Was Rory McIlroy hard done by in losing out to Scottie Scheffler – the world number one and a two-time Major winner this season – for the PGA Tour’s Player of the Year honours, as voted by their peers stateside?
In my humble opinion, yes.
For all of Scheffler’s brilliance in a year which started slowly after he recovered from a hand injury – remember Phil Mickelson’s tweet back in March which backfired dramatically: “Here’s a hot take. Does Scottie win in 2025 before the Ryder Cup? I don’t think so” – to win the US PGA at Quail Hollow and The Open in Royal Portrush among six wins on the circuit, McIlroy’s historic deed in finally claiming the career Grand Slam with his Masters victory should have brought with it Player of the Year honours.
That Masters win was the highlight, not just of the season but of his career to date, in a year in which McIlroy also won The Players – not a Major but the flagship event of the PGA Tour – while also claiming the Pebble Beach pro-am.
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There were four names in the running for Player of the Year, with Scheffler and McIlroy nominated alongside Tommy Fleetwood and Ben Griffin for the accolade.
You’ve got to think it came down to a straight duel. Scottie or Rory? Scheffler or McIlroy?
No doubt it was tight, as Scheffler – winning the award for a fourth straight year, Tiger Woods the only other golfer to achieve such a streak – ultimately got the nod for the Jack Nicklaus Award.
Yes, Scheffler had a great year, but McIlroy’s had more about it. The win at the Masters was not just about joining an elite club of six – joining Gene Sarazen, Ben Hogan, Gary Player, Jack Nicklaus and Tiger Woods – but that playoff win over Justin Rose also enabled him to banish the demons which had haunted him down the years in seeking to add the green jacket to his other Major successes.
And McIlroy’s role in Europe’s Ryder Cup success at Bethpage, where he was on the receiving end of unacceptable abuse, should have counted for something too. It clearly didn’t.
Anyway, well done to Scottie for getting another PGA award to add to his collection. Except, I think, it should have gone McIlroy’s way on this occasion.
