Winning the most in a season does not guarantee leading all the lists. This has been proved earlier when, despite Nelly Korda winning the most events at the LPGA Tour, she wasn’t the topper of the money list. Now with the latest PIP ranking shared. Something similar happened with the PGA Tour World No. 1.

Scottie Scheffler, with his great season in 2024, became a topic of comparison with Tiger Woods. The American professional won 7 titles on the PGA Tour, along with an Olympic gold medal and the Hero World Challenge (a co-sanctioned event of the PGA Tour). The critics shared about his seven wins in a single season and compared him to Woods in his absolute prime.

Even though he might have topped the list with the most victories and money earned; Woods, being the legend, has shocked the world by being at the top again with only 4 appearances in the season. The 49-year-old golfer, due to his back injury, could only participate in 4 events, out of which he made the cut in only one. He recorded his best finish last year at the Masters, where he placed in 60th. Along with that, he also participated with his son Charlie Woods at the PNC Championship where the team was the runner-up.

Irrespective of his minimum participation, he has topped the list of the Player Impact Program (PIP) rankings. He has topped the list a total of three times in the last four years, while ranked second in 2023 after Rory McIlroy. As per the last update shared by NUCLR GOLF on X, Woods topped the list with $10 million, followed by Scottie Scheffler in second place with $8 million.

Continuing on the list, Rory McIlroy, Xander Schauffele, Jordan Spieth, Collin Morikawa, Shane Lowry, Justin Thomas, Tommy Fleetwood, and Wyndham Clark were the ones that made it to the top 10 of the ranking. The list showcasing the players who made the most impact through the unique criteria of measuring proved that Tiger Woods is still the biggest draw of the PGA Tour. So, what are these unique criteria of measurement?

How is PIP rank calculated?

The great sum of the amount being distributed amongst the top players. Seems interesting right? But how is the topper of the list calculated is not known to many. As per Golf Digest, to calculate the players with the most impact, the PGA team uses Nielsen brand exposure, Google search data, Media Mentions, MARC Media General Population Awareness, and MARC Golf Fan Awareness to evaluate each player’s impact. In short, it ranks the players that bring the most amount of attention to the game and the PGA Tour.

Following the rivalry with the PIF league, the Player Impact Program was introduced in 2020-21 to reward the players who have impacted the business of the PGA Tour. The TOUR Executive Vice President and Chief Player Officer Jason Gore said in the memo, “The scoring model for the Program is intended to be as objective as possible with the goal of quantifying the impact each player has on the PGA TOUR.”

As compared to the 2023 season, $50 million of the prize pool is awarded to the top 10 players on the list in 2024. While Tiger Woods being the most impactful player yet again topped after 2021 and 2022. With his recovery phase completed and his comeback expected in the 2025 season. Can he be the most impactful player in 2025 too? Who did you expect to top the list in 2024? Share your thoughts with us in the comments section below.