Brooks Koepka Named 2019 PGA Player of the Year Ahead of Rory McIlroy

Gill Clark @@gillclarkyFeatured Columnist IIAugust 26, 2019

ATLANTA, GEORGIA - AUGUST 25: Brooks Koepka of the United States plays his shot from the 17th tee during the final round of the TOUR Championship at East Lake Golf Club on August 25, 2019 in Atlanta, Georgia. (Photo by Streeter Lecka/Getty Images)

Streeter Lecka/Getty Images

Brooks Koepka has been named the 2019 PGA Player of the Year for the second year in a row ahead of Rory McIlroy:

PGA of America @PGA
NEW: @BKoepka edges @McIlroyRory to win a second straight PGA of America Player of Year Award; McIlroy earns his third Vardon Trophy. Story 👇 https://t.co/az2LaFQ2Ni https://t.co/Vb54UnVKZd

The American enjoyed a successful season, winning the 2019 PGA Championship and finishing second at the U.S. Open and the Masters.

Meanwhile, McIlroy finished an impressive campaign on a high by claiming victory at the Tour Championship on Sunday to clinch the FedEx Cup title and the $15 million (£12.2 million) prize fund.

The Northern Irishman claimed victory by four shots at the East Lake Golf Club in Atlanta, and Koepka said his opponent played better golf, per Ali Stafford of Sky Sports.

"[McIlroy] just played better," he said. "He played great golf today, pretty much mistake-free. He was impressive to watch. He put it in the fairway a lot, hit a lot of green."

The win means McIlroy finishes the season at the top of the FedEx Cup standings ahead of Xander Schauffele in second and Koepka in third, per the PGA Tour.

Golf writer Jason Sobel highlighted the 30-year-old's achievements this season:

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Jason Sobel @JasonSobelTAN
Rory McIlroy claimed the FedEx Cup, the Vardon Trophy, three wins, 14 top-10s and $22.8 million on the PGA Tour this season. Brooks Koepka is still the POY.

McIlroy's win at the Tour Championship makes this season one of the best of his career, but there is no doubt that when it came to the major tournaments, Koepka had the better record.

The 29-year-old seemed to reserve his best performances for the big stage, finishing in the top four of all the major tournaments in 2019.

His victory at the PGA Championship saw him become the first player to retain two major titles:

PGA of America @PGA
BACK-2️⃣-BACK Brooks Koepka is the first player to hold two Major Championship titles back-to-back simultaneously. #PGAChamp https://t.co/O8bTyq5qZE

ESPN's Mike Greenberg said Koepka is still the best player in the world:

Mike Greenberg @Espngreeny
Brooks Koepka had an extraordinary year and is, in my opinion, the best player in the world. But in final rounds at the biggest events he has been far from his best. Could have been one of the greatest years ever. #TourChampionship

The end of the season saw Koepka and McIlroy go head-to-head in the final pairing at the WGC-FedEx St Jude Invitational and the Tour Championship.

Koepka took victory in the first meeting to clinch his third title of the year, but McIlroy hit back at East Lake with a four-under par 66 in his final round.

There is no doubt that Koepka and McIlroy are the two best golfers currently and have a rivalry that many will be hoping can go on and dominate the top of the game.