Rory McIlroy and Shane Lowry came in for huge paydays this weeks, thanks to the PGA Tour's Player Impact Program (PIP).
The program is effectively a popularity contest for its members, and rewards players for bringing fans and attention to the Tour.
The PGA Tour define it as thus: "The program is designed to reward members who – through objective measurement criteria – are shown to generate the most positive interest in the PGA TOUR."
Rory McIlroy, fresh off his Race to Dubai victory, finished second this year, picking up cheque for $12M, while Shane Lowry took home $3M after finishing in 12th place.
Tiger Woods finished first once again, despite only playing a handful of round throughout the season, and won the jackpot of $15M.
Lowry's finish of 12th is impressive, and highlights his popularity considering his world ranking of 20th. However, certain players were helped by men such as Bryson DeChambeau, Phil Mickelson, and Dustin Johnson moving to the LIV Golf Tour.
Rory McIlroy And Shane Lowry Strike Gold With PIP Money
Tiger Woods tops the Player Impact Program rankings for the second consecutive year, ahead of Rory McIlroy and Jordan Spieth 🏆 pic.twitter.com/Rz2W3fDUNV
— Sky Sports Golf (@SkySportsGolf) November 24, 2022
READ HERE: Shane Lowry Predicted Justin Thomas' Controversial Behaviour At The President's Cup
READ HERE: Shane Lowry Makes It Personal As He Has A Pop At Bryson DeChambeau On Twitter
The PGA Tour website has listed out the ranking system for PIP as follows:
"The 2022 PIP ranking was based on objective, third-party data measurement of:
1) Internet Searches: Number of times a player’s name is searched using Google
2) Earned Media: Number of unique news articles that include a player’s name
3) TV Sponsor Exposure: Duration (time) that a player’s sponsor logo(s) appeared on screen during Saturday and Sunday PGA TOUR telecasts
4) Awareness: A player’s general awareness score among broad U.S. population
5) Social Media: Social media score that considers a player’s reach, conversation and engagement metrics"
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