Top 10 Golf Players – July 2019

Aug 13, 2019 | Athlete Spotlights

Top PGA Players With the Highest Social Interactions Among Fans

There were a total of five stops on the PGA Tour in the month of July, with the highlight being the oldest golf tournament in the world, the British Open. This year’s Open was held at the Royal Portrush Golf Club in Northern Ireland. Ian Poulter, Rickie Fowler, and Bryson DeChambeau held the top three spots for most social interactions among fans in July 2019. Poulter’s highest finish was 8th in the WGC-Bridgestone Invitational, shooting nine under par. Fowler only competed in the Open for July and finished tied for 6th with a score of -5. DeChambeau finished 2nd in the 3M Open in early July, losing by one stroke to Matthew Wolff. Hookit analyzed the total number of interactions each of the top-10 pro golfers received via their social channels and created valuable perspectives for brands and fans alike.

Shane Lowry wins British Open 

Shane Lowry took home his first career major win this past month, winning the British Open by six strokes. Lowry, an Irishman, not only won a $10.7M purse, he got to do it in front of his home country. With this win, he skyrocketed 29 spots up the interactions leaderboard into 5th place. This was only Lowry’s second PGA Tour win and first win in four years. He smashed the rest of the top-10 in new followers, with 46.6K new accounts following Lowry across all social channels. Rickie Fowler was second in new followers, adding 17.6K to those following his channels for July. 

Ian Poulter capitalizes, Rory McIlroy doesn’t

Poulter has consistently remained at the top of the interactions leaderboard for golfers. He posted 3x more than most golfers on the leaderboard and utilizes all of his social channels between Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram. Poulter’s highest world rank as a golfer was 5th in 2010, and his last PGA Tour win was April 2018 at the Houston Open. However, his high marketability is evident in the number of interactions and engagement he maintains across his social accounts. McIlory, the more notable Northern Irishman coming into the Open, failed to capitalize on the opportunity. The 3rd ranked golfer in the world missed the cut and slid seven positions down to 10th place to round out the interactions leaderboard for July.

Padraig Harrington Springs into Action

Harrington leaped 64 spots into 8th on the interactions leaderboard, by far the highest month-to-month jump from any pro golfer. Another Irishman, Harrington rode the wave this month with the Open being played in Northern Ireland, as well as playing in the Irish Open for the European Tour. He finished T50 in the Irish Open and failed to make the cut for the British Open. Regardless, his support for fellow Irishman Shane Lowry was shown through his Twitter account, and the fans supported him alike. 

The Wrap Up

The PGA Tour is a great market for sponsorships and athletes alike due to the length and variability of the venues. Each season is about eleven months long, and the exposure that each golfer receives is completely unique to the sport. While pro golfers like Tiger Woods, Phil Mickelson, and Dustin Johnson will always be household names, there is a case to be made for the marketability from the field. 

Written by Patrick Romo

Patrick recently graduated from San Diego State University in May 2019, finishing with a B.A. in Interdisciplinary Studies, emphasis in Economics. He initially joined the Hookit as a Sales Development intern in September 2018 and transitioned into a full-time partnership role after graduation. In his free time, he enjoys going to concerts, playing basketball and beach volleyball, and exploring southern California. Originally from the suburbs of Chicago, he is a lifelong Cubs fan and the greatest/most stressful moment of his life was Game 7 of the 2016 World Series.