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Earlier this month, Rory McIlroy revealed that Tiger Woods beat him to the top spot in the PGA Tour’s 2022 Player Impact Program (PIP). The Irishman, who became World No. 1 in the Official World Golf Rankings, said that he was settling for second. Now, this has become official.
Despite sinking to a new career-low in the rankings, Woods has topped the 2022 Player Impact Program. The golfer has beaten McIlroy and Spieth to become the highest-earning names on the list. The American circuit released the official list for the lucrative bonus pool on Tuesday.
Tiger Woods is still recovering from his car accident last year. Despite being in rehab, the ace golfer has won the PIP for a second consecutive year. With the win, he claimed the $15 million prize that comes with it. It is noteworthy that he beat World No.1 McIlroy despite competing in only three events (all majors) in 2022.
Meanwhile, the Irishman, who won the FedEx Cup title and the Harry Vardon Trophy, bagged $12 million in prizes for the PIP’s runner-up position. Having completed a stellar season with three wins and 13 top-25 finishes, he climbed past the likes of Spieth, Justin Thomas, and Jon Rahm. While Spieth won $9 million, Thomas settled for a $7.5 million prize.
Unlike last year, the PIP paid 20 players this year. This saw names like Rickie Fowler, Adam Scott, Jason Day, Patrick Cantlay, and Viktor Hovland win $2 million each as part of the bonus pool program. Interestingly, Hideki Matsuyama, Cameron Young, and Sam Burns were also recognized (outside the list) as they would’ve qualified under the amended criteria set for 2023.
Here are the full rankings for the 2022 PIP:
- Tiger Woods ($15 million)
- Rory McIlroy ($12 million)
- Jordan Spieth ($9 million)
- Justin Thomas ($7.5 million)
- Jon Rahm ($6 million)
- Scottie Scheffler ($5.5 million)
- Xander Schauffele ($5 million)
- Matt Fitzpatrick ($5 million)
- Will Zalatoris ($5 million)
- Tony Finau ($5 million)
- Collin Morikawa ($3 million)
- Shane Lowry ($3 million)
- Kevin Kisner ($3 million)
- Max Homa ($3 million)
- Billy Horschel ($3 million)
- Rickie Fowler ($2 million)
- Adam Scott ($2 million)
- Jason Day ($2 million)
- Patrick Cantlay ($2 million)
- Viktor Hovland ($2 million)
McIlroy gave Woods a ‘good run’ in the Player Impact Program
Rory McIlroy had earlier stated that he was beaten by Tiger Woods in the PIP. However, the ace golfer seemed happy to submit to the friendly rival.
Speaking to The Associated Press about his competition with Woods in the American circuit’s Player Impact Program, the Northern Ireland golfer said:
"Hey, I gave him (Woods) a pretty good run."
PGA Tour officials have now finalized the PIP results and the Irishman was right.
How does the Player Impact Program work?
According to the PGA Tour, the Player Impact Program is a lucrative bonus pool that is designed to reward members who work for the Tour’s betterment. The final list for each year’s PIP is calculated “through objective measurement criteria” as listed by the circuit. This includes internet searches, earned media (unique news articles), TV sponsor exposure, social media engagement, etc.
The points for each player are calculated based on the given criteria. Following this method, it is no surprise that Tiger Woods is winning the program year after year, as he remains the biggest name in the golf world.
