Tiger Woods' popularity remains unmatched as he tops PIP rankings
- Doug Mattushek
- 23 November 2022
Tiger Woods was named the top performer in the PGA Tour's Player Impact Program, edging Rory McIlroy.
Tiger Woods was named the top performer in the PGA Tour's Player Impact Program, edging Rory McIlroy.
The program is a way for the tour to give back to the players that "generate the most positive interest in the PGA Tour". This year, $100 million was paid out to 20 players, double what was dolled out in 2021.
According to the PGA Tour, the 2022 PIP ranking was decided by...
- Internet Searches: Number of times a player's name is searched using Google
- Earned Media: Number of unique news articles that include a player's name
- TV Sponsor Exposure: Duration that a player's sponsor logo(s) appeared on screen during Saturday and Sunday PGA TOUR telecasts
- Awareness: A player's general awareness score among broad US population; Social Media: Social media score that considers a player's reach, conversation and engagement metrics.
Despite playing in only three events, Woods topped the list and earned $15 million for his efforts, ahead of world number one Rory McIlroy ($12m).
The 15-time major winner made the cut at the Masters, withdrew due to injury at the PGA Championship and missed the cut altogether at The Open.
By contrast, McIlroy chalked up another FedEX Cup for an unprecedented third time and secured the DP World Tour's Race to Dubai on Sunday to ascend to the top of men's golf once again.
Jordan Spieth ($9m), Justin Thomas ($7.5m), Jon Rahm ($6m), Scottie Scheffler ($5.5m), Xander Schauffele ($5m), Matt Fitzpatrick ($5m), Will Zalatoris ($5m) and Tony Finau ($5m) rounded out the top 10.
