ARMONK, NY, Sept. 7, 1999 -- No matter which side of the ocean you call home, you'll find the best view of golf's biennial contest between the U.S. and European teams at the official Web site of the Ryder Cup. The 33rd Ryder Cup Matches begin on September 24 at The Country Club in Brookline, Massachusetts, but the tournament's official Web site is live now at www.rydercup.com. IBM, PGA.com and Ryder Cup Limited are producing the site jointly.
From the first tee shot to the final putt, golf fans can follow hole-by-hole action at the official Ryder Cup Web site. Essentially two sites in one, RyderCup.com allows users to choose which perspective -- USA or Europe -- to follow.
"The game of golf hasn't changed for centuries, but the Internet has grown exponentially since the last Ryder Cup in 1997," noted Tom Burke, IBM's senior manager of sports sponsorships. "This year, the official Ryder Cup Web site will showcase the information technology and creative e-business solutions that IBM provides for The PGA of America, Ryder Cup Limited, and countless customers around the world every day."
“PGA.com is excited to offer content to the Ryder Cup site,” said Don Pettinato, general manager, PGA.com. “As the official Web site of The PGA of America, our team of journalists and golf professionals enables PGA.com to offer the utmost in golf information for RyderCup.com.”
Richard Hills, director of Ryder Cup Limited, said, "There is no question that the Ryder Cup will be the focal point of world sporting interest throughout the week, and we are delighted to be partners in this joint initiative with The PGA of America and IBM. With IBM's creation of a real-time scoreboard, we are very excited that for the first time in the history of the Matches, the official Web site will offer the opportunity for everyone to follow the action literally stroke by stroke."
Among its highlights, RyderCup.com's exclusive online coverage will feature:
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Scores and statistics
-- In addition to checking the real-time scores from every hole on the course, golf fans can download the IBM Real-time Scoreboard to follow the fortunes of all the players at every point on the course. This applet also has links to player bios and interviews, the latest headlines, the "Course Cam" and detailed statistics. The official Ryder Cup site marks the first time IBM has created a real-time scoreboard for a match-play tournament.
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Photos and images
-- Even more exciting than the site's photo galleries will be the "Course Cam", which captures still images from the live broadcast television feed of the action on Holes 11-18.
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News and views
-- The official site will offer a wealth of articles, updates, interviews and insights from teams of journalists, golf professionals and industry executives from PGA.com and Ryder Cup Limited.
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Fan Cards
-- Want to wish your team or favorite player good luck? Or tell your friends you wish they were there at your virtual seat at the tournament? Choose from six designs to send your FanCard messages.
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Shop
-- From tees to t-shirts, bags to books, RyderCup.com's online shop offers a broad range of logoed merchandise for the most ardent golf enthusiasts. Fans can also search the exclusive PGA Professional Locator to find their local PGA Golf Facility to purchase Official Ryder Cup Merchandise and unique commemorative gift packs of Ryder Cup souvenirs.
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Course Info
-- Whether seeking details of tees, fairways and greens or a peek at each hole, online visitors can check out The Course section of the official site.
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Editor's Note
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About PGA.com
PGA.com, which represents an alliance of The PGA of America and IBM, is the official Web site and cybercast provider for the 81st PGA Championship, The 33rd Ryder Cup Matches, The PGA Seniors’’ Championship, The PGA Grand Slam of Golf and The PGA Club Professional Championship. PGA.com offers an array of golf information and services, including an instruction section that is the most comprehensive golf instruction resource available on the World Wide Web.
About Ryder Cup Limited
Ryder Cup Limited is a joint venture company between the British PGA and the PGA European Tour. As equal partners in Ryder Cup Limited, the two governing bodies are responsible for the administration and conduct of the European element of the biennial team contest against the United States. The company is administered by executives from both the Tour and PGA who respond to the Ryder Cup Committee jointly chaired by Neil Coles MBE, Tour Chairman, and Philip Weaver, PGA Chairman.
About IBM
IBM is the world's largest technology company. As an extension of its real-time scoring and information processing system on-site, IBM has installed the programming interface, equipment and networking infrastructure to allow scores and other information to be transferred to the official 1999 Ryder Cup Web site, making it accessible to the world through the Internet.
Products and Services Involved in IBM's Ryder Cup solution: Systems integration, Web design, and content hosting from IBM Global Services; IBM PC 300s, ThinkPads, IntelliStations, Aptivas, RS/6000 workstations, RS/6000 SPs using AIX operating system, IBM 2216 multiaccess connectors to balance traffic among Web servers and provide Web caching, Netfinity servers, DB2 Universal Database for Linux, Lotus Notes, Lotus Domino, Net.Commerce, Network Dispatcher, Tivoli software, IBM SurfAid Analytics, LAN Network Manager and RAMAC Array storage units.
IBM, RS/6000 SP, ThinkPad, IntelliStation, Aptiva, Netfinity and AIX are trademarks or registered trademarks of International Business Machines Corporation.
Lotus, Lotus Notes and Lotus Domino are registered trademarks of Lotus Development Corporation.
The "Cup and Flags Logo" is a registered trademark of Ryder Cup Limited.
