The PGA Tour's Player of the Year Award - a k a the Jack Nicklaus Award - won't be known for a while longer, because it is based on a player vote. But it's near impossible to imagine anyone other than Woods winning that one, either.
The PGA of America's award dates to 1948; the PGA Tour award was created in 1990. Since his first full year of 1997, Woods has won 10 PGA Player of the Year Awards, and nine - going on 10 - PGA Tour Player of the Year Awards. So during Woods' career, when he wins one, he also wins the other. Only Mark O'Meara (1998), Vijay Singh (2004) and Padraig Harrington plus injury (2008) have stopped Woods from running the table.
It should be needless to say, but Woods' 10 awards are the most ever.
Only twice since 1990 have the PGA of America points system and the PGA Tour balloting produced different winners, and those happened in the very first two years of the awards' co-existence. In 1990, the PGA Tour voted for Wayne Levi while the PGA's point system picked Nick Faldo. And in 1991, the PGA Tour voted for Fred Couples while the PGA award went to Corey Pavin.
Comments
1) Jack is not in second place for POYs. Tom Watson has six to Jack’s five.
2) Ferguson was ethically wrong to announce the awards before the PGAofA did, since it’s their award. He was also technically wrong, because the Vardon and POY have not been mathematically clinched yet. That’s why the PGAofA has not confirmed the awards.
It’s true that it would be *physically* impossible for anyone but Tiger to win them. Only Yang could beat Tiger for POY, and several players could beat Tiger for the Vardon, In both cases, they would have to shoot several rounds in the 40’s to do it, so it won’t happen. But the awards are not “mathematically clinched” until even Chuck Norris, shooting several rounds of 18, could not change the standings.
The Palmer Award for most earnings *is* mathematically clinched for Tiger. With only three official purses yet to be paid, no player can possibly top Tiger’s earnings.
Thanks for pointing out the Watson/Nicklaus error.