What does 'E' mean on a golf scoreboard?

“E” on a golf scoreboard means even par. It indicates that a player has taken exactly the number of strokes the course’s par requires for a hole, round, or tournament.

Par is the benchmark score assigned to a hole based mainly on its length and difficulty. A player one stroke under par is shown as −1, while a player one stroke over par is shown as +1. “E” is the compact scoreboard notation for zero relative to par.

The symbol can describe a single round or a cumulative tournament score. For example, a golfer who shoots 72 on a par-72 course is even for that round. A golfer may also finish a four-round tournament at even par after scores above and below par cancel out.

A common mix-up is confusing “E” with eagle. An eagle is a score two strokes under par on one hole; it is not a scoreboard status. “Extra” and “error” are not standard golf scoring terms.