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.

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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