McIlroy and Scheffler to go head-to-head for PGA | Golf News

Rory McIlroy and Scottie Scheffler are the marquee nominees for the PGA Tour’s Jack Nicklaus Award, which is given to the participant of the 12 months.

Both McIlroy and Scheffler have had stellar seasons, cementing their positions as the top gamers in the world. World No. 2 McIlroy achieved the profession grand slam by profitable The Masters, and also clinched a third Players title in a season that noticed him win 3 times on the PGA Tour.

World No. 1 Scheffler claimed victory six occasions on the tour this 12 months, including wins at the PGA Championship and Open Championship.

The four-time major champion has come a long means from his early days when mood tantrums had been a hindrance to his junior golf profession.

McIlroy, a five-time major champion, kicked off the season with a bang by profitable the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am in February and The Players in March. His career-defining Masters win got here in April, adopted by a victory at his home Irish Open and main Europe to Ryder Cup glory at Bethpage Black.

However, these accolades aren’t thought of for this award. Scheffler has emerged as the most frequent winner on the PGA Tour since Tiger Woods in current seasons. After a slow start due to an uncommon hand injury sustained on Christmas Day last 12 months, he hit his stride at the CJ Cup Byron Nelson in May.

The victory sparked a golden streak for the 29-year-old. He went on to win the PGA Championship at Quail Hollow just two weeks later, and also clinched titles at the Memorial Tournament, BMW Championship, and Procore Championship, in addition to profitable the Claret Jug at Royal Portrush.

Tommy Fleetwood, the FedEx Cup champion, and rising star Ben Griffin are the other two nominees for the distinguished Jack Nicklaus award.

Fleetwood had an distinctive season and finally broke his long-standing dry spell for a PGA Tour win. The English golfer overcame a string of close to victories to triumph at the Tour Championship at East Lake, bagging the $10 million FedEx Cup along the way in which.

Griffin, on the other hand, has risen through the ranks to change into one of the top gamers on tour, profitable the Zurich Classic of New Orleans alongside Andrew Novak before securing solo victories at the Charles Schwab Challenge and WWT Championship.

However, it is either McIlroy or Scheffler who are anticipated to take home the award, which will likely be determined by a vote among the tour’s gamers. Voting wraps up on Dec. 12, with the winner set to be announced shortly thereafter.

Nominees for the Arnold Palmer Award, given to the rookie of the 12 months, have also been unveiled, with 5 gamers in rivalry. Australia’s Karl Vilips, the first signee for Tiger Woods’ Sun Day Red model, has earned a nomination after a profitable debut season. The 24-year-old Stanford graduate claimed victory at the Puerto Rico Open in March.

South African powerhouse Aldrich Potgeiter is also in the working for the award. Rounding out the nominees are Michael Brennan, Steven Fisk and William Mouw, who each celebrated their first PGA Tour victories this 12 months.