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sports Thursday 3 March 2022
Tiger Woods beats out Mickelson for $8 million impact bonus

By DOUG FERGUSON to put together with Saudi
AP Golf Writer Arabian money. Prize mon-
ORLANDO, Fla. (AP) — Tiger ey and bonus programs
Woods still moves the nee- likes the FedEx Cup already
dle in golf even when he were increasing based on
barely plays. new media contracts that
The PGA Tour informed began this year.
players on Wednesday that PGA Tour Commissioner
Woods was the winner of Jay Monahan had said in
the new $40 million "Player an interview with The Asso-
Impact Program" that re- ciated Press in January that
wards those who generate threats from a rival league
the most positive interest in allowed the tour to con-
golf measured by five met- sider "sacred cows, or some
rics. areas that people said you
Woods won the $8 million can never do that."
prize over Phil Mickelson, The PIP program, along
who claimed on Twitter in with the "Play 15" that pays
December that he was the every player $50,000 for en-
winner. tering the minimum 15 tour-
The tour had said the pro- naments a year, are not
gram would be measured based on performance.
through the end of the Tiger Woods speaks during the trophy ceremony on the 18th green after the Genesis Invitational The five metrics used for the
year. Woods captivated golf tournament at Riviera Country Club, Sunday, Feb. 20, 2022, in the Pacific Palisades area of PIP are internet searches
golf in December when he Los Angeles. (Google Search); unique
returned from a shattered Associated Press news articles that include
right leg in a February car the player's name (Meltwa-
accident to play the PNC word above Mickelson's changes he wants on the Rory McIlroy, Jordan Spieth, ter Mentions); TV sponsor
Championship with his son, tweet — "Whoops." PGA Tour. Bryson DeChambeau and exposure (Nielsen ratings);
Charlie. They finished sec- Mickelson's public image In another interview, he ac- Justin Thomas, who each awareness (Q-score) and
ond.Mickelson took to Twit- has been badly damaged cused the tour of "obnox- earned $3.5 million. social media engagement
ter in December to "thank in recent weeks for reveal- ious greed." The rest of the top 10, who (MVP Index).
all the crazies (and real ing in an interview with Alan Mickelson is taking time each made $3 million from Woods rated first in Google
supporters) for helping him Shipnuck, who is writing an away from the game and the bonus program, were Search, Meltwater and Q-
win the PIP. unauthorized biography on has not played since the Dustin Johnson, Brooks Ko- score. He was No. 8 in the
He ended his message with him, that he was willing to Saudi International a month epka, Jon Rahm and Bub- MVP Index and 43rd in the
words that didn't age well: support a Saudi-funded ri- ago. ba Watson. Nielsen rating.
"P.S. I'll try and find anoth- val golf league as leverage Mickelson finished second The PIP program was Woods had a Sunday ap-
er hot controversial topic — while acknowledging in the Player Impact Pro- among those influenced by pearance in the CBS booth
soon??" the human rights atrocities gram and earned $6 mil- the threat of a rival league at Riviera last year for his
Woods responded with one in Saudi Arabia — to get lion. He was followed by that Greg Norman is trying Genesis Invitational. q

Fans chant 'We want baseball!' but won't get it anytime soon

By RONALD BLUM jor league teams. The an- something that does that,"
AP Baseball Writer nouncement Tuesday cut Miller said. "We're not going
JUPITER, Fla. (AP) — As Rob each club's schedule from to do anything to sacrifice
Manfred stood behind a 162 games to likely 156 at this competition of the sea-
podium in the left-field cor- most. A total of 91 games son. Anything that points
ner of Roger Dean Stadium were erased. towards mediocrity, that's
and announced that open- "We've seen this coming in the antithesis of our game
ing day was canceled, a a sense," free agent reliever and what we're about as
cluster of fans gathered Andrew Miller said. "It's un- players."
outside the spring training fortunate. But this isn't new The luxury tax may be the
home of the Miami Marlins to us. This is not shocking." single most difficult issue.
and St. Louis Cardinals.They More than pure numbers MLB proposed raising the
had something to say, too. are a cause of the conten- tax threshold from $210 mil-
"We want baseball!" the tion. Players are seething lion to $220 million in each
group chanted at the MLB over their allegations of of the next three seasons,
commissioner. service-time manipulation $224 million in 2025 and
They won't get it anytime and Major League Base- $230 million in 2026. Major League Baseball Commissioner Rob Manfred speaks dur-
ing a news conference after negotiations with the players' as-
soon. ball's increased number of A higher threshold likely sociation toward a labor deal, Tuesday, March 1, 2022, at Roger
With owners and players rebuilding clubs, which the would lead to more spend- Dean Stadium in Jupiter, Fla.
unable to agree on a la- union calls tanking. ing by large-market teams Associated Press
bor contract to replace Issues such as the size and such as the New York Yan-
the collective bargaining format of the postseason kees, Boston Red Sox and ment that's designed to Players are unhappy over
agreement that expired have become divisive. Los Angeles Dodgers. promote some semblance how the tax system worked
Dec. 1, Manfred followed "A core of this negotiation's "We have a payroll dispar- of competitive balance is during the last labor con-
through with his threat and to increase competition ity problem," Manfred said, just something that I don't tract, which included sur-
canceled the first two se- and there's no way we're "and to weaken the only think the club group is pre- taxes to discourage high
ries for each of the 30 ma- leaving the table without mechanism in the agree- pared to do right now." spending.q