There Is Fine Print in the PIP Payouts, but the Winner Will Get His Money

The $100 million isn't paid in full without some obligations being met including a playing requirement, but the PGA Tour commissioner has the final say.

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Tiger Woods won the Player Impact Program (PIP) top prize and the $15 million bonus that will see a total of 23 players benefit from the $100 million program with various amounts that will be paid out down to $2 million.

But there is a catch: the money won’t be all paid at once, and several requirements must be met.

Players will receive 25 percent of their bonus in January. But to receive the remaining 75 percent, three “PIP obligations" must first be fulfilled.

PGA Tour commissioner Jay Monahan is the final arbiter on the Player Impact Program payouts—which explains why Tiger Woods will get his full $15 million :: Peter Casey/USA TODAY Sports

A player must compete in a mutually agreed upon “PIP designated tournament," must perform one “PIP service event" and must fulfill the mandatory participation requirement.

The first requirement suggests that the Tour will work with players to pick an event that might be getting less interest, probably as one of the three extra events that players can choose. The second likely means some sort of clinic, talk or autograph session. And the third is competing in all of the elevated or “designated tournaments" for which a player is eligible

Those events for 2023 are the Sentry Tournament of Champions, the WM Phoenix Open, the Genesis Invitational, the Arnold Palmer Invitational, the Players Championship, the WGC-Dell Technologies Match Play Championship, the Masters, the RBC Heritage, the Wells Fargo Championship, the PGA Championship, the Memorial Tournament, the U.S. Open, the Travelers Championship, the British Open and the three playoff events: the FedEx St. Jude, the BMW Championship and the Tour Championships.

Players are also required to add three other events of their choosing for a total of 20.

Players will be given one “opt-out" event for “personal or professional reasons.’’

So how will Woods ever be able to meet all the tournament requirements, given the injuries to his right left that will prevent him from playing a full schedule?

There is some further fine print.

PGA Tour commissioner Jay Monahan “at his sole discretion, may modify, waive or adjust eligibility requirements, program commitments and/or program metrics."

In other words, Woods will get the full $15 million. And any other player who misses multiple events due to injury may also be rewarded for the same reasons.

As for a player who is no longer a PGA Tour member—i.e. someone who jumps to LIV Golf—he will forfeit his remaining bonus.