Report: Phil Mickelson Wins PGA Tour's $8 Million PIP Bonus
The PGA Tour's new Player Impact Program was popular water-cooler fodder in 2021, after Golfweek broke the news of its existence in April. The "PIP," as it's come to be known, pays the top 10 players based an algorithm that emphasizes social media engagement and other popularity-driven metrics. While the Tour said results won't be final until the end of the year, multiple outlets Wednesday reported the winner, including the man himself:
According to reports, Tiger Woods finished second and will receive $6 million. The rest of the top-10 prize-winners were not immediately known.
The PIP is based on five criteria: Google searches, Meltwater Mentions (global media exposure), MPV Index, which is a measure of social media reach, Nielsen score (network broadcast exposure) and Q-Score (familiarity and mass appeal).
Last fall, SI.com took a swing at predicting the 2021 winners based on those metrics. We projected Woods to ultimately win the grand prize, with Mickelson finishing fourth.
But Mickelson was a fixture on and off the course throughout the year. In May he stunned the sports world by winning the PGA Championship at age 50 for his sixth career major title. He also played -- and one might argue, starred -- in the made-for-TV "Match" alongside Bryson DeChambeau, Tom Brady and Aaron Rodgers in July. Along the way, he won four of six starts on the Champions Tour. He was a also popular non-playing vice captain on the winning U.S. Ryder Cup team, and a TV "analyst" during DeChambeau's head-to-head match vs. Brooks Koepka in November.
As Mickelson referenced in his tweet, to receive the full bonus, a PGA Tour player reportedly must add an extra event in 2022 that they do not typically play. So, Mickelson will apparently add the Sentry Tournament of Champions in Kapalua to his upcoming schedule. Not a bad way to kick off the new year.