The PGA Tour has announced the nominees for the Player of the Year and Rookie of the Year for the year 2023. The players were selected by the Player Directors and the Player Advisory Council (PAC) members of the leading American golf Tour.
Five golfers were nominated for the 2023 Player of the Year, which is also known as the Jack Nicklaus Award. Meanwhile, four young golfers were nominated for the 2023 Rookie of the Year, which is also known as the Arnold Palmer Award. Below are their category and names:
Player of the Year
- Wyndham Clark
- Viktor Hovland
- Rory McIlroy
- Jon Rahm
- Scottie Scheffler
Rookie of the Year
- Ludvig Åberg
- Eric Cole
- Nico Echavarria
- Vincent Norrman
Exploring the performance stats of each nominated golfer for the PGA Tour Player of the Year and Rookie of the Year 2023
Let us look at some of the performance stats of the five golfers nominated for Player of the Year:
1) Wyndham Clark
The 29-year-old American golfer from Denver, Colorado has a breakthrough season on the PGA Tour. He recorded his first-ever title victory on the Tour after winning the Wells Fargo Championship. Later on, he registered his first major title win at the US Open.
Wyndham Clark recorded eight top-10 finishes this season. He ended up third in the FedExCup.
2) Viktor Hovland
The 26-year-old Norwegian golfer has been making noises on the PGA Tour for quite some time. But his 2022-23 season had been brilliant. He recorded three victories which included the Memorial Tournament, the BMW Championship, and the TOUR Championship.
Viktor Hovland is also the 2023 FedEx Cup Champion. He has recorded nine top-10 finishes this season.
3) Rory McIlroy
The 34-year-old Northern Irishman has made 18 starts this season on the PGA Tour. He has recorded 13 top-10 finishes which include two wins and two runner-up finishes this season. His victories came at the CJ CUP in South Carolina and the Genesis Scottish Open.
Rory McIlroy has finished fourth in the 2023 FedEx Cup.
4) Jon Rahm
The 29-year-old Spaniard has a sensational 2022-23 season on the PGA Tour. He made 20 starts this season and recorded 10 top-10 finishes which included four wins and two runner-up finishes.
Jon Rahm recorded his second major title win at the Masters 2023. His other victories were the Sentry, the American Express, and the Genesis Invitational.
5) Scottie Scheffler
The 27-year-old American golfer from Dallas, Texas is currently the World No. 1 ranked golfer in the Official World Golf Rankings. He is also the winner of the Byron Nelson Award for the lowest-scoring average this season.
Scottie Scheffler has made 23 starts this season and won three titles (one unofficial: the 2023 Hero World Challenge). His two victories were the WM Phoenix Open and THE PLAYERS Championship.
Let us look at the performance stats of the four nominees for the Rookie of the Year:
1) Ludvig Aberg
The 24-year-old Swedish golfer joined the PGA Tour after he finished No. 1 in the Tour's University Ranking. He has made 11 starts this season on the PGA Tour and could not make the cut in just one event. He recorded his first victory on the tour after he won the RSM Classic.
Ludvig Aberg has finished 53rd in the FedExCup Fall standings and was placed 12th in the scoring average.
2) Eric Cole
The 35-year-old American golfer from Tequesta, Florida had an impactful 2022-23 season on the PGA Tour. His rookie season on the Tour had 37 starts and he missed the cut in just 10 of them. He recorded seven top-10 finishes and came to winning two tournaments.
Eric Cole finished 43rd in the FedEx Cup rankings and also jumped to 41st rank on the Official World Golf Rankings, which was his career-high ranking (currently 42nd).
3) Nico Echavarria
The 29-year-old Colombian golfer from Medellin had a blistering start to his PGA Tour career. He made 31 starts in the 2022-23 season and won his first title on the tour at the Puerto Rico Open.
Nico Echavarria has finished on 120th rank on the FedExCup Fall standings. He had a scoring average of 71.588 this season.
4) Vincent Norrman
The 25-year-old Swedish golfer is another budding talent spotted on the PGA Tour. He made 29 starts in the 2022-23 season and recorded three top-10 finishes. He has also won his first-ever title on the tour after defeating Nathan Kimsey in the Barbasol Championship.
Vincent Norrman has ended up 82nd rank on the FedExCup Fall standings and has made 17 cuts this season.