US PGA Tour: New program will reward the 10 most popular golfers with $50m in bonuses

Big-name golfers have been given the best possible incentive to get active on Instagram after revelations of an extraordinary bonus pool.

Marc Leishman is ready to dial up his social media game after it was revealed the US PGA Tour would be handing out $50m in player bonuses in a new program to reward players who “move the needle” on and off course.

Already playing for close to $7m in prizemoney every week, with nearly $13m awarded to the season ending FedEx Cup champion, 10 players are set to share in the extra windfall at the end of the year.

The system is designed to compensate players who produce the most engagement from fans and sponsors, with the player considered most valuable set to receive more than $10m.

Those 10 players will be determined by their “impact score” within the sport, a number derived from metrics including their place on the FedEx Cup rankings, the length of time players feature in TV broadcasts and their popularity when searched on Google.

The frequency a golfer generates coverage across a range of media platforms will also be taken into account, and Leishman, who has close to 20,000 Twitter followers, said he was more than prepared to be more active to get a share of the incredible spoils.

“I mean if you’re 11th in the FedExCup points or ninth or 10th or wherever you are, and if you’re not active on social media and that costs you, it sounds like it could be quite a lot of money,” Leishman said at the Zurich Classic in New Orleans, where he is teaming up with fellow Aussie Cameron Smith in the teams event.

“So I think, yeah, definitely it’s something that I’ve looked at, and I heard about it a couple of months ago. I’m trying to become more active, just in case you do get a hot hand and start pushing that edge.

“But I think it’s a good thing, especially for the players … some guys sell a lot of tickets, and I think those guys, it gives them some incentive to maybe play extra events or something.

“I don’t know enough about it to say too much, but I think it’s a good thing certainly for the players.”

Feels great to leave Torrey with a 🏆 on 🇦🇺 Day!

Thank you to the fans, volunteers and everyone who made this another special @FarmersInsOpen! pic.twitter.com/V7bE7P3eOM

— Marc Leishman (@marcleish) January 27, 2020

The leading scorer from 2019, as per a report by the Golf Channel, was Tiger Woods, with Aussie Adam Scott rounding out the top 10.

Smith, who is becoming a more prominent figure on the PGA Tour through his performances and his mullet, which has gained cult-status, said he hoped his golf would do the talking.

“I think probably the main thing for us as professionals is just to keep doing our job and let the rest, the external stuff just really take care of itself,” he said.

“By no means do I feel pressure or anything, I don’t feel like I have to do anything else to try and be up there, it’s just another bonus for playing good golf, I think.”

Smith is 16th in the FedExCup standings, Leishman is 71st.

Originally published as US PGA Tour: New program will reward the 10 most popular golfers with $50m in bonuses