First Published by PGA Tour
Become part of the PGA TOUR post-season and play a part in all three Playoffs events in the Roblox Metaverse
As the top 70 PGA TOUR players tee off Thursday at the FedEx St. Jude Championship in their quest for the 2023 FedExCup, their shots won’t just be flying around TPC Southwind over the course of four days.
For the first time ever, the PGA TOUR will integrate live data into a virtual FedExCup Playoffs experience in real-time as part of PGA TOUR Scramble on Roblox. So as balls are in the air in Memphis, Tennessee, they’ll also be in the air in the metaverse.
“In any of the innovation projects we do, we always stay true to our game’s traditions but try to blend them with whatever a platform’s enhancements or opportunities are so this new generation of golf fans can enjoy the game,” said Anne Detlefsen, PGA TOUR Senior Director, Digital and Emerging Content. “In this situation, we’re taking our signature final events of the season, the FedExCup Playoffs, and recreating them in the Roblox universe, which is just a fun opportunity to put a new spin on it but also introduce these fans to our players and the competition that will be going on over the next three weeks as they play the FedExCup Playoffs IRL.”
Beginning Aug. 7, a new hole will debut on PGA TOUR Scramble each Monday in conjunction with the FedExCup Playoffs for Roblox users to play. The first featured hole is No. 11 at TPC Southwind (FedEx St. Jude Classic), followed by No. 16 at Olympia Fields Country Club (Aug. 14, BMW Championship) and No. 15 at East Lake Golf Club (Aug. 21, TOUR Championship). As PGA TOUR players play the hole, their shots will show up as Golden Balls on PGA TOUR Scramble, giving users the ability to earn extra points for sinking the pro’s shots.
Users will receive 100 points when they sink their own Official Ball and 50 points for Golden Balls as they advance up the leaderboard and spend points on Wacky Balls like the Wrecking Ball or Ice Ball, while avoiding gophers, snakes and alligators. Users will also earn a special hat for their avatar each time they complete a hole.
Roblox community members are also able to scan a QR code to try on a unique hole-in-one hat in AR, which will also unlock it for their character in PGA TOUR Scramble.
Launched in 2006, Roblox is a global immersive platform for communication and connection boasting 66 million daily active users as of Q1 2023. More than half (55%) of the community is 13 years or older, with its fastest-growing age group between ages 17-24.
“One of our goals with this was to reach more of a Gen Z audience with this innovation project,” Detlefsen said. “The demographic on the platform skews in that way, is very diverse and is a global platform, so that was very exciting for us.
“It’s our game and our tournaments, but it’s made to be fun so you’re not just going to play TPC Southwind, you’re going to play it and encounter some obstacles like when you’re trying to putt a gopher might pop out of the hole, or if you go near the water an alligator might pop up and chomp at your ball.”
PGA TOUR Scramble was developed by the PGA TOUR in conjunction with Trigger XR, which has also helped the TOUR launch various mixed-reality games and features including an AR scoreboard experience as well as the Safari Par-Tee AR game.
“Trigger XR has been working with the PGA TOUR since 2017, focusing on new ways to engage fans with many of our projects featuring live data like shot telemetry or even 360 video being delivered to consumers through the latest emerging technology,” Trigger XR Founder and CEO Jason Yim said. “PGA TOUR Scramble was a natural continuation of these past efforts and we felt very honored that the TOUR trusted us with their mandate of innovation within their first experience in Roblox.
“From the onset of the project, we knew that the PGA TOUR had the opportunity to be different from other leagues and branded experiences on the platform.”
PGA TOUR Scramble is a number of new technological innovations released by the PGA TOUR ahead of the 2023 FedExCup Playoffs to further fan engagement and interest as the 2022-23 season comes to an exciting close.
On July 22, the TOUR announced the new VR FedExCup Playoffs, where fans could compete virtually alongside PGA TOUR pros during the Playoffs through GOLF+. On Aug. 8, Official Betting Operator FanDuel announced the integration of IMG ARENA’s Golf Events Centre to offer bettors more in-play opportunities during the Playoffs, while a new Win Probabilities feature has been introduced to the expanded leaderboard.
“If you look at what we’ve done over the past few years, it was building the foundation for all of these things to come to life,” Detlefsen said. “By rebuilding our digital platforms and ShotLink 2.0, we’re able to showcase our sport and our data in new and exciting ways, very quickly. It has unlocked doors for us to do really cool things on emerging platforms, whether it’s creating new opportunities for sports bettors or creating really fun, immersive experiences for new audiences on Roblox and Golf+. And there’s a lot more to come.”
