Tiger Woods has claimed his second successive Player Impact Program award to claim the first prize of $15 million and edge Rory McIlroy into second place.
The 46-year-old has only played in three tournaments so far in 2022. However, rather than performance, the results are based on five metrics ranking players based on how much they have resonated with fans and the media. As well as Google search data and media mentions, the ranking is also determined by Q-score, which tracks the US population’s “general awareness” of the player, MVP Index, which examines a player’s “reach, conversation and engagement metrics" and Neilson Brand Exposure, which considers how much TV time each player had.
Given the huge publicity surrounding Woods’ return to competitive action over a year after he suffered a career-threatening leg injury, it is perhaps not surprising that he has finished on top. Indeed, he finished at the summit of four of the five metrics, only slipping in the Neilson Brand Exposure - unsurprising given his relative lack of action.
For finishing runner-up, McIlroy wins $12 million of the $100m prize pot. Meanwhile, it was reported recently that US Open champion Matt Fitzpatrick had finished eighth, which has now been confirmed. His prize is $5m. Other notable names include PGA Championship winner Justin Thomas in fourth, winning $7.5m, and Masters champion and former World No.1 Scottie Scheffler in sixth, earning $5.5m. You can see the full list below.
In total, 23 players have benefitted from this year’s award - the top 20 along with three others - Hideki Matsuyama, Cameron Young and Sam Burns - who would have made the list had next year's PIP criteria been in place. They each win $2m. The 2023 PIP began on 1 October and runs until the end of September 2023.
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Player Impact Program 2022
| Position | Player | Prize Money |
|---|---|---|
| 1st | Tiger Woods | $15m |
| 2nd | Rory McIlroy | $12m |
| 3rd | Jordan Spieth | $9m |
| 4th | Justin Thomas | $7.5m |
| 5th | Jon Rahm | $6m |
| 6th | Scottie Scheffler | $5.5m |
| 7th | Xander Schauffele | $5m |
| 8th | Matt Fitzpatrick | $5m |
| 9th | Will Zalatoris | $5m |
| 10th | Tony Finau | $5m |
| 11th | Collin Morikawa | $3m |
| 12th | Shane Lowry | $3m |
| 13th | Kevin Kisner | $3m |
| 14th | Max Homa | $3m |
| 15th | Billy Horschel | $3m |
| 16th | Rickie Fowler | $2m |
| 17th | Adam Scott | $2m |
| 18th | Jason Day | $2m |
| 19th | Patrick Cantlay | $2m |
| 20th | Viktor Hovland | $2m |
