursday and Friday, 11:45 a.m. to 7 p.m. on Saturday, and 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. on Sunday.

Three dedicated cameras -- and seven additional cameras throughout the day -- are staged there to catch every safe shot, as well as every plop. Four announcers will rotate in throughout the day, including 2002 champion Craig Perks. The 2007 production was good enough to earn an Emmy nomination.

This year, the quality of the video stream has been improved; there will be a splash counter to keep up with those who find a watery grave (65 last year, 215 since 2006), and alerts will pop up whenever something spectacular happens elsewhere on the course.

Usually the action at the 17th is enough to keep their interest. Two years ago, viewers couldn't get enough; you could almost hear them gasp when Sean O'Hair flew one over the green to lose any chance he had of catching Phil Mickelson. Last year, Sergio Garcia and Paul Goydos battled to the very end in an intense showdown.

What will happen this year? The wind and conditions will let us know later this week. For those who are stuck at home or inside an office, we'll be watching with great interest. And appreciation.