12/16/25 09:42:00
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12/16 09:41 CST Scottie Scheffler winning PGA Tour player of the year was an
obvious outcome
Scottie Scheffler winning PGA Tour player of the year was an obvious outcome
By DOUG FERGUSON
AP Golf Writer
For the first time in three years, the PGA Tour did not release the voting
percentage when Scottie Scheffler won the Jack Nicklaus Award as the tour's
best player. It brings to mind the catchphrase from his famous soliloquy this
summer at the British Open.
What's the point?
This outcome was as predictable as 10 of the 11 times Tiger Woods won the
award. It had all the drama of Scheffler winning a major ( he's led by at least
four shots walking up to the 18th green in all four of his major wins ).
Rory McIlroy produced the biggest moment, for him and for golf, when he won the
Masters for the career Grand Slam in a final round that rivals any of the
previous thrillers at Augusta National. It was the best year of his golfing
life and he is wholly satisfied with that.
The best golf? Numbers usually tell the most complete stories, and a few of
them stand out in Scheffler's astonishing season:
--- The final 15 tournaments of the season without finishing worse than a tie
for eighth
--- 21 consecutive rounds in the 60s
--- Two majors
The only time a double major winner was not voted PGA Tour player of the year
was Nick Faldo in 1990, the year the award began with players doing the voting.
There was a simple explanation for that and it was nothing personal: Faldo
wasn't on the ballot because he wasn't a member.
Scheffler won six times this year on tour, twice as many as McIlroy, who at
least won the year on emotion and style points.
Of course, the most wins doesn't guarantee the Jack Nicklaus Award. It was only
two years ago when Jon Rahm won four times, including the Masters, and
Scheffler won the award based on his staggering consistency. There also was
that small matter of Rahm defecting to Saudi-funded LIV Golf halfway through
the two-week voting period.
The tour said Scheffler won with 38% of the vote in 2023. It did not mention
what percentage of the vote Rahm received.
The reason votes were released in percentages was because the tour would rather
not disclose how many players --- or how few --- actually voted.
One snapshot of that was a particularly close race for rookie of the year
between McIlroy and Rickie Fowler in 2010. Fowler won the award without having
won a tournament. Asked for his reaction the day after the result was
announced, Dustin Johnson said, "Man, that's a tough one. I'm not sure who I'm
going to vote for." Um, never mind.
There is nothing terribly flashy about Scheffler except the numbers he
compiles, whether it's six victories, matching the PGA Tour's 72-hole scoring
record or leading in 17 of the 28 scoring categories the PGA Tour keeps. He
finished in the top five in all but five of them.
"Overall the thing that I'm most proud of when I look at the last couple years
is just consistency," Scheffler said Monday when he received the Jack Nicklaus
Award for the fourth straight time. "It's not very easy to just show up and
finish in the top 10 each week."
He makes it look that way. The key to what happens Thursday through Saturday is
the dedication to be ready during those days he's not at a tournament.
Scheffler doesn't get too caught up in statistics. He said they confirm what he
already feels in his game, what's working and what needs polished. But if there
was one he found particularly pleasing it would be leading the tour in scoring
average in each of the four rounds.
The last player to do that was Woods in 2000.
Scheffler was paired with Woods in the final round of the 2020 Masters when
both were miles out of contention. It was a pivotal moment for him, watching
Woods --- with nothing left to prove in his career --- giving each shot his
utmost attention.
"I felt like early in my career I wasn't bringing the proper intensity to the
first few rounds of the tournament," he said. "It was almost like when the
lights came on on the weekend I was better than I was earlier in the week when
there almost was lower stakes. A lot of that has just been trying to bring that
same intensity to each round and every shot, which is a lot easier said than
done."
Scheffler is constantly looking for improvement, and the putter was a big step
this year. He ranked 22nd in the key putting statistic, down from 77th a year
ago. Most pleasing was going from 139th in 2024 to 33rd this year in putting
inside 10 feet.
He led the tour in 16 main statistics, 11 of those involving scoring. That
makes sense for someone who won the Byron Nelson Award for the lowest adjusted
scoring average at 68.131. That was nearly three shots better than the tour
average, and nearly a full shot lower than McIlroy.
And to think the year started with stitches in his right hand after slicing it
open with a wine glass because that was all Scheffler could find to cut ravioli
for Christmas dinner.
"I think he made enough money to hire a chef," McIlroy jokingly said when
Scheffler returned from his injury at Pebble Beach in February.
Maybe it's a good thing Scheffler didn't, and McIlroy suggested as much after
the British Open when he said, "I also had the three wins when Scottie wasn't
quite on his game."
McIlroy won at Pebble Beach and The Players Championship, two big stages. Throw
in the Irish Open, another title as Europe's No. 1 player and another road
Ryder Cup victory. It was a big year, one McIlroy wouldn't trade for any award.
The best year? The answer was easy even without revealing the vote.
___
On The Fringe analyzes the biggest topics in golf during the season. AP golf:
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