Four nominated for PGA TOUR Rookie of the Year
PONTE VEDRA BEACH, FLORIDA – Following Monday’s conclusion of the TOUR Championship and the FedExCup Playoffs, nominees for PGA TOUR Player of the Year and PGA TOUR Rookie of the Year were finalized by the PGA TOUR Player Directors and members of the Player Advisory Council (PAC).
The nominees for the Jack Nicklaus Award as the PGA TOUR Player of the Year are (alphabetically) Dustin Johnson, Collin Morikawa, Jon Rahm, Webb Simpson and Justin Thomas. The nominees for the Arnold Palmer Award as the PGA TOUR Rookie of the Year are Harry Higgs, Viktor Hovland, Maverick McNealy and Scottie Scheffler.
The Player of the Year and Rookie of the Year awards are determined by a member vote, with PGA TOUR members who played in at least 10 official FedExCup events during the 2019-20 season eligible to vote. Award winners will be announced at a later date.
Player of the Year nominees (alphabetical)
Dustin Johnson, 36
Jupiter, Florida
- Entered 14 events with victories (3) at the Travelers Championship, THE NORTHERN TRUST and TOUR Championship
- FedExCup winner
- Finished eighth in Scoring Average (69.323)
- Recorded a total of seven top-10 finishes among 11 made cuts
Collin Morikawa, 23
La Cañada, California
- Entered 21 events with victories (2) at the Workday Charity Open and the PGA Championship
- Finished sixth in the FedExCup
- Finished 15th in Scoring Average (69.856)
- Recorded a total of seven top-10 finishes among 19 made cuts
Jon Rahm, 25
Scottsdale, Arizona
- Entered 15 events with victories (2) at the Memorial Tournament presented by Nationwide and the BMW Championship
- Finished fourth in the FedExCup
- Finished second in Scoring Average (69.127)
- Recorded a total of eight top-10 finishes among 14 made cuts
Webb Simpson, 35
Scottsdale, Arizona
- Entered 14 events with victories (2) at the Waste Management Phoenix Open and RBC Heritage
- Tied for 12th in the FedExCup
- Finished first in Scoring Average (68.978)
- Recorded a total of eight top-10 finishes among 12 made cuts
Justin Thomas, 27
Louisville, Kentucky
- Entered 18 events with victories (3) at THE CJ CUP @ NINE BRIDGES, Sentry Tournament of Champions and World Golf Championships-FedEx St. Jude Invitational
- Tied for second in the FedExCup
- Finished third in Scoring Average (69.128)
- Recorded a total of 10 top-10 finishes among 15 made cuts
Rookie of the Year nominees (alphabetical)
Harry Higgs, 28
Dallas, Texas
- Entered 25 events with two top-10s highlighted by a runner-up at the Bermuda Championship
- Finished 55th in the FedExCup
- Recorded a total of seven top-25s and 16 made cuts
- 2019 Korn Ferry Tour graduate
Viktor Hovland, 22
Oslo, Norway
- Entered 20 events with a victory at the Puerto Rico Open
- Tied for 20th in the FedExCup
- Recorded a total of three top-10s and 17 made cuts
- Earned PGA TOUR membership via the 2019 Korn Ferry Tour Finals 25
Maverick McNealy, 24
Las Vegas, Nevada
- Entered 23 events with three top-10s highlighted by a T5 at the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am
- Finished 68th in the FedExCup
- Recorded a total of six top-25s and 17 made cuts
- 2019 Korn Ferry Tour graduate
Scottie Scheffler, 24
Dallas, Texas
- Entered 23 events with seven top-10s, including top-fives at the PGA Championship and THE NORTHERN TRUST
- Finished fifth in the FedExCup
- Recorded a total of 13 top-25s and 18 made cuts
- 2019 Korn Ferry Tour graduate
The Player Advisory Council and the Player Directors nominate annually a list of first-season PGA TOUR members for the PGA TOUR Rookie of the Year Award. For the 2020-21 PGA TOUR Season, at their discretion, the Player Advisory Council and the Player Directors may determine that circumstances (i.e. the lack of nominees due to the absence of a 2020 Korn Ferry Tour graduating class) may not warrant the selection of a 2021 award recipient.
A player’s rookie season (“Rookie Year”) is defined as the season in which he becomes a PGA TOUR member (including Special Temporary Members) and plays in 10 or more events as a member or finishes in the Top 125 on the Official FedExCup Points List or qualifies as a Top 125 Non-member, whichever occurs first. Further, for purposes of this definition, a new member (including Special Temporary Members) shall not be eligible to be a rookie if he has previously played in more than seven (7) Official PGA TOUR Money events as a professional in any prior season.
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