Players have 40 million reasons to shine on social media

Some of the richest stars in golf are about to get considerably richer.

The PGA Tour has unveiled a new season-long bonus structure aimed at rewarding the game's biggest names－but in order to earn a piece of the $40 million pot, they don't necessarily have to play very well.

According to Golfweek, the new Player Impact Program will compensate players who are judged to drive engagement of fans and sponsors, regardless of their success on the course.

"It will recognize and reward players who positively move the needle ... like Tiger Woods, Bryson DeChambeau and Rickie Fowler," a PGA source who requested anonymity said on the weekend.

At the end of the year, the $40 million will be distributed among 10 players, with the top one pocketing a cool $8 million.

The 10 finalists will qualify based on an "impact score", which the tour will determine by using five different metrics: Popularity on Google search; Nielsen Brand Exposure rating, which measures the value a player delivers to sponsors via his total time featured on broadcasts; Q-rating, a metric of the familiarity and appeal of player's brand; MVP Index and Meltwater Mentions, which measure a player's social media and digital channel engagement.

A player's final position in the FedExCup standings will not be a factor.

As outlined in a document circulated to the players, the PGA Tour simulated its metrics based on the 2019 season to show how the program works. Woods, who won the Masters that year, came in first on the list, followed by Rory McIlroy, Brooks Koepka, Phil Mickelson and Fowler.

Even though Woods is still recovering from a near-fatal car wreck in Southern California two months ago, Koepka has no doubt the former world No 1 should be in the conversation for the new prize.

"Tiger should be at the top of that list no matter what," Koepka told Golfweek. "He's the entire reason we're able to play for so much money, the entire reason this sport is as popular as it is, and the reason most of us are playing. It's not even close."

But for those who are not among the game's elite, the new bonus system isn't as well received.

"Most players feel it is a shoo-in money grab for only those at the top, and it's extremely hard to break into that category if you're not already in it," an anonymous player with multiple PGA Tour wins told Golfweek.

"For example, the same guys are always on TV, including the same names always on PGA Tour Live, which the tour chooses who gets on that. Also, the top, top guys are invariably the ones with the most social media followers, and that results in more money from this plan.

"The overriding thought is, why not do something to help all of the players? The FedEx Cup money already takes care of the top guys."

Implementation of the new bonus program is widely seen as a response to the Premier Golf League, a potential rival to the PGA Tour that garnered significant attention in early 2020 with the promise of offering a guaranteed-money structure to entice top players.