Following the first e-Open tournament presented by Mastercard last year, golf governing body R&A has announced that gamers and golf fans will be able to take part again in 2021.
Players of all skill levels will be able to test themselves against the challenge of the iconic links of Royal St George’s, the golf club based in Kent, UK, in this golf esports tournament.
The e-Open qualifying will take place at the host of the 149th Open, Royal St George’s, rendered in World Golf Tour (WGT) by Topgolf from July 12th to August 15th.
Knock-out rounds will be running from August 17th to 19th, leading to a grand final showdown on August 20th.
The 149th Open will take place at Royal St George’s from Thursday July 15th to Sunday July 18th, giving players all the inspiration they need to take on the virtual challenge.
“Following the success of the e-Open last year, we are delighted to announce it will once again return for golf fans across the world to put their skills to the test. Esports continues to grow in popularity and be enjoyed by gamers of all levels all around the world. Open to everyone.”
John Espley, The R&A
Last year’s inaugural e-Open tournament saw more than 145,000 entries from 125 countries, with more than 1.1m WGT rounds played. It was won by British player Fmagnets – you can watch the full e-Open 2019 final here, which has been viewed almost a quarter of million times.
Prizes up for grabs this year include an all-expenses paid trip to the 150th Open in St Andrew’s in Scotland next year.
John Espley, head of commercial partnerships at The R&A, said: “Following the success of the e-Open last year, we are delighted to announce it will once again return for golf fans across the world to put their skills to the test.
“Esports continues to grow in popularity and be enjoyed by gamers of all levels all around the world. Open to everyone, the e-Open gives golf fans a unique opportunity on a global platform to tackle the unrelenting challenge at Royal St George’s against other gamers, for a chance to be crowned champion.”
The R&A says it’s committed to investing £200m over 10 years in developing golf and supporting the growth of the sport internationally, including the development and management of sustainable golf facilities.
Players can enter the 2021 e-Open challenge here.
Dom is an award-winning writer and finalist of the Esports Journalist of the Year 2023 award. He graduated from Bournemouth University with a 2:1 degree in Multi-Media Journalism in 2007.
As a long-time gamer having first picked up the NES controller in the late ’80s, he has written for a range of publications including GamesTM, Nintendo Official Magazine, industry publication MCV and others. He worked as head of content for the British Esports Federation up until February 2021, when he stepped back to work full-time on Esports News UK and offer esports consultancy and freelance services. Note: Dom still produces the British Esports newsletter on a freelance basis, so our coverage of British Esports is always kept simple – usually just covering the occasional press release – because of this conflict of interest.
