World No. 1 golfer Scottie Scheffler, whose seven tour victories this past season were the most since Tiger Woods in 2007, won the Jack Nicklaus Award as the PGA Tour’s player of the year.
Scheffler, who won a second green jacket at the Masters, a gold medal at the Paris Olympics and a FedEx Cup title, is the first golfer since Woods (2005 to 2007) to win the honor in three consecutive seasons.
“On behalf of the PGA Tour, we congratulate Scottie Scheffler on a truly historic season, capped by his first FedExCup title and today’s third consecutive Jack Nicklaus Award as PGA Tour Player of the Year,” commissioner Jay Monahan said in a statement Tuesday. . “Scottie has challenged the best players in the world on the biggest stages all season, and being honored as PGA Tour Player of the Year is the ultimate mark of respect from his peers.”
On Sunday, Scheffler won his second straight title at the Hero World Challenge, an unofficial tournament Woods hosts in the Bahamas, giving Scheffler nine victories around the world this year.
But he laughed off any comparisons to Woods, calling them “stupid” when he spoke to the media on Tuesday night.
“There’s only one Tiger, just one of its kind,” he said. “I’m trying to get the best out of myself and that’s all I’m focused on. I’m not chasing records or chasing history or anything like that, I’m just trying to keep improving every day. just go out there and compete, have fun.”
Incredibly, Scheffler has finished first in 43% of his 21 starts in 2024, including the Olympics and Champion. He also finished second. He made more than $29.2 billion in collegiate earnings this past season.
According to the PGA Tour, Scheffler received 91 votes from his peers. Xander Schauffele, winner of the PGA Championship and Open Championship, and Rory McIlroy were the other golfers who received votes.
PGA Tour members who have competed in at least 15 tournaments were eligible to vote for the award as of Nov. 25 to Dec. 4.
The result was not surprising given Scheffler’s 2024 tenure. In addition to winning the Masters and Tour Championship, he became the first player to successfully defend his title at the Players Championship. He is the first golfer to win The Players, a major tournament and the FedEx Cup in the same season.
The 28-year-old has also won titles in four of his signature events on elite courses: the Arnold Palmer Invitational, the RBC Heritage, the Memorial Tournament and the Travelers Championship. He had a tour-best 16 top-10 finishes in 19 starts and never missed the cut.
Scheffler was the first golfer since Arnold Palmer in 1962 to have six PGA Tour victories in a season before July 1.
“I mean, it’s hard to compare seasons, but I think about the number of tournaments I’ve won and having the big tournament, the Players and the Olympics, I think if you look at the whole season I think it’s the best golf that I’ve played in my career,” Scheffler said. “Look at a year like -2022, I won a lot in the beginning of the year, but I couldn’t win a lot in the second half of the year. Then last year I played amazing golf all year and I didn’t” I was able to get a ton of wins out of it and I won three times last year, but it felt like I left some where I could have won.
“Then this year I felt like maybe there were a few events that I had a good chance of winning that I didn’t and for the most part this year I felt like I was making the most of those opportunities and making putts when it mattered most. .”
Scheffler also received the Byron Nelson award for having the lowest average tour score (68.65). He finished first in shots gained: value (2.496) and approach (1.269) and was second on the tee (.816).
“I think the biggest thing I see is that he’s always trying to get better,” Kim said on Sunday. “Despite winning nine times this year, he always finds little ways, and I think it’s really cool to see and you can take a lot from that. He wins 95% of the time.”
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