PIP Plan Plays Right Into Phil’s Hands

Phil Mickelson Photo: Cliff Hawkins, Getty Images

While the official results of the PGA Tour’s Player Impact Program have not yet been certified – that’s what accounting firms are for – word on the street and the always reliable social media platforms is that Phil Mickelson and Tiger Woods finished one-two in the first year of the algorithm-based initiative designed to determine who the sport’s true needle movers are.

Take a moment to get over your surprise.

Phil and Tiger.

One’s a 51-year-old who had a single top-15 finish in 2021 – but winning the PGA Championship at Kiawah Island was a doozy – while the other is a 46-year-old who didn’t hit a shot in tour competition last year and nearly lost his life in a harrowing auto accident in February.

Tiger Woods Photo: Sam Greenwood, Getty Images

For more than 25 years, they’ve been the alpha and omega of the...