Next on the tee: Netflix. The streaming service is hitting the links with “Formula 1: Drive to Survive” producers Box to Box Films on a PGA Tour docuseries. The pairing has access to all four of the game’s major championships — and quite the (growing) leaderboard of golfers, including Dustin Johnson, Brooks Koepka (pictured above), Jordan Spieth, Justin Thomas, Bubba Watson and Rickie Fowler, among many others.
Here’s the show’s logline: For the first time ever, the PGA Tour and the governing bodies that conduct men’s major championships — Augusta National Golf Club, the PGA of America, the USGA, and The R&A – will provide entry into the sport’s biggest events including The Players Championship and season-ending FedExCup, as well as the four majors: the Masters Tournament, PGA Championship, U.S. Open Championship and The Open. With unprecedented access inside the ropes and behind the scenes, the series will capture the intensity of training, travel, victory, and defeat through the lens of a diverse group of players and their support teams.
And here is the current list, in alphabetical order, of players that have committed to the series: Abraham Ancer, Daniel Berger, Cameron Champ, Joel Dahmen, Tony Finau, Matthew Fitzpatrick, Tommy Fleetwood, Rickie Fowler, Sergio Garcia, Harry Higgs, Max Homa, Viktor Hovland, Dustin Johnson, Brooks Koepka, Collin Morikawa, Kevin Na, Mito Pereira, Ian Poulter, Xander Schauffele, Jordan Spieth, Justin Thomas and Bubba Watson. Additionally, the world’s No. 1-ranked amateur golfer, Keita Nakajima, will participate in the docuseries, which will chronicle his first cracks at major tournaments. Filming is underway now and will continue throughout 2022.
“This partnership with Netflix presents the PGA Tour and the four major championships an opportunity to tap into a completely new and diverse audience,” Rick Anderson, the chief media officer of the PGA Tour, said on Wednesday. “This documentary will give fans an authentic look into the real lives of our athletes, and what it’s like to win — and lose — during a season on the PGA Tour.”
“We are thrilled to bring golf’s leading organizations and players together for this first-of-its-kind partnership and unparalleled window into life on the Tour,” Brandon Riegg, Netflix’s vice president of unscripted and documentary series, said in a statement. “Our members will love getting to know the players and personalities as well as the iconic venues along the way. Even the most devoted golf fans have never seen the sport quite like this.”
The series is produced by Vox Media Studios and Box To Box Films. Executive producers are David Check, Chad Mumm and Mark Olsen for Vox Media Studios, and James Gay-Rees and Paul Martin for Box to Box Films.
