Rory McIlroy is the 2019 PGA Tour Player of the Year, winning the award for the third time in his career.
According to GolfWeek, even McIlroy himself admitted on a teleconference that he was surprised to beat out Brooks Koepka for the award. PGA Tour members who have attended at least 15 events this season are eligible to vote for the award, Koepka was considered the favorite to win.
McIlroy’s consistency won over Koepka’s surges on golf’s biggest stages. Both golfers have three wins this season, but the Irishman’s tour-best 14 top-10 finishes in 19 events make Koepka’s nine top-10 finishes look mediocre. McIlroy won the Player’s Championship, Tour Championship, and Canadian Open. Koepka won The CJ Cup at Nine Bridges, the WGC-FedEx St. Jude Invitational and the PGA Championship (for the fourth Major win of his career).
McIlroy tweeted Wednesday, “I am very proud of my consistency and success this season so it is an incredible honor to have my fellow @PGATour players recognize me as the Player of the Year. Already looking forward to next season!”
Matt Kuchar and Xander Schauffele were also named as finalists for the award. McIlroy also won the award in 2012 and 2014.
