Scheffler wins Tour Player of the Year once again

Scottie Scheffler became the first player since Tiger Woods in 2007 to win back-to-back PGA Tour Player of the Year awards.

Scheffler had two Tour victories last season, including The Players Championship, and 17 top-10 finishes. Jon Rahm, who on Tuesday was voted the Male Player of the Year by the Golf Writers Association of America, appeared to be Scheffler’s stiffest competition, with four victories, including a major triumph at the Masters.

“I think with the way Jon played at the beginning of the year with his four wins and one of them being a major, we play this game to win,” Scheffler said in early December when asked who he planned to vote for.

According to a release from the Tour, Scheffler won 38 percent of the membership vote for the Jack Nicklaus Award. No percentages were given for Rahm or the other players on ballot (Viktor Hovland, Rory McIlroy and Wyndham Clark).

The voting for the Player of the Year award ran from Dec. 1 to Dec. 15. Rahm announced he was joining LIV Golf on Dec. 7.

Scheffler becomes the fourth player to win the award in back-to-back seasons, with Woods the last player to do it, 2005-07.

Eric Cole, meanwhile, was awarded Rookie of the Year. Cole, who at 35 is the second-oldest player to win the Arnold Palmer Award, had a breakout year on Tour in 2023 with two runner-up finishes and 14 top-25 finishes in 27 starts. He was also the only rookie to advance to the BMW Championship and received 51 percent of the vote for the award, which is slightly surprising given he was competing with Ludvig Åberg.

Despite Cole’s solid season, Åberg made a late push for the award with his play in the fall, including a victory at the RSM Classic, where he outdueled Cole on Sunday. Åberg also finished runner-up at the Sanderson Farms Championship. Åberg turned pro in June and in 13 starts he played his way into the top 30 in the world ranking and was a captain’s pick for the victorious European Ryder Cup team.