In an industry that runs on relationships, timing, and trust, the places where those relationships take shape matter almost as much as the deals themselves. Conferences and networking events still sit at the heart of the iGaming calendar, but a new initiative is taking an innovative and looser approach.

The deeper I have dug into the numbers for this preview, the more one name keeps surfacing in a way that feels underpriced: Brooks Koepka. Despite his recent decline and a dreadful 2024 Augusta performance, the 2026 stats are compelling. He ranks third on the PGA Tour in SG: Approach and his GIR rate of 71% is inside the key Masters contender band. Koepka has two runner-up finishes at Augusta (2019 and 2023) and his career scoring history suggests he putts better on the bentgrass greens than his season average suggests. At 40/1, the market is pricing in last year's version of Koepka.

In an era of Zoom calls and digital-first networking, the fairway remains one of the most reliable places on earth to close a deal, build trust, and read a room. There is an unspoken truth about the time spent walking 18 holes: it strips away the corporate facade. It is effectively a four-hour interview where you witness patience under pressure, integrity in scoring, and resilience after a poor shot. These insights are invaluable in business, making the golf course the ultimate, low-pressure boardroom for building genuine, lasting connections.

The Ryder Cup is a century old. It has produced some of sport’s most extraordinary human moments — collapses, comebacks, tears, feuds, yet friendships are forged under impossible pressure. This is why it matters and at the IGGC we have started to develop our very own version of the greatest team event in Sport.