'Here come the girls': examining professional golf organisations' online media representations of female professional golfers in a mixed-gender event

It is widely accepted that golf participation is on the decline and that golf clubs are exclusive environments, in response to which the European Tour launched the short golf format GolfSixes. In May 2018, male and female professional golfers competed against each other at the European Tour’s GolfSixes event, following the invitation of five female players from the Ladies European Tour. Both organisations used the social networking site Twitter to promote the tournament. Using a neoliberal feminist perspective, this study examines the depiction of the five competing female professional golfers through both golf organisations’ Twitter accounts, before, during and after the event. Thematic analysis revealed the way in which the GolfSixes was depicted as a stage to showcase women’s golf and promote narratives around gender equality, whilst in some cases still framing women in problematic ways. Results highlight the role that female golfers can play as empowered and entrepreneurial agents of change.