‘Criminal In This Day And Age’ - Pepperell On Matsuyama $2m Bonus

The results of the 2022 Player Impact Program have been revealed, with Tiger Woods edging out Rory McIlroy for the $15m first prize in a list of 20 players rewarded for their impact on fans and the media. 

However, three other players, including Hideki Matsuyama, were also awarded a financial bonus as they would have made the list under the criteria for the 2023 award. That news led to the popular golf Twitter account Flushing It suggesting the Japanese player deserved more for turning down the chance to sign LIV Golf, writing: “Hideki only getting 2 mill after turning down a reported 400 from LIV is criminal.”

However, one player who thinks the bonus money given to Matsuyama is unwarranted is Eddie Pepperell. The 31-year-old replied, saying: “Criminal in this day and age. In normal times, a $2m bonus for doing nothing extra would be considered a bit mad. But golf has entered a strange place.”

The PIP has been controversial since the outset. Indeed, eyebrows were raised after the 2021 award, when Woods won despite not playing during the period. However, while there are still question marks over the merits of awarding bonus money to some of the highest-paid players on the PGA Tour, the addition of the three extra players is likely to baffle many.

The 2023 award will replace two criteria - how it measures general awareness of a player in the US population and social media rankings – with surveys to determine a player’s popularity among the general population and fans. As well as Matsuyama, Cameron Young and Sam Burns would also have been in this year’s top 20 were those criteria in place, meaning they also receive a $2m bonus.

Matsuyama was heavily linked with a big-money move to LIV Golf in the summer, but so far, he has remained loyal to the PGA Tour. As for Pepperell, he has previously made fun of the vast sums of money that have entered the game following the introduction of LIV Golf. In August, he posted a video on Twitter where he stars as a player appearing to haggle over a big-money contract.

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