Mastercard is providing spectators at The Open, the oldest of the four major golf championships, the chance to order and pay for food and drinks through their mobiles for the first time.

Using the Qkr! with Masterpass app, the more than 200,000 spectators at the 146^th Open, at Royal Birkdale in Southport, England, will be able to order and pay for food and drink from their seats on the large grandstand on the ninth hole – without having to leave their seats at any point, as their order is delivered to them.

“We are continually exploring ways to introduce Mastercard’s technology to our partnerships to provide our cardholders with a better experience,” said Mark Barnett, president of Mastercard UK & Ireland. “Whether at a sporting event like The Open, or a gig or in a restaurant or bar, the emphasis has to be on having fun and being immersed in the event.  For us that means minimising the time spent on payments or queues so that they don’t get in the way.”

Qkr, which available in 10 markets across the world, has previously been used at large sporting events such as the Copa America and the Arnold Palmer Invitational. Elsewhere, in the UK, it is being used at Wagamama, Ask Italian, Young’s Pubs, Zizzi, Carluccio’s, Byron and Change Please, a mobile coffee delivery social project run by homeless people in London, as well as TGI Fridays using the app’s ‘Bar Tab’ feature.