DreamHack Sports Games has joined forces with the European Tour professional golf circuit and Topgolf Media to launch the European eTour.
The inaugural European eTour will consist of six events, each taking place alongside European Tour events throughout 2020.
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Players will compete on mobile golf game World Golf Tour by Topgolf, a game that is currently played by over 20 million across the world.
Rufus Hack, Chief Content Officer of the European Tour commented on the news in a release: “The launch of the European eTour underlines the European Tour’s commitment to innovation and we believe this is an exciting opportunity for us to be leaders in a market that has huge growth potential. The esports industry allows the European Tour to engage with our existing audience in a different way and attract new fans outside of our traditional demographic through our broadcast and digital platforms.
“Our inaugural event in Denmark earlier this year gave a glimpse into the popularity of esports and we are looking forward to launching the golf’s first esports Tour in 2020.”
The partnership between DreamHack and the European Tour began in May, with a competition being held at Made In Denmark. Eight players from the World Golf Tour competed for a share of $5,000 (GBP3,742) in prize money.
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Peter Norrelun, CEO of DreamHack Sports Games added: “We see a great future for sports games in esports. The combination of a good game and a strong player in traditional sports is a winning recipe. World Golf Tour is a superior golf game and natural platform for Golf esports, European Tour one of the strongest brands in the world of sports and with our ability to create content, media products and build strong communities I am sure, that the European eTour will be a smashing success. I am thrilled with the partnership.”
The European eTour begins in January at the Abu Dhabi HSBC Championship presented by EGA, and will culminate at the DP World Tour Championship in Dubai from November 19th-22nd 2020.
Esports Insider says: After testing the waters in May, the European eTour must have generated enough interest for a dedicated esports circuit to be created. It’ll be interesting to see how the traditional golf audience view the circuit now that it’ll be almost unavoidable for attendees.