EVENT SPOTLIGHT: U.S. OPEN CHAMPIONSHIP

SMT elevates the U.S. Open with new graphics, smooth operations

Thanks to Terry Burden, Golf Operations Manager, and Felipe Aspillaga, Software Engineer I, for contributing to this report and to Video Editor Shaun Bales for the highlight reel.

For the 19th consecutive year, SMT partnered with the USGA to deliver the technology and fan experiences behind one of golf's biggest championships. From June 14–21, nearly 35 SMT team members were on-site at Shinnecock Hills Golf Club in Southampton, N.Y., supporting the 2026 U.S. Open Championship.

What began nearly two decades ago as a scoring and display partnership has grown into a comprehensive suite of services that supports tournament operations, broadcasters, players and fans alike.

SMT's work began before the first competitive round, providing online practice round booking, scheduling, player tracking and practice shot plotting to help tournament officials manage player preparation.

Throughout championship week, SMT powered an extensive network of digital displays across the course, including the iconic 18th-hole Monsterboard, Fan Central displays, media center screens, practice range boards, hospitality displays and numerous on-course leaderboards. SMT also delivered weather and safety messaging throughout the venue.

Behind the scenes, the team operated the tournament's internet protocol television network, distributing live television programming to 561 screens across the property, including customized channels for hospitality venues and sponsor locations. The network also supported GolfTeeV and Mobile Rules Replay, providing officials with instant video access when reviewing rules situations.

FRESH LOOK: One of the biggest enhancements for 2026 was a complete redesign of SMT's NGSC (Next Generation Scoreboard Controller) presentations. Led by SMT's Creative Studio and Felipe Aspillaga, the overhaul introduced improved graphics, enhanced readability and support for new display formats that will be used across all USGA championships moving forward.

"The U.S. Open NGSC show is one of our most comprehensive," said Felipe. "In addition to providing practice and scoring information to the Media Center, we also provide fully automated on-course shows powered by PGA Tour scoring data. This year, the client placed a strong emphasis on board readability, resulting in a complete redesign of the graphics and updates to the underlying programming. We also overhauled the Practice Round shows to support the new Practice Round Scheduling and Scoring System."

TEAM EFFORT: Delivering a championship of this scale requires coordination across multiple disciplines, with support from nearly 35 SMT team members and local staff. Key on-site leadership included:

• Terry Burden – Project Manager
• Willie Doyle – Internet Protocol Television Lead
• Alex Higgins – Production Lead
• Robert Mucha – LED Display Lead
• Evan Sawyer – Network Lead

EVENT SPOTLIGHT: AMUNDI EVIAN CHAMPIONSHIP

A quarter century as a trusted, innovative partner at Evian

Thanks to Ian Doherty, Events Project Manager II, for contributing to this report and sharing images. 

Nestled between the shores of Lake Geneva and the French Alps, the Amundi Evian Championship is widely regarded as one of the most beautiful venues in professional golf. For a quarter century, SMT has helped power this picturesque championship, this year with a six-member team that traveled from July 9-12 to Evian-les-Bains, France, delivering the scoring, data and fan-facing technology that players, broadcasters, media and spectators rely on throughout the tournament, one of the LPGA Tour's five major championships.

This year's tournament introduced additional customizable graphic elements within GolfTeeV, giving organizers even greater flexibility in presenting scoring information to fans.

In addition to collecting live scoring and drive-distance data, SMT:

• managed scoring data distribution;
• produced content for eight digital information towers;
• maintained the tournament's internal information system;
• collected season statistics for both the LPGA and Ladies European Tour;
• operated the media center scoring website, and
• produced the manual leaderboard content displayed throughout the venue.

Trophy Club Ring LED, left, and Evian LED leaderboard, right.

The team's execution once again earned praise from tournament organizers.

"We received several positive comments from the client about this year's execution of services at the Evian Championship," said Ian Doherty, Events Project Manager II. "The operations team regularly comments that we are one of the few truly independent vendors, and they appreciate that they rarely have to worry about any of our operations because we are extremely self-sufficient while also being willing to help others."

Doherty also highlighted the impact of SMT's volunteer training.

"The volunteer committee has commented on the excellent quality of our walking scorer training sessions," he said. "Both the classroom presentation and on-course instruction prepare the scorers for a virtually error-free tournament. The volunteers consistently praise our scoring team's professionalism, kindness and willingness to help in any situation."

Those compliments continued through championship Sunday.

"We also received very positive feedback from the LPGA and the Tournament Director during an impromptu meeting on the final day," Doherty said. "They noted that scoring is a service they rarely have to think about because of our self-sufficiency, communication, excellent training sessions and the relationships we've built with the scoring volunteers."

Beyond tournament operations, the event offered another reminder that long-term partnerships extend well beyond technology. Thanks to SMT's 25-year relationship with tournament organizers, the team was welcomed as friends—sharing traditional Savoie charcuterie and homemade pastries with fellow vendors after each workday, gathering with the operations staff to watch the French National Team compete in the pétanque World Cup, and experiencing the unique culture of the alpine lakeside community that surrounds one of golf's premier championships.

The event was supported primarily on-site by six SMT team members serving as project manager, scoring lead, scoring support specialists, scoring network lead and video production lead, with additional remote development and production support.

SMT Evian team, left to right: Djamel Chaker (Network Engineer III, ETS); Hugues LeMaire (Contractor, VPS); Ian Doherty (Events Project Manager II, Event Ops); Ivan Comis (Contractor, Scoring); Julien LaCroix (Contractor, Scoring); and Torrance Wilson (Events Project Manager II, Event Ops).

PRODUCT SPOTLIGHT: VIRTUAL SPONSORSHIP

Why SMT remaps holes 17 and 18 each year at American Century Celebrity Championship 

Thanks to Peter Frank, Media Production Manager, for this report and highlight reel.

For the 20th year running, SMT supported NBC's broadcast of the American Century Celebrity Championship, held July 10–12 at Edgewood Golf Course in South Lake Tahoe. This marked the third consecutive year SMT provided virtual advertising on hole 18, in addition to its longstanding coverage of hole 17. 

Getting there takes careful prep. "Each year, SMT needs to survey each hole we provide virtual sponsorship for, since every hole has its own unique shape and dimensions that can change year to year," Peter Frank, lead operator, explained. This season, both holes 17 and 18 required fresh surveys, which were completed early in the week before the course got busy with play.

RECRUITMENT SPOTLIGHT: TRIANGLE SPORTS FELLOWS

Inside the Business of Sports: SMT Hosts Triangle Sports Fellows

Thanks to Recruiter Kenny Bores for contributing to this report and thanks to Marketing Intern Ashley Rabinowitz for contributing the photos. 

On July 7, SMT welcomed the Triangle Sports Fellows to SMT's Durham campus for their second consecutive summer visit. Mike Morrell, VP, Sponsor Relationships, introduced the program to SMT after learning about it from World University Games 2029 Chairman and CEO Hill Carrow.

"Hill jumped at the opportunity to have SMT involved with the fellowship, as he has been a big fan of SMT since his wife taught some of Gerard’s children," Recruiter Kenny Bores shared. "The Triangle Fellows are in their second year as a program, paralleling the existing Charlotte fellows who are now in their sixth year."

Each week, the fellows visit a different sports organization in the Triangle, including some who use SMT's technology, such as the Carolina Hurricanes.

"We’ve established a strong game plan for Durham site visits, but this one was unique because we tailored the discussions around the business side of sports and how it connects to our products and services," Kenny said.

"Our team really stepped up to the plate. Lee Brinson explained how vital Client Services is to our success, while Michael Louthan highlighted how ROOSTER helps producers bring their storytelling to life with PPT graphics. Ryan Prasek and Will Moran emphasized the adaptability of our products to meet the ever-changing needs of both existing and new clients, and Meredith Wills and Andrew Steenkamer championed the growing importance of analytics in sports organizations’ front offices."

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Events and Remote Teams

We are staffing 21 events this week. Safe travels to all!

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