The inaugural European eTour Series got underway this week at the Abu Dhabi HSBC Championship, with the world’s top players competing at a special live tournament.
The European Tour teamed up with DreamHack and Topgolf Entertainment Group to launch the first esports series in golf, played on the World Golf Tour (WGT) online and mobile game.
Over 45,000 players from 169 countries tried to qualify for the first of six events in the series, before the leading 128 players then played in a knockout competition to try and secure one of eight spots for the live tournament.
Eight players from five different countries then came to Abu Dhabi Golf Club to compete in a specifically constructed venue in the public village, all streamed live on the European Tour's social media channels.
American Payton Gordley came through the round-robin group stage to progress through to the semi-finals and then the final, where he defeated compatriot Joshua Smith to secure the trophy.
Gordley, who plays under the username 'Golfx3', also won a one-off esports event at the Made in Denmark last year, with the 21-year-old the first player through to the season-ending Grand Final.
Sky Sports will show special highlights from the event, screened on Monday from 7pm on Sky Sports Golf and repeated from 8.30pm on both Sky Sports Golf and Sky Sports Mix.
Four more European eTour events will take place in the coming months, with the five winners and three wildcards then competing for $50,000 at the DP World Tour Championship in November