Padraig Harrington, Bernhard Langer and Brendon de Jonge were named the Players of the Year by their fellow competitors on the PGA TOUR, Champions Tour and Nationwide Tour, respectively, as announced today by PGA TOUR Commissioner Tim Finchem.
“I know this award means so much to all three players because it is bestowed upon them by their peers,” said Finchem. “Congratulations to Padraig Harrington, Bernhard Langer and Brendon de Jonge for their outstanding accomplishments this season. They each provided memorable moments to our fans around the world, and I’m sure 2008 is a year they’ll never forget.”
Harrington, Langer and de Jonge will each receive the Jack Nicklaus Trophy, symbolic of their selections as Players of the Year.
Langer was also named Rookie of the Year on the Champions Tour. Andres Romero was named PGA TOUR Rookie of the Year, while Dudley Hart earned PGA TOUR Comeback Player of the Year.
PGA TOUR Player of the Year – Padraig Harrington
Padraig Harrington of Ireland became the first European to earn the PGA TOUR Player of the Year Award, thanks to finishing the major championship season with wins at the British Open – his second consecutive – and the PGA Championship. Harrington, 37, is the fourth international player to be named PGA TOUR Player of the Year since the award was instituted in 1990, joining Nick Price (1993-94), Greg Norman (1995) and Vijay Singh (2004). He is only the third player to earn the honor since Tiger Woods won his first of nine in 1997 (Mark O’Meara, 1998; Singh).
In 2008, Harrington became the first European player to repeat at the British Open since James Braid in 1905-1906, thanks to a final-round 69 (-1). A clutch 15-foot par putt on the final green gave him his second consecutive major championship victory and his third in the last six majors at the PGA Championship. Harrington shot 66-66 on the weekend to defeat Sergio Garcia and Ben Curtis by two strokes, finishing at 3-under-par 277.
Harrington posted four additional top-10 finishes on the PGA TOUR, including a tie for fifth at the Masters Tournament. He was selected for Player of the Year over Kenny Perry, Vijay Singh, Camilo Villegas and Tiger Woods.
Champions Tour Player/Rookie of the Year – Bernhard Langer
World Golf Hall of Fame member Bernhard Langer is the third player in Champions Tour history to earn Player of the Year and Rookie of the Year honors in the same season, joining Lee Trevino (1990) and Bruce Fleisher (1999). The native of Germany became eligible for the Champions Tour on his 50th birthday in August 2007. After immediate Champions Tour success in 2007 with one win in five starts, Langer picked up right where he left off in his first full season on the Champions Tour in 2008, collecting three tournament trophies.
Langer’s three tournament wins came at the Toshiba Classic, Ginn Championship and Administaff Small Business Classic. He added two runner-ups and posted a total of 14 top-10 finishes. The Player of the Year and Rookie of the Year awards cap off an impressive haul for Langer, who also collected the Arnold Palmer Award as the Champions Tour’s leading money winner and the Byron Nelson Award for the lowest scoring average on the Champions Tour. He finished third in the Charles Schwab Cup points race. Langer was selected over nominees Fred Funk, Jay Haas, Loren Roberts and Eduardo Romero.
The other nominees for Rookie of the Year were John Cook, Gene Jones, Jeff Sluman and Mark Wiebe. Langer was eligible for 2008 Rookie of the Year because regulations stipulate that players competing in fewer than six events after turning 50 are still considered “rookies” the following year.
Nationwide Tour Player of the Year – Brendon de Jonge
Brendon de Jonge, a native of Zimbabwe, earned Nationwide Tour Player of the Year honors after finishing second on the money list, thanks to one win, a runner-up and three third-place finishes. The 28-year-old competed in 28 of the Tour’s 30 events and finished in the top-25 nearly 60 percent of the time. He was No. 1 on the money list for seven weeks in a row until Matt Betterncourt overtook him by winning the Nationwide Tour Championship at TPC Craig Ranch.
A graduate of Virginia Tech who now resides in Charlotte, N.C., de Jonge becomes the second international player in the 19-year history of the Nationwide Tour to earn top honors, following Nick Flanagan of Australia (2007). He was selected over nominees Jeff Klauk, Jarrod Lyle and Bettencourt.
PGA TOUR Rookie of the Year – Andres Romero
Andres Romero, 27, who won the Zurich Classic of New Orleans and finished 28th in the final FedExCup standings, was selected as the PGA TOUR’s Rookie of the Year. The Argentina native also made the cut in all four major championships, one of just 11 players to do so in 2008, and posted top 10s at the Masters Tournament (T8) and PGA Championship (T7).
“Congratulations to Andres for earning PGA TOUR Rookie of the Year honors,” said Finchem. “He is one of many young, exciting players that were able to step up during Tiger Woods’ absence last year. His win at the Zurich Classic of New Orleans and his performances at the major championships speak volumes about his ability.”
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