5 Players Who Will Challenge Rory McIlroy for 2015 PGA Player of the Year
It seems impossible that anybody can touch Rory McIlroy these days. Coming off his best season as a pro, the 25-year-old is riding high off back-to-back major championships and a dominant Sunday Singles performance at the Ryder Cup.
Already a two-time PGA Tour Player of the Year winner, McIlroy is a logical favorite to win again in 2015. And, with another top-five finish in his first event of the season, there’s no reason to think he won’t.
But among popular contenders, some of the world’s best players are overdue for major championships and could put a roadblock in McIlroy’s way.
Taking into consideration players’ recent successes, their event schedule for 2015 and chances of winning a major next year, we’ve compiled a list of five of the PGA Tour’s best, who are destined to give Rory a run for his money.
No. 5 Tiger Woods
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If he’s healthy, it’d be foolish not to include Tiger in our list. An 11-time PGA Tour Player of the Year winner, Woods most recently won the award in 2013 and showed he’s still among the game’s best.
His first tournament of the 2014-2015 season, which ended in a tie for last place at the Hero World Challenge, was surprisingly encouraging. Despite nine flubbed chip shots, Woods was pleased with a more free-ranging, athletic golf swing, produced by new swing consultant Chris Como, per Bob Harig of ESPN. Even better, the 14-time major championship winner said he felt no pain while playing.
With a combined five injuries over the past five seasons, the 38-year-old may not have the durability of his glory years. But even an older, more fragile Tiger can be good enough to compete in the majors and challenge McIlroy.
No. 4 Henrik Stenson
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The world’s second-ranked player is also the world’s second-hottest player to begin the 2014-2015 season. With first-, second- and third-place finishes on the European Tour since the Ryder Cup, Stenson also finished second at the Hero World Challenge last week.
Stenson is one of golf’s most overdue players to win a major in 2015. With a fourth-place finish at this year’s U.S. Open and a third-place finish at the PGA, Stenson was within striking distance of winning in 2014. A second-place finish at the 2013 British Open and another third at last year’s PGA proves his recent performances at the majors have been no fluke, either.
Perhaps more than any other player on Tour, Stenson likes to load up his schedule. He played 28, 31 and 26 events, respectively, in 2012, 2013 and 2014, and has 33 top-10 finishes in that span. At 38 years old, Stenson is still going strong, but he will likely need a major in 2015 for a shot at PGA Tour Player of the Year.
No. 3 Jordan Spieth
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Moving into the world’s top 10 for the first time in his young career, the 21-year-old Spieth has been the hottest player on Tour since the Ryder Cup. Spieth opened his 2014-2015 season with a 35th-place finish at the WGC-HSBC Champions tournament and a third-place mark at Japan’s Dunlop Phoenix Tournament, with back-to-back December wins at the Australian Open and Hero World Challenge.
Spieth just nearly missed winning the Masters this year at age 20, finishing tied for second behind Bubba Watson. A fourth-place finish in May’s Player’s Championship was one of 11 top-10 finishes for the second-year pro.
With an eye-popping 30 tournaments played in 2014, Spieth, like Stenson, competes more than just about any other player on Tour. Barring injury, Spieth’s youth will allow him to play as many tournaments as he wants over the next several years, and there’s no reason to think he won’t continue to be among the world’s best.
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No. 2 Bubba Watson
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The defending Masters champion has played some of the best and most consistent golf of his career in 2014. After a mediocre performance at the Ryder Cup, Watson rebounded with a win at the WGC-HSBC Champions tournament last month, and he now has three first-place finishes and three runner-up performances in 2014.
Watson had the best calendar year of his career in 2014. With eight top-10 finishes, he moved up from the world’s 28th-ranked player to his current position as world No. 4.
Watson has been the man to beat at Augusta over the past three years, but he is historically lousy at the other majors. If he can secure a third green jacket in four years this April and make cuts at the other three, it’ll be impossible not to consider the rising 36-year-old in the running for PGA Tour Player of the Year.
No. 1 Rickie Fowler
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Since joining forces with swing coach Butch Harmon last December, Fowler turned in his best calendar year by far in 2014. Besides his success at the majors, Fowler set a career high with 12 top-10 finishes. His swing is visibly better, per Claude Harmon III of the Golf Channel, and his focus is reportedly at an all-time high as well, per Jaime Diaz of Golf Digest.
Fowler is also one of the PGA Tour’s most overdue players to take the green jacket at Augusta in April—or at least win a major tournament. After turning in a two-under, fifth-place finish at the Masters earlier this year, Fowler led through 64 holes of the PGA before a crucial bogey at the 14th hole at Valhalla opened the door for McIlroy. Just five holes away from being a major-winner already, Fowler will certainly contend—and could win one or two in 2015.
Perhaps most importantly, Fowler will also have more opportunities to shine in 2015. He’s slated to play between 25 and 28 PGA Tour events in the 2014-2015 season, while McIlroy told Golfweek in September that he’ll be cutting his schedule from 25 events to between 20 and 23.
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