Unveiling the mystery behind ‘Black Boxes’ on PGA Tour pros at the 2023 Hero World Challenge
The Hero World Challenge has seen some competitive play on day 2, with Jordan Spieth as the transitional leader of the second round. Fans are enjoying the event that has brought Tiger Woods back to the courses, and they haven't missed even the smallest detail.
They have also noticed the attachments that players on the field at the Hero World Challenge are wearing on their belts. One fan posed a question on X (formerly Twitter) about those little black "boxes," which have been seen before on the PGA Tour.
Fortunately, the answer came soon enough. Golf Channel's renowned reporter, Rex Hoggard, reported that these are new "ShotLink/ShotTracker" devices that the Tour is testing at the Hero World Challenge.
Both ShotLink and ShotTracker are terms that would not be unfamiliar to golf fans. ShotLink is the technology that, since 2001, collects data about each and every shot played on the PGA Tour.
It is estimated that, through ShotLink, data is collected on 1.5 million strokes per year. This is what allows the updating of the very useful Stroke Gained statistic.
ShotTracker, on the other hand, is nothing more than a set of devices or apps developed to collect data on golf strokes. They are available for multiple brands and all cell phone operating systems.
How is the second round of the Hero World Challenge going?
Jordan Spieth and Matt Fitzpatrick currently lead the Hero World Challenge on the 12th and 14th holes respectively in the second round. Their provisional score is -7.
Sepp Straka, Justin Thomas, Collin Morikawa and Scottie Scheffler are in second place, one stroke behind the leaders. Of the 20 members in the field, 13 are playing for a score of even par or better.
The main attraction of the tournament, Tiger Woods, was much better on day 2 than the previous day. Woods has already finished his play, posting a -2 round score and improving his overall to 1-over 145.
Woods' performance on Friday included five birdies and three bogeys. He was particularly good on the front nine, as he played it with only 32 strokes. But he suffered a little on the back nine, making three bogeys and one birdie.
At the end of his round, Tiger Woods shared his first impressions with the press covering the event. This is what he had to say (via TWLEGION):
"Wish I would have made a couple more putts to keep the round going. [Haven't play better] maybe 'cause I haven’t played. I'm rusty. I got two more days to prove it [that I can play better]."
The other player returning to active sport in the Hero World Challenge, Will Zalatoris, also improved his performance significantly from the first day. Zalatoris fired a 68 in the second round, including an eagle, six birdies and four bogeys.