PGA Of America Picks Koepka As Its Player Of The Year

The results are in from the PGA Of America and Brooks Koepka has taken that organization’s  Player Of The Year  honors.

First, let’s once again define the difference between the PGA Of America and The PGA Tour.

The PGA Of America, often shorted to simply the PGA, is the organization comprised of the more than 3,000 Class A members who are hard-working professionals at county clubs, resorts courses, teaching facilities, semi-private and municipal facilities around the United States.  The PGA Of America runs the Ryder Cup and of course, the PGA Championship.

The PGA Tour is comprised of touring professionals who play every week for huge prize money.  The PGA Tour runs the Players Championship but has nothing to do with any of the major championships (much to the chagrin of the  Sheriff of Nottingham  and his  Band Of Sinister Henchmen).

So naturally, the PGA Of America might be a bit biased seeing as Koepka won its championship, the PGA.  But there’s no member voting, it’s based on a points system that comes from overall performance for the year.

Still to be named is the PGA Tour  Player Of The Year.  That award is voted on by members of the tour.

It’s a close race this year between Koepka and Rory McIlroy.  Both players won three times with Koepka taking the PGA, WGC-St. Jude and the CJ Bridges Cup back in the cross-over season.  So if you want to get technical, Koepka won just twice in calendar year 2019.  In the majors tied for second at the Masters, won the PGA, was second at the U.S. Open and tied for fourth at the Open Championship — huge year in the big ones.  Koepka was also the regular season FedEx Cup points leader.

McIlroy won three times in 2019 with The Players, the Canadian Open and the Tour Championship which gave him the FedEx Cup title.  In the majors, Rory was no ball of fire.  He tied for 21st at The Masters, tied for eighth at the PGA, tied for ninth at the U.S. Open and embarrassingly missed the cut in the Open Championship at Royal Portrush.

Koepka had nine top 10s this season, Rory had 14.  Rory’s stroke average was 69.057, Koepka’s was 69.395.

Koepka won both PGA Of America and PGA Tour Player Of The Year honors in 2018.

Will he take both in 2019?

Stay tuned.