SI Golf Ranks Its Top 36 PGA Tour Players Who Should Get Equity Shares
The PGA Tour's top players are about to get a lot richer.
But which ones?
The Tour announced in early February that $930 million of its investment capital from Strategic Sports Group would go to qualified members in the form of equity shares in the new for-profit PGA Tour Enterprises.
The bulk of that pot of gold—$750 million—will go to 36 players based on a formula that factors career performance, last five-year performance and Player Impact Program (PIP) results, according to the Tour.
Only current qualified Tour members are eligible (again, their rules, not ours), so none of these equity shares will go to Phil Mickelson, the second-winningest player of the last 30 years. Or to Jon Rahm, arguably the game’s best over the last five years. Or Jack Nicklaus, as there is another equity group of 36 players the Tour calls “instrumental to building the PGA Tour, based on career performance.” He’d surely top that list.
For qualified Tour members, we crunched some numbers. By compiling career wins, titles in the last five years plus FedEx Cup points and PIP scores (25 qualified players have received PIP bonuses in the three years of the program), SI Golf came up with its list of 36 players. “Loyalty” is not accounted for in our calculations; we’ll be curious to see if that factors in the Tour’s list.
Let us know your thoughts on the SI Golf X account.
36 PGA Tour Players Who Most Deserve Equity Shares From the New Investment
Illustration by Laura Angle/Sports Illustrated
1. Tiger Woods: 82 career Tour wins and No. 1 in all three years of the PIP. His record over the last five years has nothing of note beyond two wins in 2019, including a triumphant Masters. But there’s no doubt he will top this list and we’d guess command a nine-figure equity share.
2. Rory McIlroy: 24 career wins, 10 in the last five years, won two of the last five FedEx Cups. Also second-second-third in three years of the PIP. We’re not assigning dollar figures here, but would anyone be surprised if he also gets a nine-figure share?
3. Justin Thomas: Has never finished below eighth in the PIP (Woods, McIlroy, Thomas and Jordan Spieth are the only members to have ranked in all three PIPs), has 15 career wins including six in the last five years. Four straight top-five FedEx Cup finishes from 2019–22.
4. Scottie Scheffler: World No. 1 has eight wins in last 25 months. Three top-six FedEx Cup finishes in last four years including runner-up in 2022. Two top-six PIP nods.
5. Xander Schauffele: Last five years include four wins, Olympic gold and unmatched consistency with no finish below fifth in the last five FedEx Cups. Also 11th and seventh in the last two PIPs.
6. Jordan Spieth: Never below fourth in the PIP and 13 career wins are tied for fifth among active players. Two wins in the last five years.
7. Viktor Hovland: Six wins in the last five years including last year’s FedEx Cup. Seventh and 20th in last two PIPs.
8. Tony Finau: Five wins in the last five years, top-20 finishes in last five FedEx Cups, 13th and 10th in last two PIPs.
9. Collin Morikawa: All six career wins in the last five years, 14th and 11th last two PIPs and four consecutive Tour Championship appearances.
10. Max Homa: All six career wins in last five years, ninth and 14th in last two PIPs, top-nine finishes in last two FedEx Cups.
11. Patrick Cantlay: Seven wins in the last five years and the 2021 FedEx Cup, but 19th in the last two PIPs.
12. Billy Horschel: Seven career wins with a FedEx Cup, three Tour Championship appearances in last four years, 15th in the 2022 PIP.
13. Rickie Fowler: Six career wins, sixth and 16th in last two PIPs, two top-20 FedEx Cup finishes in last five years.
14. Matt Fitzpatrick: Two wins in the last two years, 15th and eighth in last two PIPs and ninth and 15th in last two FedEx Cups.
15. Justin Rose: 11 career wins with a major, a FedEx Cup and an Olympic gold medal. 18th in last year’s PIP.
16. Adam Scott: Fourth in all-time wins among active players, two Tour Championship appearances in last five years, 17th in 2022 PIP.
17. Wyndham Clark: Three wins in the last 10 months, 16th in the PIP last year and third in the FedEx Cup
18. Kevin Kisner: Two career wins, two Tour Championship appearances in last five years, 13th in the 2022 PIP.
19. Hideki Matsuyama: This is the part of the list where players fail to meet all three of the Tour’s criteria, and in Matsuyama’s case that’s zero PIP nods. But he has four wins in last five years and four Tour Championship appearances.
20. Jason Day: 13 career wins, 12th and 15th last two PIPs, 28th at last year's Tour Championship.
21. Chris Kirk: Six career wins with a resurgence that includes two wins over the last year.
22. Keegan Bradley: Six career wins, two wins in the last five years. Ninth in last year's FedEx Cup.
23. Shane Lowry: One win and was 12th in 2022 PIP.
24. Sungjae Im: 24th or better in last five years of FedEx Cup and two wins.
25. Brian Harman: Three career wins and 20th in last year's PIP.
26. Lucas Glover: Six career wins and including two last year.
27. Will Zalatoris: One win and ninth in the 2022 PIP.
28. Zach Johnson: 12 career wins, second-oldest player on this list behind Woods.
29. Webb Simpson: Seven career wins, two Tour Championship appearances in last five years.
30. Sam Burns: Five wins in last five years and three Tour Championship appearances.
31. Tom Kim: Three wins in the last three years, T20 at last year's Tour Championship.
32. Gary Woodland: Four career wins, one Tour Championship appearance in last five years.
33. Si Woo Kim: Four career wins, two wins in last three years and T20 at last year's Tour Championship.
34. Nick Taylor: Four career wins with three in the last five years.
35. Cameron Young: 2022 PGA Tour rookie of the year, 17th in last year’s PIP.
36. Matt Kuchar: Nine career wins, 16th in 2019 FedEx Cup.
Also considered: Brandt Snedeker (nine career wins), Sahith Theegala (2022 Tour Championship appearance, one win), Tommy Fleetwood (10th 2023 PIP).