PONTE VEDRA BEACH, Florida – After the TOUR Championship and FedExCup Playoffs concluded on Sunday, the PGA TOUR nominations for PGA TOUR Player of the Year (Jack Nicklaus Award) and PGA TOUR Rookie of the Year (Arnold Palmer Award) were set by the PGA TOUR Player directors and members of the players’ council (PAC).
The nominees for the Jack Nicklaus Award for PGA TOUR Player of the Year are (alphabetically) Patrick Cantlay, Bryson DeChambeau, Harris English, Collin Morikawa and Jon Rahm. The nominees for the Arnold Palmer Award for PGA TOUR Rookie of the Year are Garrick Higgo and Will Zalatoris.
The Player of the Year and Rookie of the Year awards are determined by a member vote, with PGA TOUR members who have participated in at least 15 official FedExCup events during the 2020-21 season eligible to vote. Voting ends on Friday, September 10 at 5 p.m. ET. The winners will be announced at a later date.
NOMINATE PLAYER OF THE YEAR (ALPHABETICAL)
Patrick Cantlay, 29
Long Beach, California
• Participation in 24 events with wins (4) at the ZOZO CHAMPIONSHIP @ SHERWOOD, the Memorial Tournament presented by Workday, the BMW Championship and the TOUR Championship
• FedExCup Champion 2021
• Fifth in the scoring average (69,736)
• Made a total of seven top 10 recordings and 19 cuts
Bryson DeChambeau, Jan.
Clovis, California
• Participation in 22 events with wins (2) at the US Open 2020 and the Arnold Palmer Invitational, presented by Mastercard
• 7th place in the FedExCup
• Fourth in the scoring average (69.728)
• Took a total of nine top 10 recordings and made 20 cuts
Harris English, 32
Sea Island, Georgia
• Participation in 26 events with wins (2) at the Sentry Tournament of Champions and the Travelers Championship
• 18th place in the FedExCup
• 22nd place in the average scoring (70,115)
• Took a total of eight top 10 recordings and made 22 cuts
Collin Morikawa, 24
La Cañada, California
• Participation in 23 events with wins (2) at the World Golf Championships-Workday Championship at The Concession and The Open Championship
• 26th place in the FedExCup
• Finished 20th on average scoring (70.109)
• Took a total of eight top 10 recordings and made 19 cuts
Jon Rahm, 26
Scottsdale, Arizona
• Participation in 22 events with a win at the US Open 2021
• 2nd place in the FedExCup
• Leading the PGA TOUR in the scoring average (69,300)
• Led the PGA TOUR in the top 10 with 15 and made 21 cuts
NOMINATE FOR ROKIE OF THE YEAR (ALPHABETICAL)
Garrick Higgo, 22nd
Stellenbosch, South Africa
• Participation in eight events with a win at the Palmetto Championship in Congaree
• 107th place in the FedExCup
• Recorded a top 10 and made five cuts
• Earned PGA TOUR membership by winning after participating in a Commissioner’s Exemption
Will Zalatoris, 25
Dallas, Texas
• Participation in 25 events with eight top 10 placements, highlighted by a runner-up at the Masters tournament in 2021
• Acquired limited-term special membership after five starts; Led the FedExCup rating for non-members with 1,296 points
• Recorded a total of 14 top 25s and made 21 cuts
• enters the 2021-22 season for the first time as a full-time member of the PGA TOUR
The Player Advisory Council and Player Directors annually nominate a list of Season 1 PGA TOUR members for the PGA TOUR Rookie of the Year Award. For the 2020-21 PGA TOUR season, the Players’ Advisory Board and Player Directors, at their own discretion, could have determined that the circumstances (i.e., the lack of nominees due to the lack of a graduating class of the 2020 Korn Ferry Tour) would have allowed the selection of a 2021 winner, but Higgo and Zalatoris were considered worthy of nomination.
A player’s rookie season (“Rookie Year”) is defined as the season in which they become a PGA TOUR member (including temporary special members) and participate in 10 or more events as a member or in official FedExCup points in the Top 125 ends up listing the top 125 non-members on or qualified as such, whichever comes first. In addition, for the purposes of this definition, a new member (including temporary special members) is not eligible to receive the Arnold Palmer Award if they have previously played as a professional in more than seven official PGA TOUR Money events in a previous season.