Woods most popular golfer even without playing

Tiger Woods is by far the most popular golfer in the world even without playing. The PGA Tour, the organization for the highest level of professional golfers, has declared the American, who did not play due to a car accident in 2021, the winner of the so-called Player Impact Program (PIP). In doing so, the PGA will reward “players who generated the most positive attention for golf in the past year”. It gave Woods a check for $8 million, about 7.2 million euros.

Woods, 46, a 15-time major winner, was seriously injured in a car accident a year ago. As a result, his activity on the golf circuit in 2021 was limited to a participation in the PNC Championship, a tournament in which he played alongside his 12-year-old son.

Despite this, he kept his old rival Phil Mickelson behind in the ‘popularity poll’. He won the PGA Championship at the age of 50, becoming the oldest major winner ever. Northern Irishman Rory McIlroy was third of the ten golfers who together were allowed to divide around 36 million euros. Measures included which players are most searched for on the internet, which names are most often mentioned in articles and which golfers have the greatest reach on social media.