PGA Tour offering US$40mil in bonus money to top stars

NEW YORK: The US PGA Tour is awarding a US$40mil (RM165mil) bonus pool to the top 10 players who move the needle in golf, regardless of how they perform inside the ropes.

Some of the top players and managers have loosely hinted at the plan, called the “Player Impact Programme” since the start of 2020. That was right about the time a concept known as the Premier Golf League funded in part by Saudi money was trying to lure the top players to join an international tour.

Rory McIlroy and Brooks Koepka were among the first players to say they were not interested in the league, which again met with key managers last month without making any headway.

Golfweek was the first to report that the Player Impact Programme started in January.

The payout goes to the top 10 players for the year, determined by an accumulative score measuring popularity through such metrics as Q Rating, Google searches, Nielsen Brand Rating on how a player’s exposure helps sponsors and Meltwater Mentions (frequency of player coverage through various media platforms).

It also uses the MVP Index, a company founded by Shawn Spieth, the father of three-time Major champion Jordan Spieth and one of the game’s most popular players. The MVP Index measures the value of engagement on social and digital channels.

A Tour spokesman said the score did not involve performance on the course, such as FedEx Cup standings.

Players who earn a bonus from the programme would be required to give back by playing an additional tournament, for example, or taking part in a Tour marketing campaign.

“I think with media dollars being so astronomical these days, and four, five, six guys always being the ones that are being used to promote the tournament, I guess it’s just a way of trying to sort of incentivise them,” Justin Rose said.