Tiger Woods remains the most popular attraction in golf – as the PGA Tour’s Player Impact Program [PIP] rather sheepishly proves.

The 15-time major winner has competed sparingly since a near-fatal car accident in 2021, teeing it up just ten times in official PGA Tour events, including majors.

Woods is the most famous golfer on the planet despite his limited time on the courseCredit: Getty

But that has not stopped him getting paid a cool $45million by the PGA Tour in bonuses from the PIP.

The program, which is set to be scrapped moving forwards, was introduced in 2020 to reward the game’s top players for attracting eyes to the Tour, in light of lucrative offers from LIV Golf.

Dubbed a popularity contest by many, it was the Tour’s way of compensating and appeasing its most famous players, without being seen to hand out cash with no meritocracy.

The algorithm is based off a number of things, including internet searches, social media buzz, TV exposure, and general population awareness.

Woods was recently revealed as the 2024 winner, claiming the $10m prize and beating world No.1 Scottie Scheffler in the process.

That was despite Scheffler winning nine times – including the Masters and the Olympics – and making worldwide headlines with a trip to jail hours before competing at the PGA Championship.

Xander Schauffele, who won two majors, was only interesting enough to finish fourth, one spot behind Rory McIlroy.

In fact, in its four year existence, Woods was only beaten to the top spot once – by McIlroy in 2023.

Nevertheless, Woods has made a stunning $4.5m per PGA Tour event with his earnings from the PIP over the last four years.

Bear in mind, the 49-year-old has the joint-most wins in PGA Tour history with 82, and that career earned him $120m.

His PIP earnings would amount to more than a third of his all-time winnings – and all he had to do for the last four years was be Tiger Woods.

It is important to note the pay structure of golf is different to sports like football: golfers do not earn a salary, they get paid based on performances in tournaments and endorsements.

Some would argue that, hypothetically, if superstars like Woods and McIlroy attract the most attention to an event, but miss the cut and make no money, they deserve a better slice of the pie.

The money conversation blew up in 2022 when LIV Golf burst onto the scene and started handing out multi-million dollar contracts to professional golfers.

Now, the PGA Tour has reassessed the PIP and replaced it with the Player Equity Program [PEP] as part of its new, for-profit operation.

Players will now be rewarded with equity over eight years, based off career achievements, future participation and services to the Tour, which is designed to encourage loyalty.

Woods and McIlroy were in attendance for the inaugural match of TGLCredit: AP

Meanwhile, Woods and McIlroy have taken matters into their own hands by inventing a whole new golf league themselves, in conjunction with the PGA Tour.

The two superstars, with sports executive Mike McCarley, recently launched TGL.

It’s long awaited debut took place on January 7 – and Woods will make his first appearance on Tuesday night, turning out for Jupiter Golf Links against Los Angeles Golf Club.

The golf icon underwent yet another back surgery in 2024 as he continues to manage the impacts of the 2021 car crash – and fans are hopeful of a fuller schedule for Woods in 2025.

What is TGL?

Simply put, TGL is an indoor simulator golf league featuring the game’s top players.

It will take place at a super high-tech arena called the SoFi Centre in Florida with a live crowd of around 1,500 people.

Rory McIlroy and Tiger Woods were the ones who came up with it, with the help of a guy called Mike McCarley, as part of their TMWR Sports venture.

It’s got a bunch of big-name investors, like Serena Williams, Lewis Hamilton, and Fenway Sports Group – who own Liverpool. ESPN and Sky Sports are signed up to broadcast it.

How do they compete?

There’s six teams of four, all franchises based on US cities, and all featuring top PGA Tour players. No LIV Golfers.

There is one head-to-head match each week lasting just two hours for a primetime TV slot in the States.

There will also be a 40-second shot clock and timeouts and referees to enforce the rules. All of the players are mic’d up to ensure maximum entertainment value.

McIlroy has described the concept as ‘golf reimagined’Credit: Getty

How does it work?

For shots longer than 50 yards, players will hit into this enormous screen, which is 53 foot tall and 64 foot wide.

That’s about 24 times the size of your normal golf simulator. They play off real grass, the rough and the fairways will be reflected on the surface, and it even moves to reflect the slope.

The green complex has 600 motorised sensors underneath it and 360 degree rotation to simulate the exact real life scenario facing the players.

The bunkers have the same sand as Augusta National, and they’ve even thought about the direction of the grain around the greens.

Format

Each team picks three players, they play 15 holes. The first nine holes are ‘Trebles’ – three-on-three matchplay, with each player taking turns to hit the shots.

The final six holes are ‘Singles’ – one-on-one matchplay with each player playing 2 holes.

If it’s all square after 15, they go to overtime and play closest to the pin.

Teams get two points for a regulation win, two points for an overtime win, one point for an overtime loss, and zero points for a regulation loss.

There will be Play-Offs in March with semi-finals and a final to determine the league’s overall winner – with a $21million purse to be divided among players.

The league is designed to move golf into a new tech-based futureCredit: Getty

Teams

Atlanta Drive GC• Patrick Cantlay• Lucas Glover• Billy Horschel• Justin Thomas

Boston Common Golf• Keegan Bradley• Hideki Matsuyama• Rory McIlroy• Adam Scott

The Bay Golf Club• Ludvig Aberg• Wyndham Clark• Shane Lowry• Min Woo Lee

Jupiter Links Golf Club• Max Homa• Tom Kim• Kevin Kisner• Tiger Woods

Los Angeles Golf Club• Tommy Fleetwood• Collin Morikawa• Justin Rose• Sahith Theegala

New York Golf Club• Matt Fitzpatrick• Rickie Fowler• Xander Schauffele• Cameron Young