The PGA Tour waited until the final tournament to send out its award ballot, and there were no surprises. Scottie Scheffler and Xander Schauffele are the leading nominees for the Jack Nicklaus Award as player of the year, with Rory McIlroy the third candidate.
Scheffler won eight times this year, including his Olympic gold medal and a Masters green jacket. He won The Players Championship and the FedExCup, along with four signature events.
It would seem like a shoo-in except for Schauffele winning two majors. The award is voted on by the players. Since the award began in 1990, the 10 times a PGA Tour member won two majors in a year he won the Jack Nicklaus Award (Tiger Woods did that four times).
Nick Faldo wasn’t a PGA Tour member when he won two majors in 1990. The PGA Tour award went to PGA champion Wayne Levi.
On the ballot for PGA Tour rookie of the year are Nick Dunlap, Max Greyserman, Matthieu Pavon of France and Jake Knapp. All but Greyserman won this year. Dunlap was an amateur when he won The American Express, and he won again at the Barracuda Championship (held opposite The Open).
Players have until Dec. 4 to submit their ballots.
