USGA Launches Immersive Digital Experience to Bring 117 Years of U.S. Open Championship Golf History to Life

LIBERTY CORNER, N.J., May 16, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- Building on a track record of innovative "firsts" in the digital presentation of its most renowned championship golf property, the USGA, in association with Rolex, has launched the U.S. Open History Experience, a fully immersive timeline that brings 117 years of U.S. Open Championships to life on usopen.com.

The timeline allows fans to engage digitally with one of the sports world's most storied championships while celebrating the U.S. Open's legendary champions, signature moments and iconic venues. Unlike any other digital property in sports, the experience features a user-driven journey through time by immersing fans in carefully curated videos, photos, articles, championship scoring and player statistics.

To create the U.S. Open History Experience, USGA researchers tapped the archives of the USGA Golf Museum, including publications, periodicals, magazines, daily newspapers and personal correspondence from as far back as the first championship in 1895. The result is a one-of-a-kind digital timeline that will be of interest to golf fans, sports fans and researchers alike.

"Whether it is Ben Hogan's 1-iron at Merion in 1950 or Tiger Woods' putt at Torrey Pines in 2008, the U.S. Open has supplied many of golf's signature moments," said Navin Singh, USGA head of Global Content and Media Distribution. "We are excited to launch this immersive history experience in a year when we return to one of our founding clubs, Shinnecock Hills – the only club that has hosted this championship in three different centuries. Fans will have a place to not only relive the four previous championships at Shinnecock but immerse themselves in all 117 years of golf's ultimate test."

Users can relive moments that are not only significant to the game but also hold personal and sentimental meaning. From Jack Nicklaus' 1-iron on the 17th hole at Pebble Beach in 1972 to Payne Stewart's putt to seal victory at Pinehurst in 1999 to Corey Pavin's 4-wood approach on the final hole that clinched his win in 1995 at Shinnecock, the U.S. Open History Experience offers the opportunity to reflect on the past while anticipating the drama of future championships. Celebrating the U.S. Open's return to Shinnecock Hills, the USGA produced new content for the experience, including reflections by the three living champions from Shinnecock Hills: Raymond Floyd (1986), Pavin and Retief Goosen (2004).

With archival video content dating to Ted Ray's victory in 1920, fans can explore and navigate in a variety of ways to access highlights from U.S. Open history, featuring legendary champions, iconic venues and signature moments from the championship.

Golf enthusiasts will also be able to view full-field hole-by-hole scoring data from more than 60 U.S. Opens, going all the way back to the 1897 championship. Hole-by-hole scores are available for all 117 U.S. Open champions. Optimized across all devices, the timeline will also feature detailed player statistics, including driving distance, putting and greens in regulation, from select U.S. Opens as far back as 1940.

The mobile responsive timeline also integrates multiple social sharing functions that allow fans to post directly to Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.

To experience U.S. Open History like never before, click here.

About the USGA
The USGA celebrates, serves and advances the game of golf. Founded in 1894, we conduct many of golf's premier professional and amateur championships, including the U.S. Open and U.S. Women's Open. With The R&A, we govern the sport via a global set of playing, equipment and amateur status rules. Our operating jurisdiction for these governance functions is the United States, its territories and Mexico. The USGA Handicap System is utilized in more than 40 countries and our Course Rating System covers 95 percent of the world's golf courses, enabling all golfers to play on an equitable basis. The USGA campus in Liberty Corner, New Jersey, is home to the Association's Research and Test Center, where science and innovation are fueling a healthy and sustainable game for the future. The campus is also home to the USGA Golf Museum, where we honor the game by curating the world's most comprehensive archive of golf artifacts. To learn more, visit usga.org.

Contact:
Jeff Altstadter
1-908-326-1880
jaltstadter@usga.org

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SOURCE USGA