Social media poll used to determine final spot in Shoprite Classic

[nevets88]

So much for merit based. The company that whittled down to the final 4 is owned by Spieth's father. And Golf Digest, grammar - its final sponsor.

Quote

On Monday, ESPN's Darren Rovell reported the Shoprite LPGA Classic will award it's final sponsor exemption based on a fan vote. The voting will come down to Blair O'Neal, Sharmila Nicollet, Carly Booth and Susana Benavides. Notably absent is Instagram star Paige Spiranac.

http://www.golfdigest.com/story/a-fan-vote-will-determine-the-final-spot-in-the-field-for-an-upcoming-lpga-event?mbid=social_facebook

 

[rehmwa]

Misleading title for sure - It's not an "LPGA" thing.  It's one of the sponsor exemptions which they can do whatever they like with it.

[krupa]

15 minutes ago, nevets88 said:

So much for merit based.

Saw an article about this yesterday and thought the exact same thing.  The Golf Digest article plays down the "popularity contest" aspect of this stunt.  Golf.com points out that the contestants have "substantial" social media followings:

 

Quote

According to reports, ShopRite officials worked with sports social media tracking firm MVP Index to identify the top female golfers in social media who don't already have a spot in the event.

http://www.golf.com/tour-news/2017/05/01/final-shoprite-lpga-classic-spot-be-determined-twitter-vote

Golf.com does follow up with listing some professional credentials of the contestants.

 

19 minutes ago, rehmwa said:

It's not an "LPGA" thing.

No, but they seem to have fully endorsed it:

Quote

The LPGA fully supports the effort, telling GOLF.com, "We applaud the tournament organizers at the ShopRite LPGA Classic presented by Acer for being innovative and engaging the LPGA fan base around the world in this social media opportunity. We're excited to see the results of the polling and look forward to finding out who will be joining 143 of the LPGA's best at Stockton Seaview Hotel & Golf Club in June."

 

Notice to struggling, female golfers:  stop working on your game and focus on your selfies!

[DaveP043]

28 minutes ago, nevets88 said:

So much for merit based. The company that whittled down to the final 4 is owned by Spieth's father. And Golf Digest, grammar - its final sponsor.

No matter what the PR people say, I don't believe that sponsor's exemptions are really merit based.  They're favors to be handed out, or rewards for something in the past, or they're a way of getting publicity for the event.  In this case, I'd say its completely about getting additional publicity, and it'll probably be effective. 

Edited May 2, 2017 by DaveP043

[nevets88]

22 minutes ago, rehmwa said:

Misleading title for sure - It's not an "LPGA" thing.  It's one of the sponsor exemptions which they can do whatever they like with it.

Title has been changed to: Social media poll used to determine final spot in Shoprite Classic

[DaveP043]

2 minutes ago, krupa said:

No, but they seem to have fully endorsed it:

The tour needs its sponsors, no reason for the tour not to be on board with this method of determining who to invite.

[krupa]

28 minutes ago, DaveP043 said:

The tour needs its sponsors, no reason for the tour not to be on board with this method of determining who to invite.

I can think of reasons but that's why I'm not in charge of a company. :)

[DaveP043]

Just now, krupa said:

I can think of reasons but that's why I'm not in charge of a company. :)

From the standpoint of the LPGA Tour, anything that helps generate viewers or attendance is a positive.  This is the same reason that Michelle Wie and Annika Sorenstam were invited to play on the PGA Tour, to generate publicity.  Its the reason that John Daly was and continues to be invited to events for which he wouldn't otherwise qualify, to generate fan interest.  For me, allowing the sponsor to invite a very small number of players based on any criteria they choose doesn't in any way compromise the integrity of the event.  Based on what I've read, the 4 potential invitees are more likely to be competitive than Wie or Annika or even Big John were when they were sponsors invitees.

[rehmwa]

43 minutes ago, nevets88 said:

Title has been changed to: Social media poll used to determine final spot in Shoprite Classic

You are very gracious sir.

[JetFan1983]

29 minutes ago, DaveP043 said:

The tour needs its sponsors, no reason for the tour not to be on board with this method of determining who to invite.

Yea. It's generated buzz, but mostly negative, for the reasons already cited by the above posters. That said, I never would've noticed who they picked had they not done this. So it's sort of a win-lose situation, but one their executives hopefully weighed beforehand. I respect their right to do whatever they want with their exemption. Totally agree it's business.

I voted for Carly Booth, but only because I think Blair's had plenty of chances already. Booth's swing looks the best to me of the remaining three, but like most who are voting, I have no idea who the best player is of the four. Blair will probably win obviously just because she's the most famous of the four. But that's kinda lame. We all know Blair O'Neal's game at this point, and it doesn't stand much of a chance out there.

Paige Spiranic bowing out for fear of the backlash was probably smart on her part. She knew she'd win the poll, and given her past experience with trolling, she decided the juice wasn't worth the squeeze here. I respect that.

---

OK, so because I figure it's likely a lot of others voting here have no clue who these women are outside of Blair, I've compiled a short scouting report on each just so you guys can make a more informed decision; unless you just want to be a tool and vote for the hottest one, in which case, have at it. 

Keep in mind, I complied this really quickly:

Blair O'Neal: Runner up Big Break, Prince Edward Island, Winner Big Break Dominican Republic (Team MVP). World Rank: 1041. Age 35. 0/2 cuts made on the LPGA. Only two starts in 2011. Her Symetra Tour results are seriously lacking across the board.

Carly Booth: 2 Ladies European Tour Wins. World Rank: 365. Age 24. 

Susana Benavides: World rank: 1245; Bolivia's best women's golfer. She played the Shop Rite last year on a sponsor's exemption and missed the cut (77-76). She's a Symetra Tour regular. Age: Couldn't find it.

Sharmila Nicollet: Age: 26. World Rank: Unranked. She played on the Ladies Euro Tour for a year in 2012, but seems to have had no results for a while, hence the no rank. She played in one LET event in 2016 but missed the cut.

 

OK, so with all that, it looks like I voted for the right one, just based on seeing her swing haha. Props to me. Booth's got the best shot at making the cut here. 

Hope that helps, guys! 

[David in FL]

Probably a good idea.  

Other than that little dust-up over Lexi, this is probably the most attention an LPGA Tour event has gotten in a long time.  

They'll take whatever they can get.

Edited May 2, 2017 by David in FL

[nevets88]

Analyzing it from a social media perspective, Nicollet has 357K+ followers on Twitter vs 77K+ for O'Neal. Booth has 35K+ followers. Young, slim and blonde usually wins it in the US of A.

This is how it stands:

[iacas]

5 hours ago, DaveP043 said:

No matter what the PR people say, I don't believe that sponsor's exemptions are really merit based.  They're favors to be handed out, or rewards for something in the past, or they're a way of getting publicity for the event.  In this case, I'd say its completely about getting additional publicity, and it'll probably be effective. 

This exactly.

Sponsor's exemptions are about:

• Doing something that benefits the sponsor.

I figured I'd make a bulleted list with just one item to stress that it's not at all about merit and to also stress that the "list of reasons" stops and starts with the above.

Even when the sponsor lets a "local guy/gal" in it's because it's to their benefit.

[Aguirre]

9 hours ago, David in FL said:

Probably a good idea.  

Other than that little dust-up over Lexi, this is probably the most attention an LPGA Tour event has gotten in a long time.  

They'll take whatever they can get.

They'll probably get more twitter votes than TV viewers.

[David in FL]

Just now, Aguirre said:

They'll probably get more twitter votes than TV viewers.

...and the 4 players in question may now be recognized, albeit barely, by people other than their mothers.  

[Aguirre]

9 hours ago, nevets88 said:

Analyzing it from a social media perspective, Nicollet has 357K+ followers on Twitter vs 77K+ for O'Neal. Booth has 35K+ followers. Young, slim and blonde usually wins it in the US of A.

This is how it stands:

They're all hot, which isn't surprising. I'll take Sharmila Nicollet if I'm forced to choose. 

[chilepepper]

Dancing with the stars for pro golf. Mmkay