Scottie Scheffler, Rory McIlroy, Tommy Fleetwood lead PGA Tour award nominees

The PGA Tour on Wednesday announced nominees for the two major awards it hands out each year, Player of the Year and Rookie of the Year. Scottie Scheffler, Rory McIlroy, Tommy Fleetwood and Ben Griffin make up the four-man race for the Jack Nicklaus Award, while Michael Brennan, Steven Fisk, William Mouw, Aldrich Potgieter and Karl Vilips are among those vying for the Arnold Palmer Award.

Scheffler has become familiar with getting his hands on the Jack Nicklaus Award in recent years. The world No. 1 joined Tiger Woods as the only golfer to claim the title three years in a row when he secured the honor last season. Woods won the award five straight seasons from 1999-2003 and three straight from 2005-07.

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 times) and McIlroy (three). 

Scheffler has a fantastic opportunity to make it four in a row thanks to a 2025 campaign that was not without some early adversity. Sidelined at the onset of the season due to an injury over the holidays, the right-hander returned with intent at the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am. He entered 20 events, finished inside the top 25 in all of them and ticked off six more victories along the way.

In addition to wins at PGA Tour stops like the CJ CUP Byron Nelson, Procore Championship and BMW Championship, Scheffler successfully defended his win at the Memorial. His other two victories came in the form of major championships as he raised the Wanamaker Trophy at the PGA Championship and became the Champion Golfer of the Year at The Open when he raced away from the field at Royal Portrush.

Scheffler’s season is difficult to stack up against, but if anyone could, it would be McIlroy. The world No. 2 shot out of the gates in 2025 by winning the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am and The Players Championship for the second time in his career.

All of this led up to the Masters, where McIlroy won in a playoff to become just the sixth player in men’s professional golf to complete the career grand slam. The Northern Irishman enjoyed a solid back half to his season with a win at the Irish Open on the DP World Tour. He also starred as a member of the winning European Ryder Cup team at Bethpage Black; however, those accolades are not officially factored into the award.

While Scheffler and McIlroy have both been nominated for four straight seasons, Fleetwood and Griffin are making their first appearances on the ballot. Fleetwood nabbed the Tour Championship, and by doing so, claimed the FedEx Cup title at East Lake to put a bow on an ultra-consistent season. Meanwhile, Griffin won three times across 30 tournaments, including a recent victory at the World Wide Technology Championship during the FedEx Cup Fall.

The Rookie of the Year race is not as cut and dry. Five players are in the running with Aldrich Potgieter the lone player who qualified for the FedEx Cup Playoffs. The big-hitting South African won the Rocket Classic in a playoff over Max Greyserman and Chris Kirk late in the season and finished No. 52 in the season-long race.

The rest of the nominees were able to finish inside the top 100 of the FedEx Cup standings thanks in large part to their play in FedEx Cup Fall. Steven Fisk claimed the Sanderson Farms Championship to finish No. 73, while Michael Brennan went from sponsor exemption to PGA Tour member 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 his first three career starts.

Karl Vilips was Mr. 100, but his place in the standings was a moot point due to his win at the Puerto Rico Open in the spring. Meanwhile, William Mouw also entered the winner’s circle at an opposite field event with his victory at the ISCO Championship.

The honors will be awarded through a voting process, including PGA Tour members who played in at least 15 official FedEx Cup events during the 2025 season. Voting closes on Friday, Dec. 12 with winners announced at a later date.