The PGA Tour has announced the launch of a live betting stream as part of golf’s coverage on ESPN+.
ESPN Bet on PGA Tour Live is set to premiere at the WM Phoenix Open, starting 6 February, following a new multi-year agreement between the PGA Tour and Penn Entertainment – the parent company of ESPN Bet.
Combining the PGA Tour’s ShotLink data with odds from ESPN Bet, the stream will feature insight and live betting analysis during coverage – including insights from former professional golfers Matt Every and Graham DeLaet.
Scott Warfield, VP of Gaming for the PGA Tour, stated that the feed has been a goal for the PGA Tour since it began its agreement with ESPN+ in 2022 and will make for a “compelling sports-watching experience for fans and bettors” of the sport.
Jason Birney, Vice President of Operations at Penn Interactive, added: “ESPN BET on PGA TOUR LIVE deepens our already robust media and betting integrations with ESPN and creates unique opportunities to engage golf fans in an entertaining way with compelling up-to-the-minute data and insights.”
The WM Phoenix Open will be the first of six events for the new feed. It will also take in three of the PGA Tour’s limited field ‘signature events’, as well as its flagship tournament, The Players Championship, and the first event of its season-ending FedExCup Playoffs at the FedEx St. Jude Championship.
Golf strengthens sports betting ties
Though traditional in many aspects, golf is slowly beginning to embrace the popularity of online sports betting.
In May, ESPN Bet broke new ground as it became the first-ever official sports betting partner of a major golf tournament when it signed a deal with the PGA Championship. Ahead of the same tournament, Fanatics also brought on board Justin Thomas as an official betting partner.
More recently, TGL, the indoor golf league backed by Tiger Woods and Rory McIlroy, unveiled FanDuel as its official betting partner.
Launched on 7 January, FanDuel provides wagering options across all the matches and sees live odds integration featured throughout TGL’s broadcasts – which are also shown on ESPN and ESPN+ in the US.
Reflecting on this most recent partnership between the PGA Tour and Penn Entertainment, Tim Bunnell, Senior VP of Programming and International at ESPN, said: “Bringing these unique partnerships together is an important strategy in ESPN’s commitment to covering and expanding the audience for world-class golf across PGA TOUR LIVE on ESPN+, TGL, the Masters, PGA Championship, LPGA, and more.”
