Rory McIlroy wins the PGA Tour Player of the Year Award (Jack Nicklaus Award)
Northern Ireland’s Rory McIlroy won four PGA Tour events in 2012, including his second major golf championship victory at the PGA Championship.
Besides his four PGA Tour victories, the world number one also clinched a victory at the European Tour’s season-ending DP World Tour Championship, to mark a strong finish to his 2012 campaign.
He then claimed money list titles on both the PGA Tour and the European Tour, along with the Byron Nelson Award and Vardon Trophy.
The PGA Tour officials announced his name on Tuesday, December 4, 2012, as the 2012 PGA Tour Player of the Year.
After winning the prestigious Jack Nicklaus Award, the 23-year-old became the youngest player to receive that honour since Tiger Woods won it in 1998.
He was awarded with the accolade after he received the most number of votes from his peers. At the end of the PGA Tour season, ballots were sent to all the eligible PGA Tour players.
The ballots included the FedEx Cup champion Brandt Snedeker, three-time winner Tiger Woods, Masters champion Bubba Watson and Jason Dufner, who won two events this season.
"We are judged on wins ultimately, and this year has been a great year with four wins on the PGA TOUR and winning in Dubai a couple weeks ago," McIlroy said.
"But next thing, I won my first major in ’11, I backed it up this season with another one, and I’d love to go into ’13 with that same goal of obviously trying to win another major”.
In the meantime, he also expressed his disappointment about not being in contention for a victory in the rest of three major championships that he played.
In a teleconference after receiving the award, he said that he will try his best to win all the major championships in 2013.
“Next year I’d love to be in contention in all four of them and have a chance to win all – not saying I’m going to win all of them, but at least give myself a chance,” he said.
John Huh, in the meantime, was named as the PGA Tour Rookie of the Year, thanks to his victory at the Mayakoba Golf Classic.
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