World Golf Tour (WGT) today announces a partnership with NBC Sports and Edgewood Tahoe Golf Course that brings the Tahoe Celebrity Golf Tournament experience to golfers' fingertips at wgt.com for free. Beginning today, golf fans everywhere can log on to wgt.com and play the same course that celebrities such as Michael Jordan and Charles Barkley compete on each July: Edgewood Tahoe, in the NBCSports.com Tahoe Golf Challenge.
The Sweepstakes gives one lucky WGT member the chance to receive an all-expenses paid trip for two to the 2010 American Century Championship in Lake Tahoe. Nine additional sweepstakes prize winners will receive golf gift packs courtesy of NBC Sports. In order to qualify for the Sweepstakes, members must complete one nine-hole round by August 1, 2009.
"To see the beauty of the Edgewood Course brought to life on your computer is a whole new experience," said Rick Cordella, general manager of NBC Sports Digital at NBC Sports. "We are pleased to offer golf enthusiasts the opportunity to watch the tournament in HD and play it online from the comfort of their home. It's a whole new era for golf."
Designed by George Fazio and opened in 1968, Edgewood has been home to the American Century Championship for more than 20 years and was rated number 65 among Golf Digest's "America's Top 100 Public Courses in 2009." Challenging yet fair, the course offers a choice of four sets of tees, ranging in length from 5567 yards to a demanding 7555, providing a suitable test for golfers of all skill levels.
"We have seen the success other courses have had with World Golf Tour and are thrilled to make the Edgewood Tahoe experience available to everyone," said Randy Fox, Director of Golf at Edgewood Tahoe Golf Course.
Over the past year, WGT has taken high-definition quality images by air and ground to craft a virtual replica of the Edgewood Tahoe course. GPS mapping and proprietary technology allow for the most authentic online Edgewood experience that showcases why the course keeps the biggest names in sports, entertainment and politics coming back.
"Every tournament and course has a story to tell," said YuChiang Cheng, CEO of World Golf Tour. "Through our partnership with Edgewood and NBC Sports we are raising the bar to a new level of exposure and cross media integration for tournaments and courses."
In addition to Edgewood Tahoe Challenge, WGT has unveiled the full course of Kiawah Island Golf Resort and Bethpage Black in addition to a Wolf Creek Challenge, the Old Course at St Andrews Challenge and a Bali Hai Challenge.