Tiger Woods has won the PGA Tour’s first annual Player Impact Program, a $40 million scheme that rewards players on their ability to engage fans, regardless of on-course performance.
Woods receives a bonus of $8 million despite playing in just one tournament in the 2020-21 wrap-round season, the PNC Championship in December, at which he finished second with his son, Charlie.
Woods narrowly edged out Phil Mickelson for the top prize, with the runner up receiving $6m from the pool.
The remaining players in the top 10 and the respective payouts were:
3. Rory McIlroy ($3.5 million)
4. Jordan Spieth ($3.5 million)
5. Bryson DeChambeau ($3.5 million)
6. Justin Thomas ($3.5 million)
7. Dustin Johnson ($3 million)
8. Brooks Koepka ($3 million)
9. Jon Rahm ($3 million)
10. Bubba Watson ($3 million)
The final PIP standings were audited by Grant Thornton and presented to the board of the PGA Tour at a meeting held on March 1 at its Florida headquarters.
The Player Impact Program uses a range of metrics designed to calculate a Tour player’s level of fan engagement, including their popularity in Google search, their Nielsen Brand Exposure rating, and Meltwater Mentions, among others.
The PIP program represented the first time that the PGA Tour offered bonuses to members that were unrelated to their performance on the golf course. In 2022, the PIP program will grow to $50 million.