Photo via Sprint.
Sprint’s antennas overlook Chambers Bay. Photo via Sprint.

There will be drones. There will be phones. And there will be lots of good golf.

Welcome to the U.S. Open.

USGA built an app specifically for the U.S. Open 2015.
USGA built an app specifically for the U.S. Open 2015.

For the first time ever, the Northwest is hosting one of golf’s most prestigious major tournaments this week at Chambers Bay in University Place, Wash. The USGA sold more than 120,000 tickets for the four-day competition, but many fans have already had a glimpse of the action during practice rounds on Monday and Tuesday.

GeekWire will be on the ground at Chambers Bay for the final warm-up round on Wednesday and again on Thursday, the tournament’s first official day, to bring you a bevy of tech-related coverage. We’re looking forward to checking out USGA’s new smartphone app, as fans are finally allowed to bring their mobile devices to a U.S. Open for the first time (mobile carriers have responded as a result). We’ll also get an up-close glimpse at the drones Fox Sports is using for its live TV broadcast.

We’re also interested in how Twitter-owned Periscope might work at a massive sporting event like this. While it would be cool for readers and fans, Periscoping may prove difficult or even against the rules, particularly since reporter Stephanie Wei had her PGA Tour credentials suspended after live-streaming some footage from a practice round last month.

For those interested in the course itself, here are some good hole-by-hole descriptions from the USGA, which partnered with IBM to help build its website and mobile app this year.

You can follow our coverage of the major tournament here. We are excited to show how technology is impacting the U.S. Open, especially since we just launched a sports tech newsletter.

Check back later today for a few updates. See you on the course!

Like what you're reading? Subscribe to GeekWire's free newsletters to catch every headline

Job Listings on GeekWork

Find more jobs on GeekWork. Employers, post a job here.