Mickelson ‘claims’ $8million first prize PIP bonus

Phil Mickelson says he’s received a late $8 million Christmas gift from his PGA Tour employers, taking to social media to reveal that he has finished in first place in the Player Impact Programme, rewarding his efforts in positively moving the needle in golf.

Details of the PIP came to light in April this year with the PGA Tour confirming a $40million bonus pool being made available for the top-10 players best impacting the game of golf off the course in terms of fan and sponsor engagement. Key things to consider were:

1. “Ranking on the season-ending FedEx Cup points list.”
2. “Popularity in Google search.”
3. “Nielsen Brand Exposure rating, which places a value on the exposure a player delivers to sponsors though the minutes they are featured on broadcasts.”
4. “Q Rating, which measures the familiarity and appeal of a player’s brand.”
5. “MVP Index rating, which calibrates the value of the engagement a player drives across social and digital channels.”
6. “Meltwater Mentions, or the frequency with which a player generates coverage across a range of media platforms.”

51-year old Mickelson has been more vocal than ever about hitting bombs and building calves across his social channels in 2021 and broke the news on Twitter that his tweeting wasn’t in vain – far from it:

“I’d like to thank all the crazies (and real supporters too) for………………… Helping me win the PiP!!” Mickelson wrote.

I’d like to thank all the crazies (and real supporters too) for…………………
Helping me win the PiP!!
To get the 2nd half of the money I have to add an event I haven’t played in awhile. See you in Kapalua? ?️‍♂️?‍♂️?
P.S. I’ll try and find another hot controversial topic soon?

— Phil Mickelson (@PhilMickelson) December 29, 2021

“To get the 2nd half of the money I have to add an event I haven’t played in a while. See you in Kapalua.

“P.S. I’ll try and find another hot controversial topic soon.”

As Mickelson mentions, one stipulation was to commit to a tournament he hasn’t played in a while. He’s chosen the limited field Sentry Tournament of Champions where further prize money is guaranteed at the no-cut event.

However, it has since come to light that Mickelson perhaps isn’t home and hosed yet. According to Golfweek’s Eamon Lynch, “I asked PGAT about Mickelson claiming he won the $8m PIP bonus. Tour says PIP runs until end of year & there’s a weeks-long lag in reporting metrics, which means Tiger/PNC impact could still be outstanding. Then independent firm must verify. Mickelson might win but he hasn’t yet.”

PGA Tour player Jim Herman, who’s been hunting some PIP money of his own, also claimed fake news, insisting the PIP runs until midnight on the 31st of this month. Still, given Mickelson has already committed to Hawaii (he confirmed a week ago), it’s hard to imagine any change in the running order when it comes to the PIP payout.

That said, it’s Tiger Woods’ birthday (December 30) and he never goes down without a fight.