PGA Results: 2011 Season Awards
At the end of the season, PGA Tour members vote for their Player of the Year and Rookie of the Year. The votes are in, and the two obvious winners have officially collected their new hardware.
Luke Donald - Player of the Year
There was little doubt that Luke Donald would win Player of the Year. Donald's season was fantastic. He led the PGA Tour in money earned at over $6.6 million. Of his 19 starts on the PGA Tour, Donald had 14 top 10 finishes including two wins. Two wins was tied the most wins on Tour for 2011. The first win was at the very difficult Accenture Match Play Championships, a World Golf Championships (WGC) event. Donald's 2nd victory came at the Children's Miracle Network Hospitals Classic.
From a statistical standpoint Luke Donald was at or near the top of many of the Tour's categories. He was #1 in top-10 finishes, scoring average, strokes gained putting, money, 3-putt avoidance, least bogey's per round, final round scoring. Those are just the categories he was #1 in. About the only category he wasn't in the top 5 was driving distance.
Can Luke parlay his fantastic play and confidence into another great 2012? Likely. He's most consistent player on the planet. The big question will be whether the world #1 can win a major championship. Can't wait for 2012 to find out.
Keegan Bradley - Rookie of the Year
Once again there was no doubt that Keegan Bradley would win player of the year. With one win early in the season, Jhonattan Vegas had the early lead in the ROY race, but he faded a bit in the latter half of the season.
Bradley on the other hand didn't fade. He got better and better as the season progressed. Bradley tied the 2011 record for most wins (2) as did Luke Donald. Bradley's first win came at the Byron Nelson in Texas, where he won in a one hole playoff over Ryan Palmer. I happened to be on the 18th green when Bradley sank the winning putt. Keegan's next win came at the PGA Championship, once again in a playoff. With that win Bradley became the first rookie to win twice on Tour since 2004. The 2011 PGA was the first time since 2003 that a player won a major in his first major start. Those are some "major" accomplishments.
2012 will be interesting for Bradley. Will he continue his winning ways or will he suffer from a bit of "sophomore-itis" as is common on Tour. Time will tell.
