It's not quite golf's equivalent of the European Super League - but it's not a million miles removed from it either.
It is understood that the PGA Tour has launched a lucrative new bonus structure for its players that will reward the game's top players for driving fan and sponsor engagement.
A report by Golfweek says that the scheme, called the Player Impact Program, will see $40million distributed amongst ten players each year in recognition of the "value they add to the overall product" and not just their on-course results.
• New study reveals golf's biggest earner per shot
• Work begins on Nicklaus' new Scottish course
• WATCH - Kim suffers brutal luck at RBC Heritage
A tour spokesperson told Golfweek that the scheme launched on January 1 this year in order to “recognise and reward players who positively move the needle.”
The player who leads the standings at the end of the year will receive a whopping $8million bonus.
According to Golfweek, the full list of metrics by which players will be judged include their position on the season-ending FedEx Cup points list as well as their popularity in Google Search and their Nielsen Brand Exposure rating, which places a value on the exposure a player delivers to sponsors though the minutes they are featured on broadcasts.
• Work begins on Nicklaus' new Scots course
• Scots pro launches new junior foundation
Also taken into account will be players' Q Rating, which measures the familiarity and appeal of a player’s brand; their MVP Index rating, which calibrates the value of the engagement a player drives across social and digital channels; and their Meltwater Mentions, or the frequency with which a player generates coverage across a range of media platforms.
These metrics will then be turned into a so-called 'Impact Score' using a tour algorithm. Players will be ranked by their 'Impact Score' in order to determine the bonus amount due.
It has been reported that this scheme has been devised in a bid to kill off the Premier Golf League, a rival tour bankrolled by Saudi Arabia which has tried to entice some of the game's biggest names away from the PGA Tour.
Share this Article
