For the second consecutive year, Tiger Woods finished number 1 in the Player Impact Program (PIP), which rewards the player whose popularity benefits the most on the PGA Tour.
Tiger Woods only played nine tournaments in 2022, but his back to masters a little over a year after his terrible car accident and his moving farewell to St. Andrews at the 150th The Open were the most watched and commented on events of the year.
They certainly allowed him to finish at the very top of the “popularity” ranking of the PGA Tour called Player Impact Program (PIP).
Spieth and McIlroy take advantage of Mickelson’s absence
It logically precedes the world number 1, Rory McIlroy, FedEx Cup winner and #1 on the DP World Tour. A double that alone Henrik Stenson had managed to achieve before him.
4th in 2021, Jordan Spieth climbs onto the podium in the company of the two players with whom he played the first two rounds of the PGA Championship in Tulsa last May. (Photo)
Spieth and McIlroy had already finished in that order at the end of 2021 but behind Woods and Phil Mickelson who has since been expelled from the PGA Tour following his departure from the LIV.
In its new formula, the PIP rewards 20 players while in 2021 only the first 10 were awarded. Thereby, Collin Morikawawho had already finished 11th in this ranking last year, will receive a check this year for this performance.
The total amount of sums paid has increased from 40 to 100 million dollars.
1. Tiger Woods 15 000 000 $
2. Rory McIlroy 12 000 000 $
3. Jordan Spieth 9 000 000 $
4. Justin Thomas 7 500 000 $
5. Jon Rahm $6,000,000
6. Scottie Scheffler 5 500 000 $
7. Xander Schauffele $5,000,000
8. Matt Fitzpatrick 5 000 000 $
9. Will Zalatoris 5 000 000 $
10. Tony Finau 5 000 000 $
11. Collin Morikawa 3 000 000 $
12. Shane Lowry 3 000 000 $
13. Kevin Kisner 3 000 000 $
14. Max Homa 3 000 000 $
15. Billy Horschel $3,000,000
16. Rickie Fowler 2 000 000 $
17. Adam Scott 2 000 000 $
18. Jason Day 2 000 000 $
19. Patrick Cantlay 2 000 000 $
20. Viktor Hovland $2,000,000
Rules
As a reminder, the criteria for establishing this ranking are: Internet searches, the number of unique press articles that include a player’s name, the length of time a player’s sponsor logos have appeared on the screen during the PGA Tour weekend TV broadcasts, a player’s general awareness score among the American population and a “social media score” which measures the audience and the engagement rate of the “posts” of each player.
Note that these criteria will change in 2023 and that, taking into account the planned changes, three other players would have appeared in the top 20: Hideki Matsuyama, Cameron Young et Sam Burns. They will receive 2 million dollars on the condition of complying with 3 obligations during the new season.
Indeed, to receive the full amount allocated, players are required to:
1- Play in a designated tournament in consultation with the Player Impact Program
2- Participate in a communication operation in consultation with the Player Impact Program
3- Participate in the minimum number of PGA Tour tournaments as provided for in the circuit’s internal regulations
The sums are paid to the players in two phases:
25% during Tournament of Champions of January, and 75% when the player has fulfilled the 3 obligations set out above.
