Jordan Spieth receives PGA Player of the Year Award and Vardon Trophy

 

IRVING, Tex. – Jordan Spieth, who won the Masters and U.S. Open Championship while making a gallant run at completing golf's Grand Slam, received the PGA of America Player of the Year Award and Vardon Trophy today. Spieth accepted the honors in a presentation before his Spieth Shootout charity event at the home of the AT&T Byron Nelson.

 

The season-ending awards are presented by the PGA of America for excellence by a PGA Tour professional.

 

Spieth, 22, followed Tiger Woods as the second-youngest to capture both awards in the same year. Woods was 21 in 1997 when he won the first of his 11 PGA Player of the Year Awards and nine Vardon Trophies.

 

In addition to his two major championships, Spieth capped his season by winning the Tour Championship to go with victories in the Valspar Championship and the John Deere Classic. On his way to earning the Vardon Trophy, Spieth posted an adjusted scoring average of 68.911 through 91 complete rounds. He edged PGA Champion Jason Day (69.161), who completed 75 rounds, by 0.25 strokes.

 

Overall, Spieth collected 180 Player of the Year points, based upon 90 points for his five victories; 50 bonus points for earning two major championships; 20 points for leading the money list and 20 points for winning the Vardon Trophy. Day was runner-up in the Player of the Year standings with 106 total points; followed by Bubba Watson with 52; Open Champion Zach Johnson with 46; and Rickie Fowler with 44.

 

Since 1948, the PGA of America has honored the game’s best players with the PGA Player of the Year Award. It is presented to the top Tour professional based on a point system for tournament wins, official money standings, and scoring averages. Points for the 2014-15 season began with the Frys.com Open on Oct. 12, and concluded with the Tour Championship.

 

Since 1937, the Vardon Trophy, named by the PGA of America in honor of legendary British golfer Harry Vardon, is awarded annually to the touring professional with the lowest adjusted scoring average. It is based on a minimum of 60 rounds, with no incomplete rounds, in events co-sponsored or designated by the PGA Tour. The adjusted score is computed from the average score of the field at each event.

 

The PGA Tour also recognizes its annual Player of the Year, with Spith also claiming that award earlier this month after a vote by his fellow players.