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By Ron Green Jr.
In the moment Rory McIlroy was watching his tee shot sail into the distance on the par-5 16th hole at TPC Sawgrass’ Stadium Course during the Players Championship in March, a voice from behind the struggling star broke the quiet.
“I’m never taking you again in DraftKings,” the man bellowed.
Sports betting – the legal kind – is in its infancy on the PGA Tour, and while the coarse criticism of McIlroy was an extreme example, the sanctified marriage of watching and wagering will have a transformative effect on professional golf in the United States.
It is about eyeballs and dollar signs, an enticing equation that is expected to deliver the dream of every marketing manager: Engagement.
Beyond casual interest or emotional attachment to a player, fans now can put some skin in the game thanks to a contractual commitment between betting sites and the PGA Tour.
“It’s about growing the game and I think the fantasy aspect for me is intriguing,” said Bryson DeChambeau, who has a sponsorship deal with DraftKings, a sports wagering organization and an official PGA Tour partner. “The betting side of things is only going to grow the game.”
It’s still fresh and new, an outgrowth of the 2018 Supreme Court decision that struck down a federal ban and allowed states to authorize sports betting. As of today, 22 states have at least some legalized sports wagering while several others are working toward legalization.
At DraftKings, golf is considered a key growth area and the fourth most popular daily fantasy category behind football, basketball and baseball.
It’s no secret that much of the NFL’s overwhelming popularity is based on the opportunities it provides for betting. Now it’s golf’s turn, tapping into a massive market in a game in which wagering is practically a thread in the sport’s fabric.
If you’re wondering how big betting on golf will become, take the over.
“It’s a sport that lends itself to betting,” said Patrick Keane, chief executive officer of the Action Network, which offers analysis for sports bettors.
“The tour realizes that. The players realize it. All those in combination yield incredible opportunities.”
Golf and gambling have a long, shared history. For the most part, it’s been limited to the millions who play the game. Whether it’s a friendly Nassau, a skins game or a member-guest Calcutta, there is usually something on the line. That’s a huge part of why handicaps are so important.
In the United Kingdom, betting on golf tournaments has been a part of life for those who are interested, with a betting parlor in every town. Visitors to the Open Championship are often intrigued by the chance to walk into the nearest Betfred, William Hill or Ladbrokes to put down a few pounds on a few players that week.
With sports betting now legal and expanding in the United States, golf stands to benefit.
“If you think about today, 2021 and the amount of media fragmentation in this world and the challenge of engaging your fans more regularly, this is one of the ways in which we can do that over the next 10-15 years,” said Scott Warfield, vice president of gaming for the PGA Tour.
“How do you use sport betting to get a core fan to watch another 15 minutes or 45 minutes in the middle of a round? How do you get them to watch another four events a year and what that can mean for everyone in the sport, sponsors, players, partners, the tour itself?”
The financial benefit to the PGA Tour isn’t so much from the amount of money bet directly on the competition. The tour expects to get about one quarter of 1 percent of the money wagered legally on its events, which would have been less than $8 million two years ago when fewer than 10 states allowed legalized gambling.
Where the bigger payoff comes for the tour is in its various rights deals. With more engagement – more people watching in more ways and for more time – rights deals become more valuable.
“It’s going to help all of us,” Warfield said. “It’s going to help financially the players, the tournaments, the tour.
“If you think about it through the lens of driving engagement, finding new fans, the real benefit is on the back end. What it means for the price of entitlements, the price of media rights, a kind of high tide lifts all boats.”
In 2017, the PGA Tour struck a partnership agreement with Genius Sports, which created an Integrity Program that audits all aspects of betting related to the tour. There is a program in place that prohibits players and others associated with the tour from betting on any tour-related competitions.
An agreement with IMG Arena, which has access to all of the laser-measured ShotLink data, will lead to expansive in-game betting down the line, a virtual pot of gold for a game whose pace is ideal for moment-to-moment wagering. It’s not on line yet but it’s coming.
Closest to the hole in a group ... longest drive ... low round in a threesome. All of those are coming.
“It’s going to be huge,” said Reid Fowler, golf analyst for DraftKings. “With one click of your phone, you’re going to be able to do it.”
The first steps into this new world already have been taken. When Tiger Woods and Phil Mickelson played their big-money match in Las Vegas, much of it was driven by the live odds posted on the screen. Betting scenarios drove much of the narrative. It’s only going to increase.
It may not be front and center on traditional telecasts but the information and the opportunity will be there.
“We’re trying to be sure we’re not jamming this type of content down the throats of people who are not looking for it,” Warfield said. “If you see how we’re treating it on digital, it’s one click away. You have to go in and hit the odds button for the odds to appear. That’s an important distinction.”
The game also allows betting opportunities to stay fresh throughout a tournament. The days of betting a winner or a top-five finish are going the way of rotary telephones. As much as 80 percent of golf wagering takes place after the tournament has begun.
“The biggest betting for all sports in Europe is in-game and it’s growing here in the U.S.” said Keane, of the Action Network.
Next February, another phase in the tour’s expanding new frontier will arrive with the scheduled opening of a DraftKings sportsbook on the property at TPC Scottsdale where the raucous Waste Management Phoenix Open is played.
It will be the first retail operation at a tournament site, tapping into both the growing demand for sports betting and a site that’s wide open and has attracted more than 100,000 fans daily.
“It’s the perfect fit. It’s the perfect tournament,” Warfield said.
Think big screens, leather seating, plenty of food and plenty of beverages. An upper-scale sports bar – with wagering literally at a guest’s fingertips.
“It’s the new frontier for us to integrate what we’re doing into the landscape,” DraftKings’ Fowler said.
Don’t expect to see on-site sports books at every tournament site, but if the one in Phoenix succeeds expect to see more.
What once existed only in the shadows or in the privacy of club grill rooms is now full speed ahead for the PGA Tour.
“People are going to make money,” DeChambeau said. “Some people are going to lose some but it’s going to keep more eyes on the game which is never a bad thing.”
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