Collin Morikawa, Justin Thomas and Max Homa react through the Ryder Cup.
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On the eve of Thanksgiving, an annual reward arrived: the PIP standings, the PGA Tour’s yearly rating of its most beneficial gamers. How beneficial? Very beneficial — that collective of Rory McIlroy, Tiger Woods, Jon Rahm and others. However how are they beneficial? The Tour has its personal system of answering that query. Solely there’s a rising drawback with that system. Quite a few different professionals don’t prefer it.
In 12 months’s previous, the PIP rankings have been shared by the Tour itself, and typically even leaked by means of golf media. However one factor was totally different this 12 months: The rankings got here by way of Instagram. And by way of one Instagram account specifically. Nate Lashley’s Instagram.
Lashley is the 187th-ranked participant on the earth. He simply completed 96th within the FedEx Cup Fall standings, which implies he received’t be taking part in in any signature occasions to start the 2024 season. He has full standing, which is job safety. You’ll see his title on leaderboards subsequent 12 months. However for the second Lashley is upset.
“What number of golf followers really know what the PIP on the PGA Tour is?” he wrote in his IG caption. “Would love to listen to from golf/PGA followers in the event that they assume this $100 million was spent nicely? There’s 150-200 members of the PGA Tour and so they simply spent $100 million on 20 gamers. Appears just a little ridiculous. Time for brand new management on the PGA Tour. That is an absolute kick within the face to the remainder of the PGA Tour gamers.”
A kick within the face! That’s how Lashley feels. He desires that sum of $100 million redistributed to event purses, which he made clear in subsequent feedback, and you may’t blame him for feeling that approach. That offers him the most effective probability to seize a share of that cash. As a result of Lashley is just not going to complete anyplace close to the highest of the PIP rankings, barring a large change in means. And if the whole construction of the PGA Tour’s income and losses hinged on these tournaments and their leaderboards, he might need an honest case.
However the recognition of the PGA Tour, the rankings its TV companions obtain, the individuals who will journey to Charlotte for the Wells Fargo and purchase tickets in Los Angeles for the Genesis Invitational — this stuff are usually not essentially tied to the place gamers end on the leaderboards. That’s what the PGA Tour has earmarked tens of millions of bonus {dollars} for. A payout for gamers who’ve the stardom to impression these aforementioned issues that matter to the PGA Tour. Gamers who’ve weight within the golf world. Gamers who can impression the Tour’s backside line just by current. That’s why it’s known as the Participant Affect Program.
So, let’s get to the outcomes!
For the primary time in its younger life, the PIP’s high spot was not received by Tiger Woods. No, Woods took second behind Rory McIlroy, who received $15 million for ending first. Woods will earn $12 million, regardless of making simply two begins through the 2023 season. Right here’s how the remainder of the listing shakes out. Scroll beneath for an evidence of the system.
1. Rory McIlroy — $15 million
2. Tiger Woods — $12 million
3. Jon Rahm — $9 million
4. Jordan Spieth — $7.5 million
5. Scottie Scheffler — $6 million
6. Rickie Fowler — $5.5 million
7. Viktor Hovland — $5 million
8. Justin Thomas — $5 million
9. Tommy Fleetwood — $5 million
10. Max Homa — $5 million
11. Xander Schauffele — $3 million
12. Jason Day — $3 million
13. Tony Finau — $3 million
14. Collin Morikawa — $3 million
15. Matt Fitzpatrick — $3 million
16. Wyndham Clark — $2 million
17. Cameron Younger — $2 million
18. Justin Rose — $2 million
19. Patrick Cantlay — $2 million
20. Brian Harman — $2 million
If Lashley wakened on Thanksgiving nonetheless upset in regards to the PIP, he might take one other have a look at the names of these on the listing. There are just a few, nice examples of gamers who didn’t play very nicely in 2023, however whom clearly impacted the Tour in a constructive approach. Take Justin Thomas, for instance, who put collectively the worst 12 months of his profession as a professional golfer.
Thomas completed outdoors the highest 70 within the FedEx Cup, thereby lacking out on the year-end playoffs. However his struggles and his last-ditch pursuit of the playoffs was fascinating. Even the final method shot of his season was invigorating. Thomas flew from the Open Championship (the place he made headlines) to the 3M Open (the place he made headlines) to the Wyndham Championship (the place he made extra headlines). On account of all that spotlight, along with what he did the remainder of the 12 months, solely 5 gamers (McIlroy, Rahm, Woods, Scheffler and Spieth) ended with larger Meltwater Mentions than Thomas. Meltwater Mentions are a rating of “earned media”, the variety of distinctive articles that point out a participant’s title. They get eyeballs on the PGA Tour’s product.
Even his worst golf creates headlines and curiosity within the PGA Tour. What’s that value? Completely one thing. However earned media is simply one of many 5 classes by which the Tour determines participant impression. All 5 are listed beneath, in addition to the figures related to them and the rankings for every participant who completed within the high 20.
1) Web Searches: Variety of instances a participant’s title is searched utilizing Google (Google Search)
2) Earned Media: Variety of distinctive information articles that embrace a participant’s title (Meltwater)
3) TV Sponsor Publicity: Period (time) {that a} participant’s sponsor emblem(s) seems on display screen throughout Saturday and Sunday PGA TOUR telecasts (Nielsen)
4) Basic Inhabitants Consciousness: A random pattern survey of the inhabitants in america, balanced to key census knowledge round age, gender, area, and ethnicity (MARC)
5) Golf Fan Consciousness: A survey of a cross part of the overall inhabitants in america who’ve recognized themselves as “Golf Followers,” outlined as adults who play or watch golf (MARC).
As you’ll be able to see above, Tiger Woods is the most well-liked golfer on the PGA Tour in line with basic consciousness, and likewise Google searches. No shock there. The participant whose title was included in probably the most distinctive articles? That’s McIlroy. The participant who was on TV probably the most on PGA Tour weekend telecasts? Scottie Scheffler, to no shock. He was the most effective golfer on the earth a lot of the 12 months.
The Tour’s solely drawback in acknowledging its most impactful stars? It’s that Lashley is just not alone. James Hahn has made a stink about this similar concern up to now — tens of millions in funds going to a choose few as an alternative of the membership at massive. Lanto Griffin simply bemoaned the distinction between the Tour’s haves and have-nots every week in the past in Georgia. A divide exists now greater than ever earlier than. And the PIP isn’t going anyplace. Gamers acquired a memo with the outcomes Wednesday, however together with it they acquired a be aware on how this system would exist and alter in 2024. $50 million to the highest 10 gamers, a slight change from $100 million to the highest 20. Lashley now has a full 12 months to get snug with that.
