The winners of the new Player Impact Program are yet to be announced by the PGA Tour.
That didn’t stop Phil Mickelson, who won the PGA Championship at Kiawah Island in May to become the oldest major champion, from tweeting on Wednesday that he had won the PIP and the $8 million first prize.
However, a PGA Tour representative informed Golfweek that the year-long initiative runs until December 31, and that some measures have reporting delays. In addition, the results must be confirmed by a third-party auditor.
Despite previously stating that it would not divulge the program’s winners, the PGA Tour has announced that the results will be made available to its members in mid-February.
Ten players will be rewarded as part of the $40 million initiative, which will climb to $50 million in 2022. Through its discussions with the membership, the PGA Tour will only reveal the top 10 players on the list.
https://twitter.com/PhilMickelson/status/1476217635771670544?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1476217635771670544%7Ctwgr%5E%7Ctwcon%5Es1_&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fgolfweek.usatoday.com%2F2021%2F12%2F29%2Fpga-tour-40-million-pip-phil-mickelson%2F
Mickelson wrote on Twitter, “I’d want to thank all the crazy (and real supporters too) for… Helping me win the PiP!!” Mickelson won twice on the PGA Tour Champions, including the Charles Schwab Cup Championship, in addition to his shocking triumph in the PGA – his lone top 10 on the PGA Tour in 2021.
The World Golf Hall of Famer and six-time major champion, who is now 51, said he had to add a PGA Tour event he hadn’t played in a while to his calendar in order to get the second half of his money. That’s why he’ll compete in the Sentry Tournament of Champions in Hawaii next week for the first time since 2001, he wrote.
I asked PGAT about Mickelson claiming he won the $8m PIP bonus. Tour says PIP runs until end of year & there’s a weeks-long lag in reporting metrics, which means Tiger/PNC impact could still be outstanding. Then independent firm must verify. Mickelson might win but he hasn’t yet.
— Eamon Lynch (@eamonlynch) December 29, 2021
Google search frequency, social media reach, Nielsen score (TV time), Meltwater mentions (global media attention), and Q-score were used to determine the player’s Impact score (player appeal).
Mickelson slyly responded to a tweet from Golfweek’s Eamon Lynch, implying that his previous message was a ruse to get additional social media attention.
In 2021, the program was established to honor the most popular players.
At The Tour Championship, PGA Tour commissioner Jay Monahan remarked, “It’s all about getting our players to engage in our game, help build our Tour, and help grow their own unique brands.”
Claiming you’ve won the PIP before the final standings have been tabulated…just to juice your mentions even more.
Chess, not checkers from @PhilMickelson https://t.co/sA4W2eO05c
— Sean Zak (@Sean_Zak) December 29, 2021
