Golf World Reacts To PGA Tour’s New Bonus Pool
Some of the most popular golfers on the PGA Tour are about to get paid–and it may not have anything to do with how they actually play on the course.
According to a report from Golfweek’s Eamon Lynch, the PGA Tour has created a bonus pool designed to compensate the players that most drive fan engagement and interaction on social media. Players who could benefit the most from the initiative include Bryson DeChambeau and Tiger Woods.
“A PGA Tour spokesperson confirmed to Golfweek that the Player Impact Program began January 1 to “recognize and reward players who positively move the needle,” Lynch wrote. “At the end of the year, a pool of $40 million will be distributed among 10 players, with the player deemed most valuable receiving $8 million.”
The rankings used to determine who receives these bonuses will be based off a golfer’s “Impact Score,” a number calculated using six metrics that include position on the season-ending FedEx Cup points list, Q-rating, Nielsen Brand Exposure rating and Google popularity.
As you might imagine, this news has drawn considerable reaction from the golf community, with some supporting the concept and others unfavorably comparing it to the new “Super League” that has the soccer world in an uproar.
Exclusive: PGA Tour to create $40 million bonus pool for stars like Tiger Woods, Bryson DeChambeau https://t.co/MbEbzQGQB2 via @golfweek
— Eamon Lynch (@eamonlynch) April 20, 2021
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You read it thinking it's April Fools, then realize that was three weeks ago, and that of course it's real – it's the PGA Tour.
I sincerely hope the formula correctly distinguishes between + and – impact or someone (no names) might benefit from dubious rules incidents. https://t.co/VxyrlTmhoW— Tony Dear (@tonyjdear) April 20, 2021
Another game gone. https://t.co/mtlvzT2DKU
— John Fogarty (@JohnFogartyIrl) April 20, 2021
Need the freshly updated Impact Score rankings delivered to my inbox every Monday morning https://t.co/oHrPYBbtdJ
— Ryan Lavner (@RyanLavnerGC) April 20, 2021
Impressive scoop from @eamonlynch. Given these metrics, the public relations world is set to pick up a lot more golf contracts. https://t.co/z55cd8BTcw
— Rob Damschen (@RobDamschen) April 20, 2021
This is a solution to a non-problem on the @PGATOUR. The game's top stars are already paid handsomely.
This model is *exactly* what the @LPGA needs, though, and a modified version would do wonders for the @NCAA. https://t.co/V768ZljOh5
— PGA Tout (@PGATout) April 20, 2021
Does golf really need another mechanism to funnel more money to its top players, the gulf between the biggest names and the rank and file already seems massive enough. https://t.co/jtzlG3iYYy
— Brian DiMenna (@bdimenna) April 20, 2021
However you feel about this bonus system, it is clear that we’re about to enter a period in golf where a player’s brand will be of the utmost importance.
It should be interesting to see what golfers do to cultivate their personal brands moving forward.
The post Golf World Reacts To PGA Tour’s New Bonus Pool appeared first on The Spun.
