“These are crazy times, and every vote counts! I really need to back my candidate so that the right person wins. I have a vote and will use it! I’m living in Texas but grew up in San Diego, so I feel no allegiance.” So began a tweet from PGA Tour pro Michael S. Kim on November 4.

Now a tweet that starts with these sentences on a presidential election eve can have only one intention. A person with a considerable social media presence (128.8K followers) is garnering some attention for their favorite candidate, right? 

Wrong!

Yes, the pre-election polls suggest this is one of the closest presidential races in the history of American politics. But you know what’s also a very tight race (at least for golf fans)? The PGA Tour Player of the Year Award. Scottie Scheffler or Xander Schauffele?

It’s okay if you are divided in this case, though. Scheffler won eight times, including the Olympic gold medal. But then Schauffele won two majors. It’s a tricky choice, and even players are divided. But few broke it down as brilliantly (and as humorously) as the 2018 John Deere Classic winner Michael S. Kim did. Only that it came at the expense of a few jokes at Scheffler.

The PGA Tour pro proved his lack of bias by claiming he was born in Texas (Scheffler is from Dallas) but grew up in San Diego (Schauffele is a San Diego State alum). Kim continued. “I’m voting for Scottie Scheffler as pgatour [PGA Tour] POY. Yes Xander has two majors but Scottie won the Masters, Players, 4 signature events, and the Olympics which were all tournaments that Xander also competed in. Scottie has the H2H by a wide margin. He might have gone to jail but that won’t stop me from voting for him!”

Now that was an ace right there from the 31-year-old. Michael Kim frequently takes to social media to express his views and talk to his fans. But this Scottie Scheffler joke on the election eve was still a (pleasant) surprise. Of course, it also prompted some sarcastic fans to take a dig or two at the current world no. 1.

Scottie Scheffler gets reminded of his ‘jail term’ 

It’s good to remember that we are now six months removed from that fateful day when Scottie Scheffler was arrested in Louisville. The charges were grave. The LMPD Detective Bryan Gillis alleged Scheffler dragged him with his card, resulting in serious injuries. However, he was later disciplined because the bodycam wasn’t on. 

Eventually, all charges were dropped against Scottie Scheffler. Once the absurdity of the fiasco became evident, the entire saga turned into a subject of some good-natured banter (and a Halloween costume). One user sarcastically told Kim, “Next time you’re in Louisville, Detective Gillis would like a word with you.” 

It’s also good to remember that Scheffler carded 5-under 66 barely hours after getting released from jail. The world no. 1 later admitted he was ‘rattled’. But once inside Valhalla, the former Texas Longhorn was in his usual self. For some, that’s enough to settle the POTY debate. “Scottie going to jail, then going under par should have wrapped up voting then! Landslide victory for SS!,” one fan commented. 

Interestingly, Kim didn’t mention that Scottie Scheffler also won the Tour Championship this year. The two-time major winner finally brought the FedEx Cup home, which has eluded him so far. One fan wanted to remind Kim of this. “Did you forget that Scottie also won the FedEx Cup/Tour Championship this year too?”

But then the Player of the Year debate is always a contentious one. One fan deep-dived into history and pointed out, “Sam Snead won 11 times in 1950 and didn’t win player of the year.” The award went to Ben Hogan. Hogan won the 1950 US Open in a thrilling 18-hole playoff. What made it more awe-inspiring was he was barely 16 months removed from a near-fatal car injury. 

Nevertheless, what about Michael S. Kim’s sense of humor, though? “The polls are now closed. This one wins Twitter,” wrote golf writer and SiriusXM/PGA Tour host Jason Sobel. Of course, this won’t be the first time that Kim has been a showstopper on social media. 

As for the Player of the Year Award, we have to wait till next year to know the final result. But Scottie Scheffler has definitely secured one vote. Notably, Nelly Korda has clinched the LPGA Player of the Year award this year based on points.