The PGA Tour Player of the Year and Rookie of the Year nominees were announced on Monday. Scottie Scheffler, Xander Schauffele and Rory McIlroy make up the three-player race for the Jack Nicklaus Award, while Nick Dunlap, Max Greyserman, Jake Knapp and Matthieu Pavon are among those vying for the Arnold Palmer Award.
Scheffler was named Player of the Year in 2022 and 2023, becoming the first since Tiger Woods from 2005-07 to emerge as a back-to-back winner. He has a great chance to follow in Woods' footsteps and claim the award for the third straight season. Following one of the greatest statistical seasons ever in 2023, Scheffler married his consistent output with consistent trips to the winner's circle in 2024.
The world No. 1 entered 19 events and came away with seven trophies, which consisted of the Masters, the Players Championship, four signature events and the Tour Championship. Scheffler got his hands on the FedEx Cup trophy as well as the Olympic gold medal in what can only be described as a summer to remember. He claimed the Byron Nelson Award for the lowest scoring average (68.65) for the second straight season and led the PGA Tour in terms of top 10s with 16.
While Scheffler put together one of the best seasons in PGA Tour history, Schauffele put together one of the best major championship campaigns of all time. After finishing top 10 in the Masters, Schauffele won the PGA Championship in dramatic fashion for his first career major title. Another top-10 finish came at the U.S. Open before Schauffele left no doubt Sunday at Royal Troon where he carded a final-round 65 to win The Open and raise the Claret Jug.
Across 22 events on the PGA Tour, Schauffele recorded 15 top-10 finishes and did not miss a cut. He holds the longest active made-cut streak (56) since Woods' record 142 in a row from 1998-2005.
McIlroy finds himself nominated for the third straight season. A winner of the award three times, the 35-year-old put together another consistent season and raised trophies at the Zurich Classic alongside Shane Lowry and the Wells Fargo Championship. He finished sixth in scoring average (69.91) and collected seven top-10 finishes in 19 starts.
| Scottie Scheffler | Xander Schauffele | Rory McIlroy | |
|---|---|---|---|
Events | 19 | 22 | 19 |
Wins | 7 | 2 | 2 |
Top 10s | 16 | 15 | 7 |
Major wins | 1 | 2 | 0 |
Major top 10s | 3 | 4 | 1 |
| Scoring average | 68.65 (1st) | 69.14 (2nd) | 69.91 (6th) |
The Rookie of the Year race may be closer than many originally suspected. Nick Dunlap shot out to the early lead when he won The American Express as an amateur. Turning professional soon after, the Alabama product etched his name into the history books once again when he won the Barracuda Championship. Dunlap is the first player in PGA Tour history to win as both an amateur and professional in the same season.
He is not the only rookie to have won in 2024, however. Journeyman Matthieu Pavon entered the winner's circle the week after Dunlap's win at The American Express. Emerging from a crowded leaderboard at Torrey Pines, the Frenchman won the Farmers Insurance Open. The 32-year-old then went on to to nab top-five finishes at the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am and the U.S. Open where he played in the final group on Sunday. Pavon was also the only rookie to qualify for the Tour Championship.
Knapp's season was highlighted by his victory at the Mexico Open. Collecting three other top-10 finishes in his first stroll on the PGA Tour, Knapp was hindered late in the season due to injury. That is the exact same time when Greyserman seemed to find his footing.
The 29-year-old entered 26 events and did everything but win. Finishing runner-up at the 3M Open, Wyndham Championship and the Zozo Championship, Greyserman did enough to finish inside the top 50 of the FedEx Cup standings. He recorded three additional top-10 finishes and finished ninth in scoring average (70.00).
| Nick Dunlap | Mattieu Pavon | Jake Knapp | Max Greyserman | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Events | 23 | 19 | 23 | 26 |
Wins | 2 | 1 | 1 | 0 |
Top 10s | 4 | 4 | 4 | 6 |
Major wins | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Major top 10s | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
Scoring average | 71.21 (119th) | 70.94 (98th) | 71.63 (155th) | 70.00 (9th) |
Both awards will be determined by member vote with PGA Tour members who played in at least 15 official FedEx Cup events during the 2024 season eligible to vote. Voting will close on Wednesday, Dec. 4 with winners announced at the end of the year.