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Public Investment Fund (PIF)
Rheinbach, Germany 5 June 2021, The logo of the streaming service "DAZN" on the screen of a smartphone with white headphones and a remote control.
BREAKING
Boxing
Time to read: 4 min
DAZN eyes boxing edge with The Ring Magazine deal
October 2, 2026
The sports landscape has a huge range of commercial stakeholders, from governing bodies and tournaments themselves to data distributors, broadcasters and betting operators. Representing these respective sectors, IMG Arena’s Commercial Partnerships Manager for Golf, Rowan Northcott, DraftKings’ Head of Golf Trading, Stuart Purling, and PGA Tour’s VP Gaming, Scott Warfield, discussed with SBC why golf is the ideal in-play betting product. SBC: Rowan, can you give us an introduction to IMG ARENA and golf? RN: IMG ARENA signed long-term deals with the PGA TOUR, DP World Tour and LPGA Tour in 2018, 2019 and 2022 respectively, with the vision that golf was a sleeping giant within the sports betting landscape. Since then, we have also been fortunate to add golf’s largest events to our portfolio including the Ryder Cup, PGA Championship and Presidents Cup, underlining our commitment to the sport for the foreseeable future. Following the establishment of these partnerships, we created the Golf Event Centre, a turnkey golf betting solution. The Event Centre uses shot-by-shot data to allow fans to follow every shot in an immersive 3D environment. Our data hub ingests this shot data to generate an odds feed enabling fans to bet on every shot, from every player, and on every hole, encompassing 30,000+ different markets at each tournament. Live streaming from two par three holes and an enhanced statistics suite is seamlessly integrated in the product to provide a holistic offering for our sportsbook clients and give golf bettors a one-of-a-kind experience. SBC: What prompted IMG ARENA’s investment in golf? RN: Golf has all the hallmarks of a perfect in-play betting sport. Before we formally entered this space there were no more than 10 markets available, with settlement at the end of the round or tournament. With three to five minutes between every shot, golf is perfectly suited to in-play with bettors having ample time to evaluate the market and selection. Each tournament offers around 35,000 shots per tournament, producing a staggering amount of betting opportunities for fans of the sport. The global nature of golf from every time zone equates to significant “up-time” as sportsbooks have access to live golf from Thursday-Sunday. We knew it would take time for bettors to acclimatise to our offering, but we are now seeing signs, particularly in the booming US market, of in-play golf betting very much taking off. I often think back to when Scott and I were at this year’s WM Phoenix Open. Looking on at the famous 16th hole, we saw first-hand how excited fans were about placing bets on which player would hit it closest to the pin. This sums up the fast-paced and innovative betting activity that we are trying to create that was amplified by one of golf’s most famous tournaments. The excitement created for bettors gives all 35,000+ shots of a tournament its own story. SBC: Scott, now that the Golf Event Centre is established within operators’ platforms and the PGA TOUR’s fans are becoming more affiliated with your tournaments as a betting proposition, what comes next in this journey? SW: With the Golf Event Centre now available to the vast majority of the betting population, we are focused on growing the reach and engagement of the product through a few key avenues. In 2023, we brought the Golfbet content brand in-house which, through both our O&O and social properties, is a key lever to engage and inform golf bettors. With the PGA TOUR’s robust ShotLink data and tournament access, we can bring golf storytelling to life through a betting lens unlike any other platform and are continuing to invest in content production and innovative data tools. In addition to digital and social innovation, we have an opportunity to capitalise on the intersection of media and betting through our robust media ecosystem, including broadcast and D2C streaming. Over the coming months, fans will continue to see an organic evolution of our live coverage to incorporate engaging decision-making data alongside live competition. Last, but not least, we are continuously finding new ways to collaborate with our official betting operator partners across our collective platforms to bring world-class golf offerings to sports fans and bettors. SBC: Rowan, what are IMG ARENA’s plans for golf as a betting proposition? RN: The first challenge is to place the correct insight in front of the customer at the right time to help them make an informed decision. Therefore, we are doubling down on statistics and insights. Visualisation of these insights is key, so we released our very own strokes gained model this year and challenged our data engineers to make this information digestible. Hence the use of radar charts, percentages and rankings tables. Secondly, we want to focus on offering fans the chance to watch and bet, rather than watch or bet. Interactive streaming and bringing all the features of the product into one place is a key focus of ours across a range of sports, not just golf. Finally, in 2024, we have a host of exciting new features coming next year using AI that should add a completely new dimension for the bettor – again adding to engagement
BREAKING
Golf
Time to read: 4 min
PGA Tour shuts door on easy path back for LIV Golf stars
September 17, 2026
Golf sign at the Bolingbrook Golf Club.
BREAKING
Golf
Time to read: 4 min
LIV Golf stays positive on funding amid layoff concerns
July 9, 2026
Partnership playbook
BREAKING
Latest News
Time to read: 7 min
Partnership playbook: American Airlines, Betano, Mastercard, Visa and more
May 20, 2026
Signs at the 18th hole greet the LIV Golf Fans at the LIV Golf Tournament held at the Trump National Golf Club in Bedminster, NJ.
BREAKING
Golf
Time to read: 4 min
PIF funding exit leaves LIV Golf confronting a sustainability test
April 30, 2026
The esports report image.
BREAKING
Esports
Time to read: 4 min
The esports report - Saudi’s expansion and Ireland’s growth
March 13, 2025
BREAKING
Asia
Time to read: 2 min
PIF makes its latest sporting play with stake in major Saudi media network
November 6, 2024
Riyadh, Saudi Arabia - Marina Storti, WTA Ventures: the importance of the Middle East for tennis’ global growth
BREAKING
Asia
Time to read: 3 min
Saudi PIF to focus on domestic Riyadh events and cut back on overseas spending
October 31, 2024
Saudi takes next sporting steps in hosting WTA Finals
BREAKING
Asia
Time to read: 3 min
Saudi PIF sponsors WTA in latest tennis grand slam
May 22, 2024
BREAKING
Asia
Time to read: 3 min
Saudi Arabia’s PIF makes latest sporting endeavour with ATP Tour deal
February 29, 2024
SportsGrid pens deal with leading golf influencer Paige Sprianac
BREAKING
Golf
Time to read: 2 min
PGA Tour’s Monahan says LIV merger still on track for hole-in-one at the end of the year
December 4, 2023
BREAKING
Golf
Time to read: 2 min
LIV/PGA merger seems inevitable as ‘unsolicited investors’ confirm deal’s epic magnitude
September 29, 2023
BREAKING
Integrity
Time to read: 2 min
Bin Salman says Saudi sportswashing will continue as long as it’s profitable
September 25, 2023
Chelsea flag at Stamford Bridge.
BREAKING
Football
Time to read: 2 min
Chelsea FC eyes shirt deal with PIF-owned Riyadh Air
September 8, 2023
BREAKING
Hospitality
Time to read: 2 min
West Ham reportedly set for multi-million takeover by Daniel Kretinsky
October 29, 2021
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