Brooks Koepka wins second-straight PGA of America Player of the Year award
Brooks Koepka may have struggled Sunday at East Lake, but he’s still bringing home the PGA of America’s top prize.
The PGA of America awarded Koepka his second-straight Player of the Year award on Monday afternoon, edging out Tour Championship winner Rory McIlroy. He is now the first player to win the award in consecutive years since Tiger Woods did in 2006 and 2007.
Koepka won three times on the PGA Tour this season, at The CJ Cup @ Nine Bridges, the World Golf Championships-FedEx St. Jude Invitational and the PGA Championship, which marked his fourth win in a major championship. He had nine top-10 finishes this season, too, including a runner-up finish at both The Masters and the U.S. Open, and a fourth place finish at The Open Championship. Koepka finished in a tie for third at the Tour Championship on Sunday, five shots behind McIlroy after a rough outing that included three bogeys on his back nine and a double.
The PGA of America uses a scoring system based off tournament wins, adjusted scoring average and official money standings when awarding its Player of the Year award. Koepka finished with 84 total points, while McIlroy finished with 78. Koepka’s major win earned him 30 points in their system, while McIlroy’s win at The Players Championship and the Tour Championship earned him just 20 and 10, respectively.
Patrick Cantlay and Gary Woodland finished in a tie for third with 42 points, and Matt Kuchar came in fifth with 36 points.
McIlroy — who finished the year with three wins on the PGA Tour, his third coming at the RBC Canadian Open — was awarded the Vardon Trophy, which is presented each year to the player with the lowest adjusted scoring average. In 72 rounds, McIlroy’s adjusted average was 69.057. Cantlay came in second with an average of 69.306 in 77 rounds, and Webb Simpson came in third with an average of 69.377 in 81 rounds.
The PGA Tour is expected to announce its Player of the Year award within the next month, which is based off a “vote of the membership.” Koepka took home that accolade last season, too.
More from Yahoo Sports:
