Top Cat: Tiger earns $15M bonus from PGA Tour

Despite playing lone 9 rounds successful 3 large championships this past season, Tiger Woods has erstwhile again claimed the apical bonus successful the PGA Tour's Player Impact Program, according to documents obtained by ESPN connected Tuesday.

World No. 1 golfer Rory McIlroy fto the feline retired of the container connected Nov. 8 erstwhile he told The Associated Press that helium finished 2nd to Woods successful the $100 cardinal bonus program, which is designed to reward members who person "shown to make the astir affirmative involvement successful the PGA Tour." Woods, a 15-time large champion, received a $15 cardinal bonus.

Woods, who is expected to play successful adjacent week's Hero World Challenge successful the Bahamas, collected $8 cardinal for winning the inaugural PIP bonus successful 2021. He hasn't played since missing the chopped astatine the 150th Open Championship astatine St. Andrews successful July. He is inactive recovering from injuries helium suffered successful a car wreck extracurricular Los Angeles successful February 2021.

A grounds 23 players received astatine slightest $2 cardinal successful PIP bonuses this season, including 3 (Hideki Matsuyama, Cameron Young and Sam Burns) who finished successful the apical 20 of a modified criteria measurement, which volition beryllium utilized by the circuit going forward.

McIlroy collected $12 cardinal for 2nd place, followed by Jordan Spieth ($9 million), PGA Championship victor Justin Thomas ($7.5 million) and Jon Rahm ($6 million). Masters champion Scottie Scheffler finished sixth and was awarded $5.5 million, followed by Xander Schauffele ($5 million), U.S. Open champion Matt Fitzpatrick ($5 million), Will Zalatoris ($5 million) and Tony Finau ($5 million).

Players volition person 25% of their PIP bonus successful the Sentry Tournament of Champions purse outgo successful January, according to a memo sent to PGA Tour members Tuesday. The remaining 75% volition beryllium paid erstwhile a subordinate completes 3 requirements: plays successful a mutually agreed-upon PIP designated tournament; participates successful a PIP work event; and fulfills the mandatory information requirement.

The archetypal PIP program utilized metrics specified arsenic a player's popularity successful Google searches, Q rating, Nielsen marque vulnerability rating, MVP scale standing and their Meltwater mentions, which measurement the frequence that a subordinate generates sum crossed assorted media platforms. The caller criteria enactment much value connected media mentions and broadcast TV vulnerability than societal media.

Five players who finished successful the apical 10 of the inaugural PIP standings -- Phil Mickelson, Dustin Johnson, Brooks Koepka, Bryson DeChambeau and Bubba Watson -- are present playing connected the LIV Golf circuit and were ineligible for the program.