NEWS

Justin Thomas completes banner season as PGA of America Player of the Year

By PGA of America
Published on
Justin Thomas completes banner season as PGA of America Player of the Year

Reigning PGA Champion Justin Thomas capped a five-victory season by earning his first PGA of America Player of the Year Award.

Open Champion Jordan Spieth, who finished runner-up to Thomas, won his second Vardon Trophy in three years. The PGA Player of the Year and Vardon Trophy are the season-ending awards presented by the PGA of America for excellence by a PGA TOUR professional.

Thomas, who earned the Fedex Cup in just his third season on the PGA TOUR, finished No. 1 in season money earnings with a runner-up performance in Sunday’s TOUR Championship. He closed the PGA Player of the Year race with 106 total points. Spieth, who tied for seventh in the TOUR Championship, earned 88 total points. Dustin Johnson was third with 66, followed by Hideki Matsuyama with 56 and Marc Leishman with 44.

Johnson won four times this season, while Matsuyama and Spieth each had three victories.

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 2016-17 season began with the Safeway Open on Oct. 16, and concluded Sept. 24, at the TOUR Championship.

Spieth, who previously won the Vardon Trophy in 2015, posted a 68.846 adjusted scoring average based upon 85 complete rounds. Rickie Fowler was runner-up at 69.083; Thomas third (69.359); Leishman fourth (69.468); and Paul Casey fifth (69.469).

Since 1937, the PGA of America has presented the Vardon Trophy, in honor of legendary British golfer Harry Vardon to the touring professional with the lowest scoring average. Since 1988, it has been awarded to the player 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 the winner announced in early October, determined by a vote of the membership.

For more information about the PGA of America, visit PGAMediaCenter.com, follow @PGAofAmerica on Twitter and find us on Facebook.

 

Final 2017 PGA Player of the Year Standings

 
Player Victory points Money points Scoring points Total points
1. Justin Thomas 70 20 16 106
2. Jordan Spieth 50 18 20 88
3. Dustin Johnson 40 16 10 66
4. Hideki Matsuyama 30 14 12 56
5. Marc Leishman 20 8 16 44
6. Rickie Fowler 10 10 18 38
7. Brooks Koepka 30 6 N/A 36
8. Sergio Garcia 30 N/A 4 34
9. Jon Rahm 10 12 6 28
10. Si Woo Kim 20 N/A N/A 20

 

Final 2017 Vardon Trophy Standings 

 
Player Rounds Adjusted scoring average
Jordan Spieth 85 68.846
Rickie Fowler 78 69.083
Justin Thomas 86 69.359
Marc Leishman 94 69.468
Paul Casey 94 69.469
Dustin Johnson 77 69.549
Jon Rahm 90 69.561
Sergio Garcia 65 69.596
Hideki Matsuyama 83 69.624
Justin Rose 66 69.699

 

Points are distributed based upon the following:

A) Tournament victories Points
PGA Championship 30
U.S. Open 30
Open Championship 30
Masters 30
The Players Championship 20
All other PGA TOUR and WGC events 10

 

B) PGA Tour official money list Points
1st 20
2nd 18
3rd 16
4th 14
5th 12
6th 10
7th 8
8th 6
9th 4
10th 2

 

C) Adj. scoring average: min. 60 rounds Points
1st 20
2nd 18
3rd 16
4th 14
5th 12
6th 10
7th 8
8th 6
9th 4
10th 2