Poker-style tournament runs across 30 Topgolf venues in 11 states this September, leading up to a Scottsdale final and a $250,000 World Series of Golf prize
Topgolf will host the first World Series of Golf (WSG) qualifying tournament across 30 of its venues, the company said on 28 July. The satellite series runs simultaneously in 11 US states – Alabama, Arizona, Colorado, Idaho, Kansas, Maryland, Minnesota, New Jersey, New Mexico, North Carolina and Tennessee – and feeds a national final at Topgolf Scottsdale. The 30 venues include all three of Topgolf’s Alabama locations.
The tie-up with the WSG is the first time the 23-year-old competition has staged satellite events at Topgolf. Players compete hole-by-hole through betting mechanics built into the WSG app, playing nine holes in Topgolf’s virtual golf mode before the format’s grass championship.
Competitors weigh shot-making against calculated risk on each hole instead of simply playing straight stroke play. WSG calls the qualifying rounds its ‘Satellite Series’.
Topgolf: How the qualifiers work
Each event runs over two nights, 1 and 2 September 2026. On the first night, 128 players compete in groups of four within assigned bays, and each bay produces one winner. The 32 bay winners regroup, and the final eight advance to the second night until one venue champion emerges.
The champion at each of the 30 venues qualifies for the National Qualifying Championship on 2 October. The last player standing there takes the Topgolf-designated seat in the World Series of Golf Championship, which carries a top prize of up to $250,000. Other players reach the championship through the WSG satellite events.
Highlights from each qualifier and the national final will run across Topgolf Media Networks, the in-venue screens the company uses across its locations, after each event.
Poker mechanics in a golf bay
David McKillips, CEO of Topgolf, said: “Topgolf has always been about bringing people together through experiences you can’t find anywhere else, and the World Series of Golf is another great example of that.
“By combining the strategy and excitement of poker with the skill and competition of golf, we’re creating an entirely new way to play. It’s innovative, social and competitive, and we see this as the beginning of a tournament platform that can grow into something truly special for golfers across the country.”
Robert Davidman, CEO of the World Series of Golf, added: “Topgolf has built something no one else has, a place where serious golfers and first-timers can walk in and immediately feel the game.
“The WSG format was made for this moment. It takes the strategy of poker and puts it into every hole, and now, through our app, anyone can bring that experience to a Topgolf bay or any golf course in the world. For 23 years, the World Series of Golf has been the pinnacle of competitive golf, something players watched and dreamed about. This partnership changes that.
“Topgolf makes WSG accessible to everyone, and every event we play together becomes content, stories, moments that grow this sport in a way we’ve never been able to reach before. We built this format to be the most competitive game in golf. Now, for the first time, anyone can play it.”
New owners, new revenue lines
The partnership comes during a time of change for the golfing brand, after Leonard Green & Partners took a majority stake in the business in January 2026 for $770m, and former parent Topgolf Callaway Brands renamed itself Callaway Golf Company.
McKillips became CEO on 23 February, succeeding Artie Starrs, who left in July 2025 for Harley-Davidson. McKillips joined from CEC Entertainment, the Chuck E. Cheese parent he led through a pandemic-era bankruptcy.
Registration for the qualifiers costs $86.49 and includes a WSG app subscription, the companies said. The subscription includes access to the WSG app which scores the qualifiers.
Entry runs through the WSG website, with qualifying on 1 and 2 September and the Scottsdale final on 2 October.
