To no one’s surprise, the PGA Tour has announced that the winner of the FedEx Cup 2024 and current World Number One, Scottie Scheffler, has been awarded the Jack Nicklaus Award as Player of the Year on the American circuit this season. The 28-year-old golfer from Ridgewood has won seven official PGA Tour events this year, gold at the Paris Olympics, and the season title.
Scheffler thus joins Tiger Woods as the only players to win the Jack Nicklaus Award for three consecutive seasons. The Tiger achieved it from 1999 to 2003 (five years in a row) and from 2005 to 2007 (three). Scottie, on the other hand, won it in 2022, 2023, and in this 2024 edition. The Californian, the current World Number One, and Rory McIlroy, who won it in 2012, 2014, and 2019, are the only players to have achieved it on three or more occasions. Since the creation of the FedEx Cup in 2008, nine players have won the FedEx and been chosen PGA Tour Player of the Year in the same season.
“On behalf of the PGA Tour, we congratulate Scottie Scheffler on a truly historic season, crowned with his first FedExCup title and today with his third consecutive Jack Nicklaus Award as PGA Tour Player of the Year,” said Jay Monahan, Commissioner of the PGA Tour. “Scottie embraced the challenges of the world’s best players on the biggest stages throughout the season, and being honoured as PGA Tour Player of the Year is the ultimate sign of respect from his peers,” he added.
So wholesome 🥹
Bennett Scheffler is loving dad's new trophy. pic.twitter.com/dgDJZHTJKE
— PGA TOUR (@PGATOUR) December 11, 2024
The Player of the Year Award is determined by member vote, with tour members who played at least 15 events during the 2024 season eligible to vote. The voting period was open between November 25 and December 4. Scheffler received 91 percent of the votes for the Jack Nicklaus Award and was selected over the other two nominees: Xander Schauffele and Rory McIlroy.
Scheffler won the FedExCup for the first time thanks to his seven victories on the PGA Tour in 2024, raising his career total to 13 titles on the circuit. He became the first player to successfully defend his title at THE PLAYERS Championship and won the Masters for the second time (2022, 2024), becoming the first player to win THE PLAYERS, a major, and the FedExCup in the same season. In addition to victories at THE PLAYERS, the Masters, and the TOUR Championship, he secured four titles in designated events: Arnold Palmer Invitational, RBC Heritage, the Memorial Tournament, and the Travelers Championship.
His seven-win season marked the first time a player had won seven or more times in a single campaign since Woods in 2007. Throughout the course, Scheffler maintained his World Number One position in the Official World Golf Ranking, a position he has held since May 21, 2023 (82 consecutive weeks). In total, Scheffler recorded the circuit’s best mark with 16 top-10s in 19 starts and did not miss a cut.
Scheffler’s season also included a gold medal, winning the men’s Olympic golf competition in his Olympic debut, and a victory for the United States in the Presidents Cup in Montreal, Quebec, Canada, his fourth appearance in international team competitions (Presidents Cup: 2022, 2024; Ryder Cup: 2020, 2023). Following the conclusion of the FedExCup Fall, Scheffler successfully defended his title at the Hero World Challenge, winning the event hosted by Tiger Woods by six strokes.
For the second consecutive season, Scheffler also received the Byron Nelson Award for recording the lowest Scoring Average on the PGA Tour in 2024 (68.65).
Perfect fit for the PGA TOUR Player of the Year 🏌️♂️ https://t.co/bYtZXT6mj2 pic.twitter.com/oEDLDxQqKH
— PGA TOUR (@PGATOUR) December 11, 2024
Scheffler was surprised with the Jack Nicklaus Award trophy at a FedEx charity event at the PGA Tour Superstore in Plano, Texas. Scheffler and his wife, Meredith, joined FedEx to help students from the charity Behind Every Door shop for Christmas gifts with gift cards from the PGA Tour Superstore. Additionally, the FedEx charity event marked the debut of the limited edition ‘Scheffler Shuffle’ t-shirts, available for purchase throughout December at the PGA Tour Superstore in Dallas and on pgatoursuperstore.com. A portion of the proceeds will benefit Behind Every Door.
The PGA Tour Rookie of the Year for the 2024 season will be announced before the end of the year.
