Brooks Koepka edged Rory McIlroy in a tight race for 2019 PGA Tour Player of the Year honors as voted on by members of the Golf Writers Association of America.
McIlroy beat Koepka for the same honor by an undisclosed vote total from his PGA Tour peers back in September, but in this vote the nod went to the current world No. 1 as Koepka received 44 percent of the votes against McIlroy’s 36 percent, with Masters champ Tiger Woods finishing third.
While the Tour’s vote encompassed the 2018-19 season, during which both Koepka and McIlroy won three times, the GWAA vote was for the calendar year of 2019 when McIlroy won four times to Koepka’s two victories. But one of Koepka’s wins came at the PGA Championship, and he compiled a historic run in the majors by finishing T-4 or better in all four events. He becomes the first player to win the GWAA Player of the Year award in consecutive seasons since Woods won three in a row from 2005-07.
After winning four times including two majors, Jin Young Ko was a runaway winner for LPGA tour Player of the Year honors over Nelly Korda, while Charles Schwab Cup champ Scott McCarron edged Steve Stricker for the award on the PGA Tour Champions. All three winners will receive their awards at the GWAA’s annual dinner in Augusta, Ga., on the eve of the opening round of the Masters.