PGA Tour drew a lot of flak since the Player Impact Program results circulated on the Internet earlier this week. PIP rewards the players who have made the most impact on the Tour in a particular year. Rory McIlroy topped the list pocketing $15M, while Tiger Woods came in second, still winning $12M followed by Jon Rahm, who took home $9M. 

While both Rahm and McIlroy played over 15 events this season, Woods appeared only in two. Since his last outing at the Masters where the veteran golfer pulled out due to injury, Woods is yet to tee off any professional tournament. Understandably, many questioned the seemingly ‘absurd’ rankings. The lingering question in the golf community is does Tiger Woods deserve the eyewatering sum he got.

How are PIP points counted?

Before delving into the rationale let’s first understand what PIP is and what it is not. PIP is a measurement of golfers’ off-court ‘performances’ and its effect on the Tour. Simply put PIP rewards stars for their popularity. There are six key metrics that PIP follows. 

Nielsen Brand Measure: This is the only metric that directly relates to a player’s performance on the greens. This indicates the time that a player’s sponsor logo appeared on the screen on the final two rounds of any PGA Tour event. 

Google Search Data – This measures the number of hits a particular entity name received on Google in a certain period.

Media Mentions – It’s similar to Google search data except that this tracks the number of times a particular entity was mentioned in the media.

MARC General Population Awareness – This particular figure records how popular the golfer is among common people who are not golf fans.

MARC General Fan Awareness – Like the previous one, it also measures the familiarity of the golfer, but exclusively among golf fans.

While the metrics are pretty simple on the surface, and kind of explain why Tiger Woods topped the list twice consecutively, the fact there are no additional details available makes the matter more complicated. 

Consider media mentions, for example. There is no clear indication of what encompasses in the media. Indeed, in the age of TikTok, media is a much broader term that needs more clarity. There are no details available on how the general awareness among the public is measured either. Transparency lends legitimacy, whereas the opaqueness surrounding the PIP award has only fuelled the controversy. 

How has Tiger Woods fared in the last two years?

In the twilight of his career, the former World No.1 has been embroiled in injuries one after another. Despite that as PIP results over three years have demonstrated Woods remains the topmost entity that pulls the crowd on the greens and draws the traffic on the internet. 

In its inaugural year in 2021, when 52-year-old Phil Mickelson became the oldest Major Champion in the history of golf, Tiger Woods appeared only once on the greens. That too at the unofficial PNC Championship. Although, PIP, in essence, deals with intangible results, 2021 PNC Championship viewership data showed a 53% spike over 2020 on NBC Sports with 2.3 billion people tuning in. A rather tangible proof of the legendary golfer’s immense popularity.

Last year, the 47-year-old golfer played only thrice netting nine rounds in total across three Major tournaments. Yet, last year’s result showed the veteran golfer topped four of the five indicators with the Brand measure being the obvious exception. Didn’t stop him from topping the list, though.

What helped the veteran golfer retain his top-three spot

Perhaps it’s not surprising that after making only two appearances this season, even pulling out from one, Woods is still in the second spot. PGAT is yet to release this year’s data, but clearly, the Media Mentions, the MARC General Population Awareness, and MARC General Fan Awareness have helped the veteran golfer hold his top-three spot. 

Stardom has put Tiger Woods under the limelight since his first Major win in 1997. Early this year, in the wake of Alan Shipnuck’s “LIV and Let Die”, the veteran golfer was dragged into another controversy with his old foe, Phil Mickelson.

While Woods didn’t appear much on the greens, the veteran golfer was involved in expanding his business venture T-squared Social. The sports-entertainment bar opened its first venue in Manhattan, New York. However, his proposed venture at the Home of Golf was met with heavy backlash from locals.

It wasn’t much after that the architect in Woods got his first PGA Tour break when the Worldwide Technology Championship was held in a course he designed. The veteran golfer event went to visit the El Cardoanal in Mexico before the tournament. Soon, TGL’s inaugural season was in the offing with Woods being the captain and co-owner of his own team, Jupiter Links GC.

Although TGL has been delayed due to a roof collapse, Woods announced his presence in the Hero World Challenge, his first professional outing in more than six months. But the spotlight will be on him throughout December as well, as the veteran golfer confirmed his participation in the PNC Championship with his son, Charlie Woods. Ohh, did we also mention, that while recovering, Woods caddied for his son at two tournaments? 

Who else but Tiger Woods?

Well, it was Rory McIlroy who topped the list. Whether that was due to his Ryder Cup bust-up or trading barbs at LIV Golf is a matter of debate. On the other hand, 2023 has been a stellar year for Jon Rahm and Viktor Hovland as well. The Spaniard won his first green jacket at Augusta this year. While 2023 has been the breakout season for Viktor Hovland who has bagged four titles this year and had a dream Ryder Cup debut. 

But let’s not forget Woods has been at it for more than two decades. 82 PGA Tour wins and 15 Masters have made his name synonymous with Golf itself. It’s not at all surprising that the 47-year-old still drives engagement more than Rahm, Hovland, or perhaps any other player on the PGA Tour. 

Read More: The 3 Major Takeaways as Tiger Woods Bags an Astounding $12M in PIP Bonus From PGA Tour

However, what matters here is the $12M prize money that has irked many in the Tour itself. While the payout for each event has increased, for the average golfer, the situation has not improved much. 

The most outright criticism labeled is that the Tour has around 150 players. The rationale behind reserving $100M in purses for 20 players appears vulgar to the naked eye. It seems that the irony of the situation has not escaped Jay Monahan, as PGAT announced form next year, only the top ten players will be selected with the total payout reducing to $50M. Whatever the case, Tiger Woods still has a chance to come to the top.

Watch This Story: Amid Tiger Woods’ Comeback Announcement, Take a Look at the Hero World Challenge’s 5 Most Controversial Moments