Live event at TPC Boston – 1st place wins $200k.
With the emphatic victory of Jordan Spieth at the Masters fresh in our minds, DraftKings have announced the launch of the Fantasy Golf World Championships, an event with a top prize of a cool $200,000. This event has an elite field of just twenty five players, with every qualifier being guaranteed a prize of at least $5,000. All finalists will travel to the TPC Boston and enjoy 4 days of top class PGA tour golf, watching the action unfold in front of them on the greens and fairways.
Qualification – How To Qualify for World Golf Championship
Qualifiers start at $33
Unlike a number of big money daily fantasy sports events, there is no direct entry into the Fantasy Golf World Championship as all of the 25 seats will have to be won through a qualifying event.
- Qualify only in satellites. No direct buy-in.
- $33 qualifier runs weekly.
- $1000 qualifier runs weekly.
- Ed Note: I expect there will be more ways to qualify as the season continues.
These qualifiers will have entry fees of either $33 or $1,000.
The $33 qualifiers will have much larger fields than the $1,000 qualifiers but will see more recreational players try their luck, making the overall quality of these qualifiers mixed. The $1,000 qualifier will see much fewer recreational players, which will make them somewhat tougher, but this is offset by the fact that you’ll have to beat fewer players to grab one of those all-important tickets.
You’ll also be able to play satellite events into the qualifiers for much smaller amounts – these running for a quarter, $3 and $33 (the $33 satellites being for the $1,000 qualifiers).
Qualifiers are held on a weekly basis on the PGA tour events throughout the season – the final qualifiers taking place on the 20th August.
Should two or more players tie in a qualifier which takes place more than ten days before the finals, these players will take part in a playoff event the following week to see who gains the seat. If a tie takes place in a qualifier less than ten days before the event, the player who has the highest points scoring golfer in their roster will be deemed to be the winner. Should two players have an identical roster in this situation, the player who submitted their team first shall be deemed the winner.
The Main Event
The Fantasy Golf World Championship will take place at TPC Boston during the week of the Deutsche Bank Open. This is the second event of the Fedex Cup Playoffs, a tournament which sees the top 100 players in the standings strive to move onto to the BMW Championship and the Tour Championships in the following two weeks. As part of the playoffs, a top quality field is guaranteed, with players like Rory McIlroy, Phil Mickelson, Jordan Spieth and Bubba Watson almost sure to be in attendance – Tiger Woods too if his return to the tour is a success.
This event is somewhat unique in the fact that all of the finalists will actually be watching the players they have picked in action in front of them – no other fantasy sport can offer this, as results will usually depend on what happens on courts, diamonds and stadiums across the country. In all probability, the final putt of the tournament could decide the winner of this World Championship, and with DraftKings having private club seats on the 18th green, this winner may be just a matter of feet away. This all makes for a potentially tremendous experience – the first time ever that Fantasy Golf will be held live.
Qualifiers will be awarded a package worth $7,500. This will include $1,000 towards airfare and accommodation for five nights at the Intercontinental Boston for 5 nights. Qualifiers will arrive on Thursday September 3rd, the tournament starting the day after. The tournament ends on Monday September 7th (Labor day) and the 25 players will depart the following day.
Golf Championship Prize Fund
The World Championship of Fantasy Golf
The total prize fund for the event is $600,000 – here is a rundown of every prize:
1st $200,000
2nd $100,000
3rd $50,000
4th $30,000
5th $25,000
6th – 7th $20,000
8th – 10th $15,000
11th – 15th $10,000
16th – 20th $7,000
21st – 25th $5,000
Fantasy Golf World Championship
Draftkings have really raised the bar here with this innovative event. With seats on the 18th green, as well as the Draftkings lounge on the 17th hole, the experience will be amazing one for every qualifier. Having picked a roster of six players, you’ll be able to walk the course following a number of your selected players, or take a seat at the 18th and watch every player come through. This is an event that all golf fans would love to be a part of and for as little as 25 cents, you’ll have a chance.
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