The DP World Tour has enjoyed record ticket sales across its key summer events in 2022, as fans have flocked to watch the world’s best compete for some of the oldest and most prestigious titles in golf.
Across four of the Tour’s most historic tournaments – Rolex Series events the BMW PGA Championship and the Genesis Scottish Open, in addition to the Betfred British Masters hosted by Danny Willett and the Horizon Irish Open – the DP World Tour has enjoyed a record 20 sold out days for general admission tickets and premium hospitality. Key tournament highlights include:
• The 2022 BMW PGA Championship saw a 30% increase in ticket sales compared to the previous year, with three of the four competition days fully sold out in a tournament that was cut to 54-holes following the passing of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II.
• The 2022 Genesis Scottish Open in June, co-sanctioned with the PGA TOUR for the first time and with 14 of the top 15 players in the world rankings competing, saw a 12% increase in ticket sales compared to comparable pre-COVID sales in 2019.
• The 2022 Horizon Irish Open in July saw a 40% increase in ticket sales compared to 2019. Weekend tickets sold out for the first time in the tournament’s history.
• The 2022 Betfred British Masters hosted by Danny Willett in May enjoyed a sold-out final day, with a 4% increase in ticket sales compared to 2019.
• Attendance figures across all four tournaments stood at 271,000.
• Premium hospitality packages enjoyed complete sell-outs across all days at the Genesis Scottish Open, the BMW PGA Championship and the Horizon Irish Open.
This ticketing success has led to a 32% increase in ticketing and hospitality revenue for these four tournaments in 2022 compared to 2019 - the last normal season before the pandemic. These tournaments have also enjoyed strong growth on social media for their dedicated tournament channels, with a 66% growth in follower numbers since 2019.
The DP World Tour also continues to deliver unforgettable experiences to fans, with attendees rating their overall event experience an 8.5/10. This benchmarks above UK major sporting event industry averages. The majority also expressed a desire to attend again and would strongly recommend the events to family and friends.
The fan base is also increasingly diverse, with a 39% increase in the number of female ticket purchasers for DP World Tour events this season compared to 2019.
This ticketing success has also been driven by the creation of Tour Consumer Experiences – a joint venture with industry-leading sports marketing and data technology company Two Circles. This is seeing the DP World Tour utilise Two Circles’ insights into sports fan behaviour and technology-driven sales and marketing capabilities.
Speaking about the record year Keith Pelley, Chief Executive Officer of the European Tour group, said: “Golf has enjoyed a significant boom in popularity since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic with its outdoor nature allowing an earlier return to action than most sports - helping to attract new fans to the game. The DP World Tour has worked hard to make sure that we utilise this momentum and find innovative ways to attract new fans to our tournaments.
“We have enjoyed a record summer of golf, with big name players competing for record prize funds and spectators have turned out in record numbers to watch. The DP World Tour has never been in such a strong position, and we expect this momentum to continue into the final few months of the 2022 season with November’s DP World Tour Championship in Dubai already enjoying record registrations to attend.”
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