Attendees at this year’s U.S. Open can mint up to five limited-edition proof-of-attendance protocol (POAP) NFTs this year through a partnership with American Express.
The digital collectibles for the golf tournament that runs from June 15 to 18 will feature artwork by lifestyle publication HYPEBEAST and the streetwear brand Metalwood Studio. The NFTs can be minted to a crypto wallet on each day of the tournament.
Five individual designs will be available to mint, and each will include the ability to buy exclusive merchandise from Metalwood Studio, such as a crewneck sweatshirt, T-shirt, bucket hat, or a driver head cover.
In an email to Fortune, Lindsay Ulrey, Amex’s vice president of global brand sponsorships and experiential marketing, said the company has successfully launched two previous POAPs—at the Austin City Limits music festival and the American Express NBA 2K23 Lab Experience in New York.
“We believe that Web3 applications will continue to grow as the technology improves,” Ulrey added.
In a bid to engage the Web3 community, American Express also is teaming up with LinksDAO, a golf-focussed DAO, to provide a limited number of U.S. Open tickets to DAO members.
Created by U.S.-based company POAP, the special non-fungible tokens by the same name are meant to be proof to others that you attended a particular event. The non-fungible tokens took off after NFTs became mainstream in 2021 and since then companies like Adidas, eBay, and Spotify have launched their own.
The recent lawsuits against Coinbase and Binance brought forth by the Securities and Exchange Commission haven't persuaded Amex to steer clear of Web3, Ulrey said.
“We encourage regulators to establish the right safeguards for consumers and financial systems, while still allowing for innovation,” Ulrey added.
