Rory McIlroy has been named PGA Tour Player of the Year for the second time in three years. The world number one has been voted for the Jack Nicklaus Award by the members of that circuit.
When he received it in 2012, he was the youngest winner of the title since Tiger Woods in 1999. Two years later, at 25, he becomes the fourth player to win it more than once. The other three are Tiger Woods (11 times), Greg Norman (2 times) and Nick Price (2 times). The PGA Tour Player of the Year Award was created in 1990.
McIlroy has won three times this season on the PGA Tour, and has done so impressively in three consecutive appearances: the British Open, the WGC Bridgestone and the PGA Championship (his fourth major). He is the first winner of two consecutive majors since Padraig Harrington in 2008.
After his victory at the Bridgestone, he regained the top spot in the world ranking, where he remains to this day.
His season has also been characterized by an extraordinary consistency: He leads the top ten ranking in the PGA Tour with 12 and has not finished outside the top 25 in 17 participations. In addition to his three victories, he has finished second in the Honda Classic and the Tour Championship and third in the FedExCup.He has also won the Arnold Palmer Award for PGA Tour earnings leader with $8,280,096 and the Byron Nelson Award for best adjusted average with 68.83 strokes.Rory McIlroy: “To be voted player of the year by my peers is a huge honor. They are the players you try to beat week in and week out and the ones who watch you work hard. It’s a great honor to know that they appreciate your effort and how well you’ve played. They have already chosen me twice in three years and I hope to continue to deserve this award many more.” Here’s how he analyzes his season on the PGA Tour, “I think the Honda was the turning point that put me back in contention for a title and even though I didn’t play well enough to win on Sunday, it gave me the confidence that I could play well this year.
“But the big push I didn’t get in the U.S. without the European Tour, when I won at Wentworth. It’s always important to get that first win of the season, and it set me up for an amazing summer. Now I’m just trying to make this streak last as long as possible.”Only three Europeans have received the prestigious Jack Nicklaus Award. The other two are England’s Luke Donald (2011) and Ireland’s Padraig Harrington (2008).
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