‘Something We Haven’t Done Before’: PGA Tour Commissioner Makes a Huge Exceptional Announcement for Tiger Woods

Tiger Woods is undoubtedly one of the greatest golfers to play professional golf. The 15-time major winner has not been very active on the field ever since he met with a life-threatening car accident in February of 2021. However, the golfer still made millions of dollars as his PIP bonus in 2021 and 2022. But will he be able to make it this year?

Tiger Woods received a huge PIP bonus despite playing lesser golf in 2022

There is no question about the fact that Tiger Woods has had a huge impact on the game of golf. With several tournament victories in his prime years, the golf legend has made a unique name for himself. However, his recent performances have been heavily affected due to his underlying leg injuries.

But to everyone’s surprise, Woods still received the honor of claiming the Player Impact Program (PIP) award. But why was it not given to another player with more tournament wins than Woods?

According to sources, the PGA Tour keeps 5 things as criteria for players and their popularity to receive the award. They include Google searches, Q rating, Nielsen brand exposure rating, MVP index rating, and Meltwater mentions (social media, TV, etc.) And due to the set criteria, the PGA Tour awarded a $15 million bonus to Tiger Woods as per Mark Schlabach’s report.

If one was to think about Tiger Woods’ recent contribution to the game, it would be quite disappointing. The golfer has only played three PGA Tour events which include the Masters, the PGA Championship, and the Open Championship.

He also played 4 rounds in another tournament which makes it a total of nine rounds for Woods. And that is all it took for the Tour legend to be recognized as the most impactful player of 2022.

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As per Schlabach’s report, the PGA Tour made a few adjustments to the PIP formula in 2022. The award was more focused on the players being mentioned on TV and in other media outlets. And that could have been a huge help for Tiger Woods to receive the honor for the same.

Will Woods receive the PIP bonus in 2023?

The golf legend recently stated that he won’t be playing a lot of tournaments this year either. And as fans assumed, this could result in him falling short of the criteria to receive the PIP bonus in 2023. But PGA Tour commissioner Jay Monahan has confirmed that he might make an exception for Woods.

Monahan was asked about the situation at the Sentry Tournament of Champions. Here’s what he said: “Tiger isn’t going to get a decrease. I think it’s hard for me to say what’s going to happen until it actually happens, OK? But I don’t see that happening.”

But it was not just for Tiger Woods. Monahan also stated that if such a situation arises for other players, the decision will still be in his hands. “Guys are going to play the events. So that’s the policy. I have discretion, OK? This is something we haven’t done before…I’ll work with our team, I’ll understand the situation, and we’ll make a decision,” he said.

This is not the only thing that has changed in the PGA Tour’s policies ever since LIV Golf came into the picture. The Tour has been doing everything in its hands to stay in competition with Greg Norman’s Saudi league. And with Tiger on their side, the PGA Tour wouldn’t mind making a few exceptions.

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