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Golf – The Masters – Augusta National Golf Club – Augusta, Georgia, U.S. – April 7, 2022 Tiger Woods of the U.S. reacts on the 18th green after finishing the first round REUTERS/Mike Blake TPX IMAGES OF THE DAY
Reuters
Golf – The Masters – Augusta National Golf Club – Augusta, Georgia, U.S. – April 7, 2022 Tiger Woods of the U.S. reacts on the 18th green after finishing the first round REUTERS/Mike Blake TPX IMAGES OF THE DAY
Since the inception of the LIV Golf Series, the PGA Tour has made several amendments to make its tour more lucrative and exciting. One of the many changes has been the formation of PIP, which stands for Player Impact Program, which awards a whopping prize pool based on the popularity of players. But as one of the four player directors on the PGA Tour Policy Board last year, James Hahn has criticized the use of such metrics, citing the example of Tiger Woods in his assertive statements.
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James Hahn speaks the harsh truth about Tiger Woods’ PIP win
The 41-year-old’s lambast comes days after the PGA Tour revealed plans for its no-cut events from the 2024 season, which were widely ridiculed and compared to the LIV Golf Series. But what did Hahn make out of the decision?
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“I hate them,” he said, before contemplating the players’ reasons for their support of the decision. According to the news, the 2024 season will have 16 ‘designated’ tournaments, including the four major championships and ‘elevated’ events.
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NAPA, CALIFORNIA – SEPTEMBER 12: James Hahn reacts to a shot from the bunker on the 4th hole during round three of the Safeway Open at Silverado Resort on September 12, 2020 in Napa, California. (Photo by Jed Jacobsohn/Getty Images)
But Hahn was critical of the PIP fund, which, he believed, credited the most popular player instead of the best player of the season. He boldly took the name of Tiger Woods, who won the PIP in its last two seasons despite only making six competitive starts.
“I use the word popular instead of best players because, granted that Tiger is one of the best players to ever have played this game, but he just won the PIP money two years running without really playing golf, without being ranked in the top 1,000 and without keeping his card,” Hahn said.
“I never would have imagined growing up that someone could make more money just for being popular than for how good they are on the course,” he further added.
James Hahn leaves no stone unturned in criticizing PGA Tour’s future direction
The PIP fund stands at $100 million this year, with the money to be distributed amongst the top 20 players. Hahn was the only one on the Policy Board to vote against raising the PIP, which has resulted in its reduction to $50 million for next year.
“We never should have gone to $100 million, to begin with, but that’s $50 million we just threw away on this experiment. And I say that as one who believes, pay that man for bringing our tour to where it is today, and I’m not saying he doesn’t deserve it.” Hahn said. He also claimed that many of the top players had negotiated for the deal, which was a cause for concern about the working of the PGA Tour.
Do you think the PGA Tour should continue with its PIP scheme? Let us know your thoughts in the comments section below.
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Written by
Edited by
Manaal Siddiqui