As Rory McIlroy Nabs a Jaw-Dropping $15M in PIP Bonus, All You Need To Know About the Controversial Player Impact Program
When the competition rose against the PGA Tour, it came up with a strategic plan called the Player Impact Program (PIP) to keep its players intact. It was a step to prevent the players from abandoning them but was “labeled a thinly veiled attempt by the tour to appease superstars in the face of legitimate competition.”
Until this year, the program was sort of a secret scheme, but in April, the news of its existence spread out, and the tour faced backlash. And on Wednesday, Rory McIlroy hit the jackpot when he was declared the winner of the 2023 PIP. While the debate over the program continues, let us dive into its details and who all received a chunk of the purse this year.
What is the Player Impact Program, and how does it work?
Rory McIlroy struck a fortune this week. In the memo released by the PGA Tour, the Irish golfer emerged as the winner of PIP, taking home a mind-blowing $15 million. But what many are still unaware of is what exactly the PIP is and how one wins it.
The PIP is a bonus pool that was created in 2021 with the intention of increasing popularity and engagement on the Tour among players and rewarding those who have actively participated in it. Andy Pazder, the PGA Tour’s Chief Tournaments and Competitions Officer, explained the PIP to Golf Digest as “a program designed to reward the players who have the biggest positive impact on our business.”
For McIlroy, who recently resigned from the PGA Tour Board, this is undoubtedly a controversial win. After the news of the merger, the 24-time PGA Tour winner stated that he felt like a “sacrificial goat” and hence left his post, but surprisingly, it seems like that had no impact on the PIP.
Despite the program being in implementation in secret before LIV ever came into play, stars like Brooks Koepka, Phil Mickelson, Bryson DeChambeau, and others left still arguably chose the money and jumped ship. Hence, in 2022, the committee decided to put more emphasis on the PIP by increasing the monetary compensation. The 2023 PIP pools were enlarged to $100 million in payouts, divided among 20 players earning rewards.
