WGT has set the game up to reward those who do not play "stroke play" games. You can get experience points and bonuses in all games in order to level up and buy the better equipment. If you do not play enough stroke play games you will never go up in tier and move to longer tees.
Until WGT decides to start taking winnings into account for tiering up the game will always be rigged in the sandbaggers' favor. That's why it's such a good idea to find a good and fair country club for your play and avoid playing for credits against anyone you don't know.