Bothered over the PGA Tour spending $100 million in Player Impact Program (PIP) funds on 20 players, golfer Nate Lashley leaked the results of this year’s program on his Instagram account calling the concept “a little ridiculous.” While more transparency into the PIP and how it is distributed would certainly be ideal, the PIP exists to reward some of the game’s biggest stars for not just their performance on the course but the attention they bring to PGA Tour events year-round.
At the conclusion of the 2022-23 season, Rory McIlroy and Tiger Woods stand as the big winners. This time around, they switched positions with McIlroy finishing first, collecting $15 million, while Woods finished second, grabbing $10 million.
McIlroy has, of course, stood at the forefront of golf for both his play (two wins, two runner-up placements and two third-place finishes in 2023) as well as his role as one of the leaders of the PGA Tour. McIlroy, who recently resigned his position as Player Advisory Council chairman, has been outspoken throughout 2022 about LIV Golf, even as the Tour has reached a framework agreement with the Public Investment Fund of Saudi Arabia, which funds the rival league.
Woods has not been in the spotlight as much as McIlroy. After playing early in 2023 and making the cut at the Masters, he had to withdraw on the weekend before undergoing another surgery to his leg. He is expected to play in this week’s Hero World Challenge in the Bahamas, his first action since Augusta National.
The Player Impact Program formula includes a somewhat-vague mixture of internet searches, earned media (unique articles), TV sponsor exposure, general population awareness and golf fan awareness, according to Golf.com. Here is a look at the golfers who finished in the top 20 of the program this year and earned a minimum of $2 million.
2022-23 PGA Tour Player Impact Program results
|
1. Rory McIlroy |
$15 million |
11. Xander Schauffele |
$3 million |
|
2. Tiger Woods |
$12 million |
12. Jason Day |
$3 million |
|
3. Jon Rahm |
$9 million |
13. Tony Finau |
$3 million |
|
5. Scottie Scheffler |
$6 million |
15. Matt Fitzpatrick |
$3 million |
|
6. Rickie Fowler |
$5.5 million |
16. Wyndham Clark |
$2 million |
|
7. Viktor Hovland |
$5 million |
17. Cameron Young |
$2 million |
|
8. Justin Thomas |
$5 million |
18. Justin Rose |
$2 million |
|
9. Tommy Fleetwood |
$5 million |
19. Patrick Cantlay |
$2 million |
|
10. Max Homa |
$5 million |
20. Brian Harman |
$2 million |
The PIP, ostensibly, stands as a way for the PGA Tour to guarantee its most popular players — those that draw eyeballs on television and attract fans to tournaments — receive a nice payday no matter how they play in the actual events. And while that is a good thing for these 20 players, not everyone is pleased about it.
While leaking the memo, Lashley asked on his Instagram post, “How many golf fans actually know what the PIP on the PGA Tour is? Would love to hear from golf/PGA fans if they think this $100 million was spent well? There’s 150-200 members of the PGA Tour, and they just spent $100 million on 20 players. Seems a little ridiculous. Time for new leadership on the PGA Tour. This is an absolute kick in the face to the rest of the PGA Tour players.”
It’s an understandable position from someone who falls outside the top 20, but it’s also a misunderstanding of why the PIP exists. There should certainly be more clarity around it given the list of qualifying factors remains ambiguous, but with the emerging threat of LIV and its allure of guaranteed money, it makes sense that the PGA Tour found a way to reward its top players with some guaranteed money of their own.