The Masters on the Web

Filed in archive Golf News on April 8, 2008

Courtesy: Augusta National

It was quite a weekend for golf and the week to come should be an exciting one, as well. Especially on the web. More on that in a moment.

Lorena Ochoa now has her second major win on the LPGA Tour, dispelling once and for all those whisperings about whether or not she could win when the big events were on the line.

Ochoa has demonstrated that her world number one status is not a flash in the pan; she's on top for awhile and Annika Sorenstam may be forced into the back-up role for a little longer. Maybe a lot longer.

On the PGA Tour, Johnson Wagner won his first event showing a steady hand down the stretch on Sunday.

While he cashed a fine paycheck, the real icing on the cake comes tomorrow when Wagner will play in his first ever Masters Par 3 event and then on Thursday when he tees it up at his first ever Masters.

He chose well when he chose to win on Sunday.

I am happy to see that the honchos at Augusta have finally decided to allow the Par 3 to be televised. The little layout at Augusta is rarely seen and it is supposed to be a jewel in its own right.

What is really exciting about this year's Masters is how much of it will be available via the internet.



Last year, cameras at Amen Corner picked up action but it was only available to computer users whose ISP address was in the U.S.

In other words, if you weren't watching on a computer located in America, you saw nothing.

It was purely a rights issue but this year, AT&T is making daily live coverage available around the world.

I, for one, applaud them; the internet is a perfect platform for an event like The Masters. But it's also a worldwide platform so why restrict images inside national boundaries?

Negotiate the rights deal to include global access and that appears to be what AT&T has done.

Their website offers more details including viewing times. One point to note: there will be one hour of live coverage daily in advance of the CBS broadcast on TV.

The company is also providing image access to its mobile users, something that does restrict the content a great deal.

Still, I'm happy to watch live action from my computer until I can get myself in front of a bigger screen.

Another place to access coverage as it happens is the Masters site itself. Live scoring updates and plenty of video make the Masters URL one to remember this week.

I can't say for sure if their live coverage at Amen Corner is restricted to the U.S. only, as it was last year. However there is plenty of statistical data on tap and it's updated quickly and clearly.

In fact, the Masters site is a goldmine of data for those who need all the facts. It is, hands down, one of the best golf sites you'll find.