For a while, the 2015-16 PGA Tour season belonged to Jason Day of Australia, but then Dustin Johnson played the best golf of his career before Rory McIlroy of Northern Ireland made a late run by winning two of the last three tournaments in the playoffs to take the FedExCup.
So where does that leave us when it comes to the Player of the Year award? The honoree will be announced next week.
All three were selected as candidates in the vote of players on the circuit, with Jordan Spieth, Adam Scott of Australia and Henrik Stenson of Sweden also getting the call.
Even after taking home both trophies at the Tour Championship to claim the FedExCup, McIlory — who captured the Player of Year in 2012 and 2014 — figured he had the answer that seems to be close to unanimous.
“I think it’s still Dustin,” said McIlroy, who won the Irish Open in May but didn’t find the winner’s circle in the United States this season until the Deutsche Bank Championship in the second week of the playoffs. “He played so well all year, and he won a major.”
It appeared Johnson, who won the points-driven PGA Tour Player of the Year award of the PGA of America last week, was going to make it a moot point as he was at least tied for the lead after each of the first three rounds of the Tour Championship.
However, he faltered in the final round with a 3-over-par 73 to slide into a tie for sixth that cost him the tournament and the FedExCup. That ended his streak of eight consecutive rounds in the 60s.
Still, he posted his tour-high 15th finish in the top 10 and 19th in the top 25 for his 22 starts during the 2016-17 season, missing the cut only once — in the PGA Championship.
Johnson, who rose to a career-high second in the World Golf Ranking this season, captured the U.S. Open at Oakmont, the WGC-Bridgestone Invitational at Firestone and the BMW Championship at Crooked Stick.
That made him the second player in history to win a major, one of the World Golf Championships and a FedExCup playoff event in the same season. Tiger Woods did it in 2007, the first year of the playoffs.
“You know what, I had a great year,” said Johnson, who has won 12 times on the PGA Tour, including at least once in all nine of his seasons — the longest active streak on the circuit.
“I’m very pleased with how I played. … Really good year. I’m looking forward to getting back (to East Lake) next year and getting it done.”
Day, who was nosed out by Spieth for the Player of the Year award last season despite winning five times — including his first major in the PGA Championship at Whistling Straits — started out as if this year would be more of the same.
The Aussie claimed the Arnold Palmer Invitational, the WGC-Dell Match Play and the Players Championship to take a firm grip on the No. 1 ranking, but he didn’t win again after his four-stroke victory over Kevin Chappell at TPC Sawgrass in May.
“I got off to a great start this year,” said Day, who withdrew in the middle of the last two playoff events because of a back problem. “Obviously, kind of in the middle of my season, I hit probably the high.
“I feel good about my game, where it’s at. … I cracked my driver in the middle of my season and had to change drivers, and I just haven’t quite been able to get the right combination.”
Spieth, whose six victories a year ago included the Masters and the U.S. Open, also started out as if it were still 2015 when he won the Hyundai Championship by eight strokes over Patrick Reed in January.
However, his only other victory came in the Dean & DeLuca Invitational in May, although he did post eight finishes in the top 10 in what some called a down year.
Unfortunately, what everyone will remember most about Spieth this season is that he blew a five-stroke lead on the back nine Sunday in his title defense at Augusta National and finished in a tie for second.
“With the way this year has gone, which I thought it’s been a pretty great year, it actually makes me really put in perspective how special last year was, because it’s not going to be the norm,” said Spieth, who also won the 2015 Tour Championship and FedExCup.
“No one wins two majors a year for their entire career and a FedExCup. That just doesn’t happen. It puts it in perspective. … I think it’s been a really good season. If I have a season like this (every year) and I’m out here for 20 more years, that’s 50-some odd wins, so I’m certainly OK with that.”
There isn’t much turnaround time on the PGA Tour these days, as the new season starts next week with the Safeway Open at Silverado Country Club in Napa, Calif.
And it will be interesting because that guy Woods, who won the Player of the Year award a record 11 times (most recently in 2013), will be on hand to kick off 2016-17 after missing this season following two back surgeries.
Said Day: “Tiger said he’s going to kick my butt when he comes back.”
–Story courtesy of The Sports Xchange, TSX Golf Editor Tom LaMarre
