Tiger Woods beats out Phil Mickelson for $8 million impact bonus

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Tiger Woods still moves the needle in golf even when he barely plays.

The PGA Tour informed players on Wednesday that Woods was the winner of the new $40 million "Player Impact Program" that rewards those who generate the most positive interest in golf measured by five metrics.

Woods won the $8 million prize over Phil Mickelson, who claimed on Twitter in December that he was the winner.

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The tour had said the program would be measured through the end of the year. Woods captivated golf in December when he returned from a shattered right leg in a February car accident to play the PNC Championship with his son, Charlie. They finished second.

Mickelson took to Twitter in December to "thank all the crazies (and real supporters) for helping him win the PIP.

He ended his message with words that didn't age well: "P.S. I'll try and find another hot controversial topic soon??"

Woods responded with one word above Mickelson’s tweet — "Whoops."

Mickelson's public image has been badly damaged in recent weeks for revealing in an interview with Alan Shipnuck, who is writing an unauthorized biography on him, that he was willing to support a Saudi-funded rival golf league as leverage — while acknowledging the human rights atrocities in Saudi Arabia — to get changes he wants on the PGA Tour.

In another interview, he accused the tour of "obnoxious greed."

Mickelson is taking time away from the game and has not played since the Saudi International a month ago.

Tiger Woods speaks during the trophy ceremony on the 18th green after the Genesis Invitational golf tournament at Riviera Country Club, Sunday, Feb. 20,