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| Florian Riegler and Frank Daumann |
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| ''On the scorecard first: early specialization and the first-mover advantage in international golf competition'' |
| ( 2026, Vol. 46 No.2 ) |
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| In this paper, we apply the concept of the first-mover advantage to golf to examine whether early specialization, measured by the founding year of national golf associations, is associated with international sporting success. For this purpose, we analyze data collected from the OWGR top 100 for the period 1987-2024, measuring success using both quantitative and qualitative indicators to reflect different priorities of the associations. The analyses were based on a multivariate Poisson random intercept model and a multivariate mixed linear random intercept model. Controlling for macroeconomic control variables as well as the COVID-19 pandemic period, we find significant evidence for a performance pattern consistent with the first-mover advantage concept in international golf competition for both quantitative (p < .001) and qualitative success (p = .002). The results reinforce the findings on a shared management parallel between companies and sports associations and serve as a starting point for future research. |
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| Keywords: first-mover advantage, specialization, innovation, competition, golf, success in sports
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JEL: L8 - Industry Studies: Services: General
M2 - Business Economics: General |
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| Manuscript Received : Jul 14 2026 | | Manuscript Accepted : Jun 30 2026 |
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