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Twitter Vote Determines LPGA Tour Exemption

By: Golfshake Editor | Tue 02 May 2017


The LPGA's upcoming ShopRite Classic has sought to generate interest in the event by opening up its final sponsor exemption to a public vote on Twitter, with Susana Benavides, Sharmila Nicollet, Blair O'Neal and Scotland's Carly Booth the four contenders in the poll that will complete the field in next month's tournament.

It's a situation that brought widespread responses, from the highly critical, to those who believe it's a sensible move that will increase the profile of the event. Certainly, the fact that a debate has been started is a validation of an objective to get people talking and raising awareness, but it has raised questions about the nature of sponsor exemptions. 

Criticism was aroused due to the perceived merits of the four golfers in question. Booth, a two-time winner on the Ladies European Tour, is the most established and strongest player of the bunch at present, ranked 365th in the Rolex Rankings. However, 35-year-old American Blair O'Neal is positioned at a lowly 1041st, with Susana Benavides at 1245th and Indian-born Sharmila Nicollet not even registering on the ranking system after not making a cut on the LET since 2014. 

It has raised the suggestion that these golfers have been selected due to their significant profile on social media. Nicollet has 107,000 followers on Instagram, Benavides 20,000, Booth 62,000, and O'Neal a whopping 162,000. These four players clearly have a fanbase and audience that the LPGA and ShopRite is hoping to engage with, but it has drawn criticism with those with provisional status on the tour being overlooked in favour of the public vote.

However, this isn't just a question for the women's game. On the PGA Tour and European Tour's, the likes of former major champions John Daly and Mike Weir have received exemptions, despite no longer being realistic contenders. 59-year-old Sir Nick Faldo received an invite to play in South Africa earlier this year. While on the Challenge Tour, numerous spots are frequently granted to local golfers who have generally struggled to make the cut. 

Where do you stand on this? Has the LPGA and ShopRite Classic merely tapped into the modern trend of social media to enhance the profile of its event, or has this poll cheapened and undermined the professional nature of the tournament, granting exemptions to golfers with a better Instagram status than world ranking. Let us know what your view is.


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Tags: lpga



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