Tiger Woods remains the man to catch after he earned a hefty $10million windfall from the PGA Tour’s Player Impact Programme (PIP) in 2024.
Woods’ season was again hampered by injuries suffered from his car accident a number of years ago. Golf icon Woods played in just five events across the 12 months, although he did make the cut at The Masters.
Rory McIlroy and Tiger Woods walked away with significant bonus sums (Image: Christian Petersen/Getty Images)
The American was forced to withdraw from the Genesis Invitational through illness and was again absent from the Hero World Challenge roster due to a back problem. But he remains the biggest name in golf.
This initiative rewards high-profile players with a bonus for helping to raise the profile of the American circuit throughout the year. Woods once again leads the way, ahead of Scottie Scheffler ($8M) and Rory McIlroy ($4.5M).
Despite not securing a fifth major championship win in 2024, Northern Irish star McIlroy also features high on the list. His last major victory was the PGA Championship back in 2014, adding to his wins at the 2011 U.S. Open, 2012 PGA Championship, and 2014 Open Championship. With his dry spell now extending over a decade, it remains uncertain whether he will break this streak in 2025.
He came tantalizingly close to clinching the 2024 U.S. Open title, leading with just four holes remaining. However, despite having a two-stroke lead over Bryson DeChambeau, he bogeyed three of the final four holes, finishing one stroke behind his competitor.
Rory McIlroy failed to end his wait for a fifth major championship triumph in 2024 ( Image: Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images for The Showdown)
After narrowly missing out on ending his ten-year wait for another major championship victory at Pinehurst Resort, he ended the year on a high note by winning the DP World Tour Championship and claiming the Race to Dubai title.
Scheffler meanwhile enjoyed a remarkable 2024, winning The Masters, the Olympics and the Tour Championship among nine victories. It has been confirmed that the PIP pool, previously at $100m, was slashed to $50m for 2024 as it makes way for the new Player Equity Program (PEP).
This innovative program will allow players to acquire equity stakes in PGA Tour Enterprises. PGA Tour’s chief competitions officer Tyler Dennis hailed the initiative as “historic” stating: “This is a first in professional sports.
“There’s no other sports league in the world that has this significant number of their athletes as owners of their own sports organization. We’re really excited about it because ultimately we want to do what is right for the fan.”
