Player Impact Program bonus pool: All bonuses for golfers revealed

The Player Impact Program was launched in 2021 by the PGA Tour to reward golfers who boosted engagement and publicity for the tour. Legendary US golfer Tiger Woods bagged the inaugral Player Impact Program last year. He has followed it up by topping the table again this year.

Woods, who did not play in the majority of events this year owing to his recovery from the horrific car crash he suffered in 2021, can still be easily considered the poster boy of golf.

Despite not being in action for the most part, Woods has managed to create an effective impact on the publicity of the PGA Tour. Woods ranked first in four of the five categories considered by the program.

The one he missed out on was the "TV Sponsor Exposure," which is the length of time a player's sponsor logo flashes on the screen during weekend rounds. Sadly, since Tiger Woods only played three of them, he missed the cut in that category.

Nevertheless, he was awarded a whopping $15 million bonus from the Player Impact Program. Last year, he received $8 million for topping the charts.

In accordance with a tour memo to players acquired by the Associated Press, players who received Player Impact Program funds were required to compete in a predetermined tournament, attend one of the service events of the program, and play 15 times, including 12 times in elevated tournaments.

However, Tiger Woods is an exception to the rule since he plays a limited schedule due to his bad legs. The commissioner has the authority to waive playing requirements for players going through a serious injury or a family emergency.

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Rory McIlroy comes second in Player Impact Program bonus list

Rory McIlroy (Image via Harry How/Getty Images)

Northern Irish golfer Rory McIlroy jumped from his third place finish and $3.5 million last year to land the second spot this year in the Player Impact Program list, as reported by the Associated Press.

He received a handsome $12 million as a bonus for his contribution to the publicity and engagement of the PGA Tour. In a close finish, Jordan Spieth came in third while Justin Thomas ended up fourth on the bonus list.

The two received $9 million and $7.5 million, respectively. Spanish golfer Jon Rahm came in fifth with a $6 million bonus. Reigning Masters champion Scottie Scheffler came in sixth with $5.5 million.

The other four spots were awarded $5 million each. Tokyo gold medalist Xander Schauffele, US Open champion Matt Fitzpatrick, FedEx St. Jude champion Will Zalatoris, and Houston Open champion Tony Finau filled up the rest of the top ten spots.

Hideki Matsuyama, Cameron Young, and Sam Burns finished in the top 20 and received $2 million each. The program increased its purse from $40 million to a whopping $106 million this year and awarded the top 20 players.

Last year, the program only awarded the top 10 golfers. It also employed "general population awareness" and "golf fan awareness" to replace Q-rating and social media criteria.

Colin Morikawa maintained his 11th position from last year. Him, Shane Lowry, Kevin Kisner, Max Homa, and Billy Horschel filled up the next four slots and each received $3 million.

According to the memo, 25% of the Player Impact Program bonuses will be paid out of players' earnings at the Sentry Tournament of Champions at Kapalua, and the remaining 75% will be paid out whenever they fulfill their three requirements.

It is unclear when Lowry, Kisner, Fowler, and Day will be paid their first installment since they did not qualify for the Sentry Tournament of Champions.

The 2023 Player Impact Program season began in October and will end in August. LIV Golf players will not be considered for the bonus as they have been banned by the PGA Tour.