EVENT SPOTLIGHT: THE MASTERS

Behind the scenes at Augusta: SMT’s unsung role in golf’s most iconic tournament

Thanks to Jon Van de Water, Sr. Events Project Manager, for contributing to this report. Thanks to Shaun Bales for the highlight reel.

Each April, the world tunes in to witness history unfold on the immaculate fairways of Augusta National Golf Club—but few know the role SMT plays behind the scenes to help make The Masters an extraordinary experience for players, patrons and viewers alike.

Though bound by contract not to publicly promote our involvement, SMT has proudly supported Augusta National since the mid-1990s and has provided scoring services since the early 2000s. What began with paper grids and Palm Pilots has since evolved into a sophisticated operation with state-of-the-art devices, advanced data systems, and a dedicated team of more than 40 staff members.

In 2025, SMT once again supported a full slate of events over two weeks, including the Augusta National Women’s Amateur (ANWA), the Drive, Chip & Putt National Finals, practice round data tracking, the Par 3 Contest, and, of course, The Masters Tournament. From scoring and broadcast graphics to large-format displays and volunteer training, SMT’s presence was felt across nearly every corner of the tournament ecosystem.

SMT Senior Project Manager Jon Van De Water noted the smooth execution of the event, while a heartfelt thank-you from Augusta National’s communications team praised the “collective expertise” of our staff. One moment that stood out came when Augusta’s General Manager, Will Jones, asked longtime SMTer Travis Smith why The Masters is his favorite event. Travis responded, “Because as soon as we get onsite, we’re treated like family.” Will gathered nearby staff to hear the story firsthand—a moment that reinforced the mutual respect between SMT and Augusta National. "It was a pretty cool moment," Jon shared.

While we may not be able to publicly celebrate our involvement, everyone at SMT can take pride in the quiet excellence we bring to golf’s most prestigious stage.

CLIENT KUDOS

I hope you all had safe travels home and have partially recovered (emotionally and physically) from the last couple of weeks! We wanted to reach out to thank you for a smooth year from our end. The collective expertise of your team allows Pat and I to focus our attention elsewhere throughout the week, which is greatly appreciated. As always, it was a pleasure working alongside you across several different events and culminating with an awesome finish on 18 this year. Thanks again for everything and hope you enjoyed being a part of a historic week here in Augusta!

Preston Smith
Communications Manager, Augusta National

Lasers are placed in the fairway and greens for each of the first nine and second nine holes.

SMT installed an on-site information system called Masters Select (above, left) that provides fans, media, broadcasters and tournament officials with real-time scores, stats, pairings, leaderboards and more. The IPTV system delivered selected video content that is encoded and streamed through the scoring system network to tablet devices located primarily in the Media Center (above, right).

SMT Services at the 2025 Masters:

Project Management: Oversight of planning, execution and coordination.
Golf Scoring (GolfX): Real-time score and stat collection, web and intranet interfaces, and broadcast graphics (BrINT).
Ball Position Tracking: Laser-based charting of every shot on the first and second nine.
Display Production: Hole-by-hole leaderboard content and video display management.
Entry Displays: Nine custom LED displays at tournament entry points.
Map & Flag Support: Two large LED displays and outdoor televisions at Augusta’s newest hospitality venue.
Volunteer Tech Training: PDA device deployment for real-time data input.
GolfTeeV Services: Custom tournament TV channel with scores, stats, and announcements.
Weather Monitoring: On-course data collection via eight anemometers.

A volunteer tracks a shot at Augusta. SMT trains all walking scorers on PDA data entry from multiple locations on a hole (tee, fairway and green). Operators, using a PDA with SMT software, record and enter data such as when the shot was hit to record a timestamp, stroke number and grid coordinate location.

LEAGUE SPOTLIGHT: WOMEN'S ELITE RUGBY

SMT supports inaugural Women's Elite Rugby season with broadcast graphics

Thanks to Steven de Haseth, Director, Business Development, and Josh Berntsen, Remote Operator, for contributing to this report. Thanks to Shaun Bales for the highlight reel.

Women’s Elite Rugby (WER) made history on March 22 with the kickoff of its inaugural season—the very first for a professional women’s rugby league in the United States. The opening match, held at Memorial Field in Mount Vernon, NY, saw the Boston Banshees take on the New York Exiles in a thrilling debut for the league. SMT is proud to play a role in this groundbreaking moment for women’s sports.

Ahead of the 2033 Women’s Rugby World Cup, to be hosted in the U.S., WER's goal is to put an international spotlight on rugby in America, starting with the 2028 Olympics [sevens] and then the 2031 men’s [15-a-side] Rugby World Cup, also to be hosted in the U.S.

WER’s inaugural 2025 season features six teams—Boston, Chicago, Denver, New York, Bay Area, and Twin Cities—and 180 athletes competing across 14 weeks. Thanks to a media partnership with DAZN, the leading global sports entertainment platform, matches are being streamed for fans across the U.S. and around the world.

To support the league’s broadcast ambitions, WER partnered with SMT to develop a comprehensive graphics package. SMT also provides full graphics support for WER’s "Match of the Week" broadcasts via the SportsCG platform, with an SMT operator onsite each week to deliver real-time visuals and updates.

While each round of WER features three matches, SMT’s graphics are featured in one marquee matchup each week. The other two matches are lower-budget productions, which still incorporate SMT’s custom-designed graphics, integrated into their digital production via vMix.

SMT’s contributions go beyond just delivering graphics—they evolve weekly. Collaborations between SMT operators, producers and SMT Creative Studio have led to the continuous development of new graphics tailored to the needs of the show.

This week, for example, SMT introduced yellow card chips—persistent on-screen indicators that stay on the score bug for the full 10-minute duration a team plays down a player. Previously, yellow card violations were only briefly shown using the player's name and a countdown timer. Now, viewers get a clearer, more consistent visual cue, enhancing the broadcast’s clarity and professionalism. This new feature was on display during the Exiles’ first-half yellow card and again when the Breakers went down a player late in the second half.

Additionally, SMT has created a Top 5 point scorers graphic, which is expected to debut in an upcoming match. These enhancements reflect the dynamic, collaborative nature of the WER production team—and SMT’s commitment to helping the league grow and engage its audience.

Josh Berntsen, Remote Tech III, who served as operator during the season opener, shared a behind-the-scenes moment that summed up the fast-paced, high-energy environment. “We created graphics for each team’s ‘keys to victory,’ ” Josh explained. “The talent gave me three bullet points per team, and I quickly mocked up what they described so they could approve it. After the show, they came down to the truck and asked if I was the ‘fastest typer in the West.’ It was kind of funny to hear, but it shows how much they appreciated the support.”

As the WER season continues, SMT looks forward to bringing even more innovation and polish to the league’s broadcasts—helping this exciting new chapter in women’s sports reach fans with the high production value it deserves.

SMT DATA CHALLENGE: DEADLINE FOR ENTRY

Deadline approaching to register for 2025 SMT Data Challenge

The 2025 SMT Data Challenge is upon us! We have a strong showing, with 120 registered so far. There are students from all over, coming from 57 schools in 25 US states, 2 Canadian provinces, the UK, and Taiwan. Of those, 13 students are from North Carolina: 10 from UNC, two from NC State, one from Wake Forest and one from Charlotte.

The Data Challenge is open to students 18 or older, enrolled through Fall 2025. Students can register at https://www.info2smt.com/register-2025datachallenge through April 30.

We encourage you to share the registration link with any interested students, advisors, or people who just think it’s a great opportunity!

NOMINATE A COLLEAGUE (OR YOURSELF!)

Click here to anonymously nominate someone to be featured in Talent Spotlight!

Events and Remote Teams

We are staffing 73 events this week. Safe travels to all!
Please note that this list does not include the NHL playoff games.

Content in Oculus is proprietary and should not be shared outside of SMT without permission.