Can Rory McIlroy have the last laugh at the end of the year? The Northern Irish golfer went through a tumultuous first half that saw him crash out of the Masters. Although the 34-year-old golfer gained momentum in May, an abysmal first half and a blazing Scottie Scheffler were enough to keep him away from the No. 1 spot on the OWGR rankings. Now, at the end of the year, McIlroy had a chance to triumph over his American counterpart by winning the Player of the Year Award.

Notably, Scheffler and McIlroy both had two wins this season, but the Jack Nicklaus Player of the Year Award is not determined by the number of wins alone. The Tour determines the strength of the field for each event and compares how each player has performed in strong fields. Naturally, majors carry a lot of weight in the rankings. Ironically, Scheffler, OWGR 1, and McIlroy, OWGR 2, don’t have any majors in their names this year. In their place, it’s two European superstars who have emerged as two dark horses in the race for the Jack Nicklaus Award.

Scotty Scheffler towers over Rory McIlroy in the OWGR standings

Rory McIlroy has won the Player of the Year award three times before. The first came in 2012, the year he won four titles, including his first PGA Championship. The last one came his way in 2018–19, when he won three PGA Tour events.

Scheffler, meanwhile, was the recipient of the award last year, and the current World No. 1 is a contender for the award this season as well. His scoring average of 68.629 puts him 2.488 points ahead of the tour average of 71.117. McIlroy comes in a close second at 68.777 from 64 rounds. Scheffler had 14 top-10 finishes this year alone and 17 in the 2022–23 season in total from 23 outings.

In the PGA Tour, Scheffler holds the top spot on the Scoring Average, Strokes Gained, Approach the Green, and GIR percentage (74.43%). His stellar form has kept him at the top of the OWGR rankings for most of the season, despite not winning any majors. The American Pro, however, came very close to sniffing the title at the PGA Championship and the US Open, finishing second and third, respectively. Carrying strong momentum, he finished in the top ten for seven consecutive tournaments between May and July.

However, the American Pro had a terrible start to the season. A tied 45th-place finish at the CJ Cup in South Carolina was the last thing Scheffler wanted to start his season with. McIlroy, on the other hand, was crowned the champion at Ridgeland, his first victory of the season, followed by a tumultuous few tournaments that saw him crash out of the Masters and a 45th-place finish at the Wells Fargo Championship. Scheffler, meanwhile, was in the middle of a top-12 streak that would continue for 266 days, spanning 18 tournaments.

However, the Northern Irish golfer eventually recovered his form in the middle of the season. Rory McIlroy carded a top-ten finish in the final ten outings, bagging one title on the way at the Genesis Scottish Open. But that was never going to be enough to push him above the American in the OWGR rankings.

Scheffler has maintained a steady top spot on the leaderboard since May that is yet to be broken. McIlroy, after vacillating between No. 2 and No. 3, settled down to the second position since July. The Player of the Year Award offered him an opportunity to one-up the American Pro. However, two dark horses have emerged to lay claim to the most coveted PGA Tour award.

Two surprising entrants into the POY race

While Rory McIlroy had a mixed season with some ups and downs on his way, Viktor Hovland and Jon Rahm have emerged as the two contenders for the Player of the Year Award. The Norwegian’s track record, though, doesn’t boast major titles like Rahm’s; Viktor Hovland has three titles this season.

The young gun made a very late entry into the season-long race, however. His first official PGAT victory came at the Memorial Tournament before coming back to his best at the last leg. The European Ryder Cupper neatly wrapped up the 2022–23 season with a Tour Championship win and pocketed the largest winner’s payout in the men’s circuit.

But Jon Rahm, arguably, has the best portfolio among these four in terms of titles. Netting four victories from 20 events, the Spaniard earned his first green jacket this season. Compared to Scheffler’s 17 top-ten finishes from 23 outings, Rahm bagged 10 top-ten finishes from 20 outings. Ultimately, it will boil down to what is valued more: the number of titles or consistent performance.

Ironically, last year, Scheffler found himself in the shoes of the Spanish International. The American pro had four titles last season, including one major, The Masters, with 11 top-10 finishes from 25 events. After winning the Masters, Scheffler managed an 18th and 15th place finish in his next two tournaments before missing the cut at the PGA Championship. However, that up-down run didn’t come his way as PGA Tour members looked at the bright side: four victories in a calendar year, not an easy feat. Will Rory McIlroy have to remain content with his $15 million PIP bonus this season?

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