Lowry lands $3 million PIP bonus in bumper year (so far)

Shane Lowry and his caddie Brian Martin on the 17th tee during the first round at the 2022 U.S. Open at The Country Club in Brookline, Mass. on Thursday, June 16, 2022. (Robert Beck/USGA)

Shane Lowry might have been disappointed with his finish to the DP World Tour season on Sunday, but this year ranks as the most lucrative of his career.

The PGA TOUR confirmed today the Clara man finished 12th in the Player Impact Programme (PIP) and banked an extra $3 million to take his worldwide earnings over the past year to $8.47 million (€8.22m) with the possibility of a $1 million payday in Tiger Woods’ Hero World Challenge next week.

The PIP programme is designed to reward players who generate the most positive interest in the PGA Tour, measured through their appearances in internet searches, mentions in the media, their total TV time, name recognition in the US and their social media reach.

Former Open champion Lowry missed out on a share of the $5m DP World Tour Bonus Pool when he tied for 23rd in the season-ending DP World Tour Championship on Sunday.

But after winning the BMW PGA Championship at Wentworth and racking up another five top-10 finishes worldwide, including a tie for third in the Masters, it was a lucrative year for him financially.

Woods ranked No. 1 in the PIP rankings for the second straight year, despite playing just three events.

The 82-time TOUR winner earned the top impact bonus of $15 million, with FedEx Cup and DP World Tour rankings winner Rory McIlroy getting $12 million for second.

Shane Lowry and his caddie Brian Martin at the 2022 U.S. Open at The Country Club in Brookline, Mass. on Thursday, June 16, 2022. (Robert Beck/USGA)

Jordan Spieth ($9 million), Justin Thomas ($7.5 million), Jon Rahm ($6 million), Scottie Scheffler ($5.5 million), Xander Schauffele ($5 million), Matt Fitzpatrick ($5 million), Will Zalatoris ($5 million) and Tony Finau ($5 million) rounded out the top 10.

Nos. 11-20 on the list were made up of Collin Morikawa ($3 million), Lowry ($3 million), Kevin Kisner ($3 million), Max Homa ($3 million), Billy Horschel ($3 million), Rickie Fowler ($2 million), Adam Scott ($2 million), Jason Day ($2 million), Patrick Cantlay ($2 million) and Viktor Hovland ($2 million).

The criteria will be slightly modified for 2023, and three additional players – Hideki Matsuyama (11), Cameron Young (15), and Sam Burns (20) – who would have qualified with those adjustments were awarded $2 million each.

Lowry made $3.61m on the PGA TOUR in 2021-22 and another $88,305 in the Fall Series.

Add to that his $3 million PIP bonus and DP World Tour earnings of €1.71m and it ranks as the biggest year of his career in terms of prize money and bonuses since 2019, when he won The Open and banked almost $5 million worldwide.

Meanwhile, aerial pictures of Augusta National reveal a new back tee at the par-five 13th, which looks like it will play far longer than the 510 yards the players faced this year.

“The fact that players are hitting middle- to short-irons into that hole is not really how it was designed,” Augusta National chairman Fred Ridley said in April.

The 2023 DP World Tour season tees off on Thursday with rookies Tom McKibbin and John Murphy set to chase three spots in The Open at Royal Liverpool up for grabs at the Joburg Open at Houghton Golf Club in Johannesburg.

Elsewhere, the DP World Tour Championship, Dubai and Emirates have agreed a five-year extension which will see the airline continue as a premium partner of the DP World Tour’s season-ending event until at least 2027.