A new $40 million bonus plan has been set in place by the PGA Tour which will effectively pay players for their star power, according to reports by Golfweek.

The Player Impact Program is set to dish out $8 million to the player in the top position, with amounts decreasing down to the tenth spot. The rankings will be determined by several factors.

The report listed no less than six metrics that will be used to calculate the ranking of the players and what bonus amounts they will receive.

In no particular order, they are FedEx Cup ranking (the only measure of skill); Google search popularity; Nielsen Brand Exposure rating; Q Rating; MVP index rating and finally Meltwater Mentions.

To explain the marketing-speak further, the Neilson Brand exposure measure the minutes players are featured on broadcasts and determines a value for sponsor exposure.

The Q Rating measure the familiarity and appeal of the player’s brand, while the MVP Index rating measures the value of engagement a player drives through social media.

Finally, Meltwater Mentions is the frequency with which a player generates coverage across multiple media platforms. The PGA Tour will use an algorithm to whittle down the numbers into one single Impact Score per player, which ultimately determines the rankings.

A document doing the rounds reportedly revealed the simulated 2019 Impact Scores, putting Tiger Woods, Rory McIlroy and Brooks Koepka as the top three. Veteran Phil Mickelson – who has won just two tournaments in the last seven years – and current world number 109 Rickie Fowler completed the top five.

The timing for this bonus initiative is fortunate, as the COVID-19 pandemic is beginning to dissipate and vapors of Premier Golf League smoke is starting to rise once again.

A relevant question for this bonus is, “Why is this based on popularity and not performance?” Consider this, we live in a time when hundreds of millions of dollars are already paid out for performance, money is not guaranteed to anyone except the Tour itself. Plus, another league is promising more financial stability for the biggest stars in the game (who also generate the most money by bringing in the most fans both in-person and on television), so this was the natural next step.

Jordan Spieth, Dustin Johnson, Justin Thomas, Justin Rose and Adam Scott followed.

When asked about the Impact Scores, Koepka told Golfweek that Woods should hold the mantle no matter his results.

“Tiger should be No 1 on that list no matter what,” said the four-time major winner.

“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. Not even close.”

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Source: New York Post