WGT Golf News

Thanks to everyone who entered our Virtual U.S. Open 2009 Video Blogger Contest! We were excited to see such on-screen talent among our players, and had a great time looking through the entries. After much consideration, the winner of the video blogger contest is...

Tyler DeZubay, AKA Hotwir3! Here is his winning submission, where he covers April's Play with Parker 18-Hole Open:

Tyler is a full-time college student and hails from Charlotte, North Carolina. He enjoys hockey, real and virtual golf, and in additional to being our video blogger this summer, he is also volunteering at a hospital and coaching little league hockey. "I hope to provide insight and report on the Virtual U.S. Open and the U.S. Open at Bethpage in order to add to the well-established WGT community," he says.

We'd also like to say a special thanks to the two runners up, Bennett Fink (bfink) and Corey Hodges (OBXGOLFER18), who blew us away as well and made it a very hard decision for us.

Please check out Tyler's video blogs in the coming weeks to get the latest news on the Virtual U.S. Open 2009, and to show support for one of our own!

We've made a few small changes to the Forum to make it more useful. There is now a Search box on the upper right-hand side, where you can look for topics or usernames by keyword. The next time you have a question, do a search for it first because chances are somebody has already answered it! If you need to do a more detailed search, from the search results page just click More Search Options and you can enter additional criteria.

Below the search box, we added two new link modules--"Getting Started", which contains links to information such as system requirements and tutorials, and "FAQs", which links to some of the most commonly asked questions.

The qualifying round of the Virtual U.S. Open 2009 starts May 25, and we hope you've been practicing for it in the April and May Closests-to-the-Hole tournaments. Another tool that can help you get an edge are these video tutorials narrated by Peter Kessler, covering topics like "How to Choose the Right Club" and "How to Read Your Lie". Have fun practicing!

WGT wishes you a very happy Mother's Day! We hope you have a wonderful weekend.

There are only three days left to submit a video for the Virtual U.S. Open 2009 Video Blogger Contest. This is your last weekend to get your video together and post it! Remember, we are looking for someone with onscreen charisma, so keep it simple and don't worry about making it super-polished. The winner also gets a chance to travel to Bethpage Black to cover this year's U.S. Open, so good luck everyone!

Check out this radio interview with USGA's Director of New Media, in which he discusses the Virtual U.S. Open and how great it is to play Bethpage Black online in hi-def!

Congratulations to melli22631 and AvatarLee for winning a round of golf with Parker McLachlan in the April "Play with Parker" Tournament. These two lucky players will have a chance to play a round with Parker at TPC Scottsdale in September! We'd also like to congratulate badaboom for winning a signed USGA flag in the April Virtual U.S. Open Challenge. The May challenge is on now, and there will be one more in June, so start playing for your chance to win.

Thanks to you, we reached an important milestone this weekend--100 million balls hit at WGT! We look forward to bringing you more courses and features in the coming months, so keep on playing!

Sincerely,
WGT Team

The "Play with Parker" Tournament ends April 30th, so enter now if you haven't already. Winners of this 18-hole stroke play tournament will play a round of golf with PGA Tour Pro Parker McLachlin on his home course at TPC Scottsdale! Airfare, two-night hotel stay, and spending money included. US and Canadian players are eligible. See tournament rules for full details.

We have launched a nationwide search for a video blogger to cover the 2009 Virtual U.S. Open and practice rounds at the actual 2009 U.S. Open Championship at Bethpage Black in New York. This is truly a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for any golfer or sports fan!

The best entries could include: coverage of the leaderboard, replays of some great shots, interviews with players, commentary on some challenging holes, and an overall ability to create excitement and drama in a similar fashion as real sportscasters.

Be sure to tag your video with "2009virtualusopen_contest_yourwgtusername" (example: 2009virtualusopen_contest_golfer09)—videos not tagged in this way will not be considered.

The winner and two runners up will be announced on May 21, 2009. Don't delay, get started now!

Important Dates:

• May 11: Deadline to submit video entry
• May 21: Winner announcement
• May 25 - June 23: 2009 Virtual U.S. Open
• June 15 - 19: 2009 U.S. Open practice rounds at Bethpage Black

For the latest on the video blogger search and other WGT news, click here.

You must be 18 years or older and a United States resident, have a valid WGT.com account, and have completed at least three game rounds at WGT.com between October 1, 2008 and May 11, 2009 to participate in the 2009 Virtual U.S. Open Championship video blog promotion. If you participate in the video blog promotion you will not be eligible to register for, or participate in, the 2009 Virtual U.S. Open Championship. One winner will be selected by WGT in its sole discretion. If you are selected, WGT will reimburse you for a ticket to attend the 2009 U.S. Open Championship golf tournament and related travel expenses. There is no other compensation for the video blog and you bear all production costs. WGT will have exclusive rights to your video blog. We can decide whether or not to publish your blog and may edit it or use excerpts of the blog in our promotional materials. Your participation is subject to the terms of WGT's then-current video blogging agreement.