CONTENT FROM THE PGA TOUR
A main driver of increased business success is the expansion of
PGA TOUR broadcast rights: It is now televised in 226 countries
and territories, in 23 different languages, around the world.
“When a telecast goes into these other countries, and theplayers from those countries are successful, it only complements
all the other things we want to do in terms of audience develop-
ment, attracting new sponsors, and, obviously, increasing our fan
base,” Votaw explains.
Niemann’s victory at A Military Tribute at The Greenbriertournament in September is a useful case study demonstrating
the business-driving power of diversity in golf. The charismatic
20-year-old Chilean’s triumph resulted in a record 44% increase
in engagements on the TOUR’s Spanish-language social media
accounts. Muñoz’s win the same month—which he credited to
the inspiration of Niemann’s win—brought 1,000 new Spanish-
speaking fans to the TOUR’s various platforms.
Expanding the Message
But leveraging the TOUR’s increasing diversity is itself a diverse
undertaking. A year ago, the TOUR formed an internal “storytelling
team” led by Senior Vice President of Communications & Media
Content Laura Neal. Through the program, a communications
staff member partners with every TOUR player to create
a brief about who they are on and off the course, weaving
an assortment of narrative threads to suit various media
outlets and audiences. Cameron Champ, for example, is
known to golf fans for his Paul Bunyan-esque drives, but
he is eager to discuss his African-American heritage, his
social causes, his family, and even his sneaker collection.
“Laura has a diverse team, and if you don’t have
diversity of thought around the table or different ideas
about how to attract new and different fans to the TOUR,
you’re not going to grow in an authentic way,” says
Allison Keller, the TOUR’s Chief Administrative Offi cer.
To that end, voices from outside the game have been
invited to the party too. Under the leadership of commis-
sioner Jay Monahan and spearheaded by Nelson Silverio,
Senior Director of Content Strategy and Multicultural
Marketing, one of the TOUR’s key multicultural initiatives has been
to attract second- and third-generation Latinos to its audience. As
part of the strategy to increase relevancy among this audience,
the TOUR hired mitú, a Los Angeles–based media company that
works to connect organizations to the “200%”: young people who
consider themselves 100% American and 100% Latino.
Along with several TOUR-born initiatives, mitú provides the
TOUR with original content, such as the very funny “Latinos
Versus Pro Golfers” video, in which a comedic foursome mock
televised golf before heading to the course for the fi rst time and
eventually coming around to the game’s charms—with the help
of PGA TOUR pros Jon Rahm (Spain), Camilo Villegas (Colombia),
and Jhonattan Vegas (Venezuela). More original content, and
distribution of PGA TOUR content on mitú’s channels, are a
central part of the deal.
“We’re starting at the education level. I could talk all day
about how fun going to a golf tournament is, and engaging with
our social channels, and even our broadcast,” Silverio says. “But
when it comes down to it, what I’m asking you to do is to just look
at golf in a different way.” It’s sound advice—after all, opening
one’s mind is the fi rst step toward championing diversity in golf
and in life. — EVAN ROTHMAN