PGA Tour: Player Impact Program rewards Rory McIlroy $15 million

Rory McIlroy has won the 2023 Player Impact Program and $15 million for his troubles.

The Northern Irishman pipped his TGL Golf partner Tiger Woods to the top of the chart that rewards players across a number of criteria.

Woods earned $12 million despite playing in two tournaments with the second being the Masters which he withdrew from.

Jon Rahm, Jordan Spieth and Scottie Scheffler complete the top five spots on the leaderboard that was posted to Instagram by tour player Nate Lashley.

Players are rewarded in categories such as MARC General Population Awareness and MARC Golf Fan Awareness data and, as player relations director Jason Gore wrote in the results memo, for generating “the most positive interest in the PGA Tour.”

“The scoring model for the Program is intended to be as objective as possible with the goal of quantifying the compact each player has on the PGA Tour,” Gore wrote.

The full list of the top 20 players benefitting from the $100 million bonus pool is below:

Rory McIlroy – $15 million
Tiger Woods – $12 million
Jon Rahm – $9 million
Jordan Spieth – $7.5 million
Scottie Scheffler – $6 million
Rickie Fowler – $5.5 million
Viktor Hovland – $5 million
Justin Thomas – $5 million
Tommy Fleetwood – $5 million
Max Homa – $5 million
Xander Schauffele – $3 million
Jason Day – $3 million
Tony Finau – $3 million
Collin Morikawa – $3 million
Matt Fitzpatrick – $3 million
Wyndham Clark – $2 million
Cameron Young – $2 million
Justin Rose – $2 million
Patrick Cantlay – $2 million
Brian Harman – $2 million

What is the PGA Tour Player Impact Program?

This is the question Lashley begged in his Instagram post which showed details of this year’s Player Impact Program results.

“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?” he wrote.

“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.”

The PIP was introduced for the first time in 2021 to reward players who move the needle and bring the most eyes to the PGA Tour.

Woods won the top prize of $15 million in 2022 having only played in three tournaments, but across each criterion, the 15-time major champion brought the most exposure to the circuit.

No Laying Up’s Tron Carter posted a table on X which explains how each player ranked in each department of this year’s PIP.

I’m so freaking proud of Tommy’s year. No weaknesses.

If you need Meltwater Mentions hit me up – you know TC’s got ‘em! pic.twitter.com/yvua3UlwJ5
— Tron Carter (@TronCarterNLU) November 23, 2023

The first PIP bonus pool in 2021 was $40 million given to the top 10 players and this increased to $100 million to 20 players.

In 2024, the bonus pool will come down to $50 million and the player ranked first on the leaderboard will earn $10 million.

NOW READ: Is Jon Rahm on the verge of signing for LIV Golf?

Is this Rory McIlroy PIP victory healthy for golf, or does the program need a reshuffle? Tell us on X!

Matt Chivers

Now on the wrong side of 25, Matt has been playing golf since the age of 13 and was largely inspired to take up the game by countless family members who played golf during his childhood.

Matt is a member at Royal Cinque Ports in Deal playing off a 5 handicap, just a pitching wedge away from his hometown of Dover where he went to school and grew up. He has previously been a member at Etchinghill and Walmer and Kingsdown in Kent.

Having studied history at the University of Liverpool, Matt went on to pass his NCTJ Exams in Manchester a year later to fulfil his lifelong ambition of becoming a journalist. He picked up work experience along the way at places such as the Racing Post, the Independent, Sportsbeat and the Lancashire Evening Post.

Matt joined NCG in February 2023 and is the website’s main source of tour news, features and opinion. He has reported live from events such as The Open, the Ryder Cup and The Players Championship, having also interviewed and spent time with some of the biggest names in the sport.

Consuming tour golf on what is a 24/7 basis, you can come to Matt for informed views on the game and the latest updates on the PGA Tour, DP World Tour, LPGA Tour, Ladies European Tour and LIV Golf.

What’s in Matt’s bag: Cobra LTDx LS driver, Cobra LTDx 3-wood, TaylorMade P7MC irons, Ping Glide 4.0 wedges, Odyssey putter.