December 31, 2024
As we close out 2024, we're spotlighting the top five players who saw the biggest boost in social media followers based on their performance in a single professional tournament.
To better appreciate these numbers, here are the average total social media followers for the current top 25 players across our four categories (excluding outliers J.R. Smith, Kai Trump, Marcus Smith Jr., and Miles Russell):
College Men: 32K followers
College Women: 6.5K followers
High School Boys: 4.4K followers
High School Girls: 3.1K followers
1. NICK DUNLAP
Tournament: The American Express
Date: Jan 18-21, 2024
Qualifier: Sponsor Exemption
Results: Won (64-65-60-70/259)
Follower Start: 14.1K
Follower Growth: 38.4K
Dunlap's historic win was the first for an amateur on the PGA TOUR since 1991. Finishing 29-under 259 to edge out Christiaan Bezuidenhout by a single stroke, Dunlap's victory earned him a two-year exemption on the PGA Tour.
Ryan Sun/AP Photo
2. MILES RUSSELL
Tournament: LECOM Suncoast Classic
Date: Apr 18-21, 2024
Qualifier: Sponsor Exemption
Results: T20 (68-66-70-66/270)
Follower Start: 16.6K
Follower Growth: 37.3K
At 15 years old, Russell became the youngest player to make a Korn Ferry Tour cut. His T20 finish also made him the youngest player on record to secure a top-25 finish on the Korn Ferry Tour or PGA TOUR.
Zuma Press Wire/Alamy
3. MILES RUSSELL
Tournament: Rocket Mortgage Classic
Date: Jun 27-30, 2024
Qualifier: Sponsor Exemption
Results: T108 (74-70/144)
Follower Start: 76.3K
Follower Growth: 14.2K
Marking his third appearance in a professional event, Russell became one of the youngest golfers in history to compete in a PGA TOUR event and the youngest ever to tee it up at the Rocket Mortgage Classic.
Paul Sancya/AP Photo
4. NEAL SHIPLEY
Tournament: Masters Tournament
Date: Apr 11-14, 2024
Qualifier: 2023 U.S. Amateur Runner-Up
Results: T53 (71-76-80-73/300)
Follower Start: 6.3K
Follower Growth: 13.3K
Of the five amateurs in the field, Shipley was the only one to make the cut. In addition to earning low amateur honors, Shipley capped off the week playing alongside five-time Masters champion Tiger Woods in the final round.
UPI/Alamy Live News
5. NEAL SHIPLEY
Tournament: U.S. Open
Date: Jun 13-16, 2024
Qualifier: 2023 U.S. Amateur Runner-Up
Results: T26 (70-73-71-72/286)
Follower Start: 23.2K
Follower Growth: 11.5K
Shipley secured his second low-amateur finish in a major, joining the short list of players who have earned low-amateur honors in both the Masters and U.S. Open within the same year.
USGA
Tournament growth is measured between the Wednesday before and Tuesday following the tournament.
