Jim Furyk and Matt Kuchar capture PGA Tour awards
Jim Furyk has had a pretty good career on the PGA Tour so far. The 40-year-old golfer has 16 wins on tour, including the 2003 U.S. Open. He has finished in the top-10 on the money list
six of the past eight years and has played on seven Ryder Cup teams and six Presidents Cup teams. Now the golfer out of Pennsylvania can add another achievement to his resume: PGA Player of the Year.
“A special moment and a special year,” Furyk told reporters. “I’ve never had a three-win season before.”
Thanks to his three wins on tour this year, more than anyone else, Furyk captured the points-based award with 60 points, only 10 more than Matt Kuchar and Steve Stricker. Ernie Els and
Phil Mickelson finished in fourth and fifth-place, respectively.
Furyk got to 60 points thanks to 10 points for each of his three victories, 18 for finishing in the second spot on the money list, and 12 for finishing fifth in scoring average.
Furyk, whose scoring average over the season was 69.83, won the Transitions Championship, the Verizon Heritage, and the Tour Championship.
The fact that Tiger Woods went winless on the year meant that the player who typically wins this award was not even in the discussion. Woods has been PGA Player of the Year in 10 of the
past 13 seasons.
Matt Kuchar, who had one victory and 11 top-10s this year, finished atop the money list and won the Vardon Trophy for lowest scoring average. Kuchar finished with a scoring average of
69.61, just 0.05 strokes better than Steve Stricker, who finished second with an average of 69.66.
Woods had won the award in eight of the past 11 seasons.
“It will be tough to follow this year up,” Kuchar said in a statement. “You can go out and shoot a 62 but it’s hard to follow up that 62 the next day with another great round. That’s how
I’m looking at next year. It will be quite a challenge.”
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