The PGA Tour announced Wednesday the nominees for its two major annual awards, Player of the Year and Rookie of the Year. Scottie Scheffler, Rory McIlroy, Tommy Fleetwood and Ben Griffin make up the four-way race for the Jack Nicklaus Award, while Michael Brennan, Stephen Fisk, William Mow, Aldrich Potgieter and Carl Willips are vying for the Arnold Palmer Award.
Mr. Scheffler has become no stranger to winning the Jack Nicklaus Award in recent years. World No. 1 Tiger Woods earned that honor last season, joining Tiger Woods as the only golfers to win the title three years in a row. Woods won the award for five consecutive seasons from 1999 to 2003 and three consecutive seasons from 2005 to 2007.
By doing so himself in 2024, Scheffler became the third golfer to be named Player of the Year three times in his career, joining Woods (11) and McIlroy (three).
Scheffler has a great chance to win his fourth consecutive championship thanks to a 2025 season that was not without some early adversity. The right-handed pitcher, who was sidelined with an injury during the holidays at the beginning of the season, made a determined comeback at the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am. He competed in 20 events and finished inside the top 25 in all of them, recording six more wins along the way.
In addition to wins on the PGA Tour, including the CJ CUP Byron Nelson, Procore Championship and BMW Championship, Scheffler also successfully defended a win at the Memorial. His other two wins came in the form of major championships, as he won the Wanamaker Trophy at the PGA Championship and was Champion Golfer of the Year in the Open away from the field at Royal Portrush.
Scheffler is having a difficult season to play against, but if there’s anyone he can play against, it’s McIlroy. The world No. 2 quickly rose to prominence in 2025, winning the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am and The Players Championship for the second time in his career.
All of this led to the Masters, where McIlroy won the playoff and became the sixth player in men’s professional golf to complete a career Grand Slam. The Northern Irishman ended the second half of the season on a high note by winning the Irish Open on the DP World Tour. He also starred as a member of the European Ryder Cup winning team at Bethpage Black. However, these honors are not formally incorporated into the award.
Scheffler and McIlroy have both been nominated for four consecutive seasons, but Fleetwood and Griffin will appear on the ballot for the first time. Fleetwood won the Tour Championship and thereby the FedEx Cup title at East Lake, ending a very solid season. Meanwhile, Griffin has won three of 30 tournaments, including his most recent win at the FedEx Cup Fall World Wide Technology Championship.
event | 20 | 16 | 19 | 30 |
victory | 6 | 3 | 1 | 3 |
top 10 | 17 | 8 | 8 | 12 |
major win | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
major top 10 | 4 | 2 | 0 | 2 |
average score | 68.13 (1st place) | 69.08 (2nd place) | 69.36 (3rd place) | 69.69 (4th place) |
The Rookie of the Year race isn’t that tough. Five players are on the list, led by Aldrich Potgieter, the only player to qualify for the FedExCup Playoffs. The South African slugger won the Rocket Classic in a late-season playoff with Max Glaserman and Chris Kirk, finishing the season-long race in 52nd place.
The remaining contenders were able to finish within the top 100 of the FedEx Cup standings, thanks in large part to their play in the FedEx Cup fall season. Stephen Fisk finished 73rd at the Sanderson Farms Championship and Michael Brennan went from sponsor exemption to PGA Tour membership at the Bank of Utah Championship. With his win in Utah, Brennan became the seventh player since 1970 to win on the PGA Tour within the first three starts of his career.
Carl Willips was Mr. 100, but his place in the standings was debatable because he won the Puerto Rico Open in the spring. Meanwhile, William Mow also won the ISCO Championship and joined the winner’s circle in the opposite field event.
event | 4 | 27 | twenty four | 20 | twenty one |
victory | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 |
top 10 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 3 | 2 |
major win | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
major top 10 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
average score | — | 70.75 (77th place) | 70.79 (82nd place) | 71.15 (122nd place) | 71.32 (137th place) |
This honor is awarded through a voting process that includes PGA Tour members who have competed in at least 15 official FedEx Cup events during the 2025 season. Voting closes on Friday, December 12th, and winners will be announced at a later date.
