Career Feats: Furyk named PGA Player of the Year; Kuchar earns first Vardon Trophy

Jim Furyk's strong finish at the end of the season, which included a rally to win the Tour Championship, vaulted him to his first PGA Player of the Year Award. Furyk won three events during the 2010 season, just enough to surpass U.S. Ryder Cup teammates Matt Kuchar and Steve Stricker, who shared second. Furyk collected 60 points, while Kuchar and Stricker each earned 50; followed by Ernie Els and Phil Mickelson with 46 and 42 points, respectively. Furyk earned 30 victory points by capturing the Transitions Championship, Verizon Heritage and Tour Championship; along with garnering 18 points for ranking second in the money list and 12 for finishing fifth (69.83) in the adjusted scoring average list. The PGA Player of the Year, first presented in 1948, and the Vardon Trophy, which originated in 1937, are The PGA of America's premier season-ending awards for excellence by a Tour professional. Kuchar, the season money leader, held on to a slim lead over the past month to capture his first Vardon Trophy in the tightest race in many years. He completed 97 rounds, posting a 69.61 adjusted scoring average, which was .05 lower than Stricker (69.66). Paul Casey and Retief Goosen shared third at 69.72. The PGA of America has honored the game's best players with the PGA Player of the Year Award since 1948. The award is presented to the top touring professional based on a point system for tournament wins, official money standings and scoring averages. Points were tabulated from Jan. 1, through last weekend's Children's Miracle Network Classic. Since 1937, the Vardon Trophy, named by The PGA of America in honor of famed 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. Since 1948, The PGA of America has honored the game's best players with the PGA Player of the Year Award. The award is currently presented to the top touring professional based on a point system for tournament wins, official money standings and scoring averages. Points are tabulated from Jan. 1 through the Children's Miracle Network Classic, which concluded Nov. 14. In addition, 50 bonus points are awarded to players with more than one major championship in the same year, and an additional 25 points for each additional major championship. Final 2010 PGA Player of the Year Standings (Ending 11/14/10) 1. Jim Furyk, 30 victory money points; 18 scoring points; 12 bonus points; 60 total points (Transitions Championship, Verizon Heritage, Tour Championship) T2 Steve Stricker, 20; 12; 18; 50 (Northern Trust Open, John Deere Classic) T2 Matt Kuchar, 10; 20; 20; 50 (The Barclays) 4. Ernie Els, 20; 16; 10; 46 (WGC-CA Championship, Arnold Palmer Invitational) 5. Phil Mickelson, 30; 10; 2; 42 (The Masters) 6. Dustin Johnson, 20; 14; 0; 34 (AT&T Pebble Beach National Pro-Am, BMW Championship) T7 Graeme McDowell, 30; 0; 0; 30 (U.S. Open) T7 Louis Oosthuizen, 30; 0; 0; 30 (Open Championship) T7 Martin Kaymer, 30; 0; 0; 30 (PGA Championship) T7 Justin Rose, 20; 4; 6; 30 (The Memorial Tournament, AT&T National) Points are distributed based on the sum of the following: A) Tournament victories (Points in parentheses): PGA Championship (30) U.S. Open (30) British Open (30) Masters (30) The Players Championship (20) All other PGA Tour events, including World Championships series (10) B) Money winning on PGA Tour official money list: 1st (20) 2nd (18) 3rd (16) 4th (14) 5th (12) 6th (10) 7th (8) 8th (6) 9th (4) 10th ()2 C) Adjusted scoring average, min. 60 rounds: 1st (20) 2nd (18) 3rd (16) 4th (14) 5th (12) 6th (10) 7th (8) 8th (6) 9th (4) 10th (2) FINAL 2010 Vardon Trophy Standings: 1. Matt Kuchar, 97 rounds; 69.61 scoring average 2. Steve Stricker, 73 rounds; 69.66 scoring average T3 Paul Casey, 64 rounds; 69.72 scoring average T3 Retief Goosen, 75 rounds; 69.72 scoring average 5. Jim Furyk, 76 rounds; 69.83 scoring average 6. Ernie Els, 72 rounds; 69.84 scoring average 7. Luke Donald, 71 rounds; 69.85 scoring average 8. Justin Rose, 78 rounds; 69.88 scoring average 9. Bo Van Pelt, 104 rounds; 69.96 scoring average 10. Phil Mickelson 76 rounds; 69.97 scoring average