Golfer gets LPGA invite through controversial Twitter poll

Indian golfer Sharmila Nicollet has received an invite to the LPGA Tour’s ShopRite LPGA Classic after a highly controversial Twitter poll.

The tournament teamed-up with MVPindex, which ranks, measures, and values more than 50,000 of the biggest influencers on social media in sports and entertainment, to offer the final spot in the field for the event.

Scotland’s Carly Booth was among the four available to vote for, along with American Blair O’Neal and Susana Benavides from Bolivia, but it was Nicollet who came out on top with 39% of the 26,000-plus votes.

Nicollet has played in 52 events in her career on the Ladies European Tour but has amassed earnings of just €16,147 in that time, with a best finish of T17 at the 2013 Turkish Airlines Ladies Open.

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Each player on social media

Sharmila Nicollet

Twitter: 357k
Instagram: 107k

Blair O’Neal

Twitter: 77k
Instagram: 188k

Carly Booth

Twitter: 36k
Instagram: 63k

Susana Benavides

Twitter: 7k
Instagram: 21k

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As you can see above, all of the golfers have a substantial social media following and the poll prompted a furious backlash from members of the public on Twitter for seemingly prioritising that over an invite for a player’s golfing ability.