Justin Thomas, Jordan Spieth duel to the finish in race for PGA Player of the Year award

PALM BEACH GARDENS, Fla. (Sept. 19, 2017) – PGA Champion Justin Thomas and Open Champion Jordan Spieth will carry their duel to the final points event of the season – The TOUR Championship – in determining the 2017 PGA of America Player of the Year, one of the season-ending awards presented by the PGA of America for excellence by a PGA TOUR professional. 

Five-time winner Thomas saw his lead trimmed last weekend, 102-90 over Spieth, who returned to No. 1 in the season money list with a tie for seventh place in the BMW Championship. Dustin Johnson is next with 66 points, followed by Hideki Matsuyama with 56 and BMW Champion Marc Leishman with 44. Johnson and Matsuyama have each won four times this season, while Spieth owns 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 conclude Sept. 24, at the TOUR Championship.

Spieth maintains his lead in the Vardon Trophy race with a 68.845 adjusted scoring average based upon 81 complete rounds. Rickie Fowler is next at 68.914, followed by Leishman (69.380), Thomas (69.439) and Matsuyama (69.486).

Since 1937, the Vardon Trophy, named by the PGA of America in honor of legendary British golfer Harry Vardon, has been presented 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.

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.

2017 PGA Player of the Year Standings

Player	Victory points	Money points	Scoring points	Total points
1. Justin Thomas	70	18	14	102
2. Jordan Spieth	50	20	20	90
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	12	18	40
7. Brooks Koepka	30	6	N/A	36
8. Sergio Garcia	30	N/A	4	34
9. Jon Rahm	10	10	6	26
10. Si Woo Kim	20	N/A	N/A	20

 

2017 Vardon Trophy Standings (through 9/17/17)

Player	Points	Adjusted scoring average
Jordan Spieth	81	68.845
Rickie Fowler	74	68.914
Marc Leishman	90	69.380
Justin Thomas	82	69.439
Hideki Matsuyama	79	69.486
Dustin Johnson	73	69.515
Paul Casey	90	69.520
Jon Rahm	86	69.596

 

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