Tiger Woods beats out Rory McIlroy in race to collect $15 million prize from PGA Tour Player Impact Program

Tiger Woods profitable a golf competitors in 2022 would have been a exceptional thought in the beginning of the 12 months, however he’ll have to accept an enormous win off the course. Woods has completed first in the PGA Tour’s Player Impact Program for the second consecutive 12 months, this time coming in simply forward of his buddy and enterprise companion, Rory McIlroy.

Woods will collect $15 million for this acheivement whereas McIlroy takes residence $12 million. Just under them in the rankings is one other pair of fine mates in Jordan Spieth and Justin Thomas because the undefeated Presidents Cup duo completed third and fourth, respectively, with Jon Rahm rounding out the highest 5. The prime 4 are scheduled to play in The Match VII on Dec. 10 in a 12-hole exhibition to profit reduction efforts for Hurricane Ian.

Woods took first final 12 months regardless that he did not play a single aggressive spherical of golf on the PGA Tour. That first-place end was value $10 million; this 12 months’s prize was barely extra at $15 million, as the general purse for the PIP was raised from $40 million in 2021 to $100 million in 2022, in accordance to PGA Tour commissioner Jay Monahan earlier this 12 months on the Tour Championship. 

Woods solely performed 9 complete rounds in 2022 and ranked forty first in Nielsen Brand Exposure which basically measures the quantity of TV time a participant receives throughout weekend protection. Woods was in a position to overcome this shortcoming by rating first in the 4 different classes.

2022 PIP Scoring Criteria

• Google: Google search knowledge
• Meltwater: Mentions in the media
• Nielsen: Exposure on weekend TV protection 
• Q-Score: Awareness among the many common public
• MVP Index: Social media engagement and attain

The Tour has upped its prize cash throughout the board this 12 months and into 2023. Not solely did it take the PIP fund from $40 million to $100 million, however it additionally expanded the pool of recipients from 10 to 20, raised a number of PGA Tour purses to $20 million and continues to make investments in the FedEx Cup prize fund (it moved from $15 million a 12 months in the past to $18 million this 12 months).

This is welcomed news for two-time main winner Collin Morikawa. The final man out in 2021, Morikawa remained in the eleventh spot in the rankings, however not like final 12 months, will likely be rewarded a payout amounting to $3 million. Social media guru Max Homa, fan-favorite Rickie Fowler and Australian heartthrob Adam Scott all examine in throughout the 11-20 vary in the standings. 

2022 PIP Results, Payouts

Players who would have certified underneath 2023 standards

What’s new in 2023?

Matsuyama, Young and Burns might not have cracked the highest 20 in the 2022 PIP, however the PGA Tour went forward and wrote them a examine in any case. All three would have been contained in the magic quantity if the brand new standards was in place, which limits the social media facet of the scoring. The MVP Index and the Q-Score will likely be changed by MARC Golf Fan Awareness and MARC General Population Awareness. These two new classes will function a neater method to measure a participant’s recognition amongst adults and golf followers.

Why is the PIP vital?

Outside of the inflow of cash to the PGA Tour’s prime gamers, the PIP will likely be used as a key identifier shifting ahead. The prime 20 gamers in the PIP this 12 months will likely be anticipated to play the Tour’s new elevated schedule in 2023, which incorporates 13 non-majors with huge prize cash and, ostensibly, all the highest gamers in the world. 

This flood of money was constructed to fight LIV Golf and the gamers who’ve left the PGA Tour for vital raises. Interestingly, one among LIV’s contributors really had among the best takes about Tiger and the PIP I’ve seen. Pat Perez spoke about it on the Genesis Invitational method again in February when he was nonetheless a part of the PGA Tour.

“It’s kind of a joke, but like I said, the PIP program’s kind of a joke,” stated Perez. “Give Tiger the 40 [million] and say we owe you another zero. They owe Tiger $400, $500 million easily. There should be no program. Here you go, here’s 50, thanks for being incredible, here’s the money we owe you because you brought in hundreds of millions of dollars to us. Guys like me, to be able to make, you know, a couple million dollars a year is unbelievable and it’s only because of him. It’s only because of him, you know. So like I said, I’m in line with Tiger. But if Phil is pushing for more money towards our tour and fighting for it, that’d be great, but he seems to be so on the Saudi side that it’s hard to believe that he’s actually fighting for that.”