Player of the Year Awards for the PGA Tour

PGA Tour, PGA of America Both Give Trophies; These Are All the Winners

Tom Watson swings during the 2007 Senior Open Championship
Tom Watson was a six-time winner of the PGA Player of the Year award. Phil Inglis/Getty Images

The PGA Player of the Year Award was first bestowed in 1948 by the PGA of America, which, at that time, ran the PGA Tour through its tournament division. Beginning in 1990, two different Player of the Year awards have been named: The PGA Tour introduced its own award, which joined the one bestowed by the PGA of America.

The lists of winners of the two different Player of the Year awards given to PGA Tour golfers are very similar—but they are not identical because the awards are chosen via two different methods.

PGA Player of the Year Winners

The award given by the PGA of America has been based on a points system since 1982. Golfers earn points for accomplishments throughout the PGA Tour season—wins, top 10 finishes, bonus for wins in majors, plus the player's standing on the money list and season scoring average rankings.

2019 — Brooks Koepka
2018 — Brooks Koepka
2017 — Justin Thomas
2016 — Dustin Johnson
2015 — Jordan Spieth
2014 — Rory McIlroy
2013 — Tiger Woods
2012 — Rory McIlroy
2011 — Luke Donald
2010 — Jim Furyk
2009 — Tiger Woods
2008 — Padraig Harrington
2007 — Tiger Woods
2006 — Tiger Woods
2005 — Tiger Woods
2004 — Vijay Singh
2003 — Tiger Woods
2002 — Tiger Woods
2001 — Tiger Woods
2000 — Tiger Woods
1999 — Tiger Woods
1998 — Mark O'Meara
1997 — Tiger Woods
1996 — Tom Lehman
1995 — Greg Norman
1994 — Nick Price
1993 — Nick Price
1992 — Fred Couples
1991 — Corey Pavin
1990 — Nick Faldo
1989 — Tom Kite
1988 — Curtis Strange
1987 — Paul Azinger
1986 — Bob Tway
1985 — Lanny Wadkins
1984 — Tom Watson
1983 — Hal Sutton
1982 — Tom Watson
1981 — Bill Rogers
1980 — Tom Watson
1979 — Tom Watson
1978 — Tom Watson
1977 — Tom Watson
1976 — Jack Nicklaus
1975 — Jack Nicklaus
1974 — Johnny Miller
1973 — Jack Nicklaus
1972 — Jack Nicklaus
1971 — Lee Trevino
1970 — Billy Casper
1969 — Orville Moody
1968 — Not awarded
1967 — Jack Nicklaus
1966 — Billy Casper
1965 — Dave Marr
1964 — Ken Venturi
1963 — Julius Boros
1962 — Arnold Palmer
1961 — Jerry Barber
1960 — Arnold Palmer
1959 — Art Wall
1958 — Dow Finsterwald
1957 — Dick Mayer
1956 — Jack Burke
1955 — Doug Ford
1954 — Ed Furgol
1953 — Ben Hogan
1952 — Julius Boros
1951 — Ben Hogan
1950 — Ben Hogan
1949 — Sam Snead
1948 — Ben Hogan

Which golfer has won the most PGA Player of the Year awards? Far and away, it is Tiger Woods, who has won nearly twice as often as the next closest golfer on the list. These are the golfers who have won the PGA of America's award multiple times:

Julius Boros, Billy Casper, Rory McIlroy, Arnold Palmer and Nick Price are each two-time winners.

PGA Tour's Player of the Year Award

Beginning in 1990, the PGA Tour started handing out its own award. The tour's award winner is selected through a vote by PGA Tour members once the season ends. The winner of the vote receives the Jack Nicklaus Trophy.

2019 — Rory McIlroy
2018 — Brooks Koepka
2017 — Justin Thomas
2016 — Dustin Johnson
2015 — Jordan Spieth
2014 — Rory McIlroy
2013 — Tiger Woods
2012 — Rory McIlroy
2011 — Luke Donald
2010 — Jim Furyk
2009 — Tiger Woods
2008 — Padraig Harrington
2007 — Tiger Woods
2006 — Tiger Woods
2005 — Tiger Woods
2004 — Vijay Singh
2003 — Tiger Woods
2002 — Tiger Woods
2001 — Tiger Woods
2000 — Tiger Woods
1999 — Tiger Woods
1998 — Mark O'Meara
1997 — Tiger Woods
1996 — Tom Lehman
1995 — Greg Norman
1994 — Nick Price
1993 — Nick Price
1992 — Fred Couples
1991 — Fred Couples
1990 — Wayne Levi

Once again, the golfer with the most wins is Tiger Woods. Just as with the PGA of America's award, Woods has won the PGA Tour's award 11 times. No other golfer has won the PGA Tour's Player of the Year Award more than twice. But, so far, the two-time winners are Fred Couples, Nick Price and Rory McIlroy.