• by Ben Frederick  @mp_benfred, April 7, 2016

IBM has been partnered with the Masters golf tournament for more than 20 years, helping make advancements in the realm of digital.

This year, they are introducing a stable of new features to the tournament: wearable apps, 4K video broadcast and streaming, and bringing their popular Track feature to mobile.

The wearable apps are available for iWatch and Android Wear; they feature a real-time leaderboard, player details and other pertinent data.

John Kent, program manager of worldwide sponsorship marketing for IBM, says that while there may not be a large market for wearables now, the tournament has been part of some groundbreaking advancements in the past. It was the first tournament broadcast in color, the first to do HD, and now the first to do 4K.

The Track feature allows users to “follow every shot of every player on every hole,” says Kent. IBM brought the feature to mobile after noting that mobile traffic had overtaken desktop last year. Users can also utilize a picture in picture feature to compare players.

Fans can also choose favorite players who will then be highlighted within the app for a more personalized experience.

“For us, it’s about helping the Masters bring their tournament to the world, all the while supported by an IBM cloud. The experience can be as beautiful as you want, but if you don’t have the proper underpinning, it won’t be a good one. We know real-time scores, we have better video, and great editorial,” says Kent.