No Surprise: Rory McIlroy named 2012 PGA TOUR Player of the Year

At only 23 years young, Rory McIlroy became the youngest player to win a PGA TOUR Player of the Year award since Tiger Woods did it back in 1998.  With four wins and 10 top-10 finishes, McIlroy was an easy choice for the award.  Perhaps the most rewarding feeling comes from the fact that the votes for the PGA TOUR Player of the Year came from Rory’s fellow competitors (voting eligibility is earned if you played in at least 15 official money events in the year).  Now that’s got to feel good!

After winning the Arnold Palmer Award as the TOUR’s leading money winner ($8,047,952) and runner up in the FedExCup, Rory can now add the Jack Nicklaus Award for Player of the year award to his rapidly expanding trophy case.  McIlroy put a further exclamation mark on his 2012 awards clinic by topping the season off with a Ryder Cup win and a Dubai World Championship.

McIlroy was selected over FedEx Cup Champ Brand Snedeker, Masters Champion Bubba Watson, and Golficity’s comeback player of the year, Tiger Woods.

When asked about Rory, Tiger said “Rory is ranked No.1. He deserves it. He’s won tournaments all around the world”.  “He’s had high finishes on top of that, and that’s how you do it. He’s won a major championship, won a couple playoff events, and won the Race to Dubai event. So those are four big events with great fields in it. He should be very proud of the season he’s had, and I’m sure he’s excited about what next year holds for him, as well, coming off a great year like this.”

When asked what’s next for the 23 year old shaggy-headed Irishman, McIlroy stated “What would be a success next season compared to this one? I guess it’s just trying to become a better golfer, maybe add more variety to my game,” he said. “But you know, we’re judged on wins, ultimately. … 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 trying to win another major.”

We at Golficity would like to extend a big congratulation to the 2012 PGA TOUR Player of the Year, Rory McIlory, on a well-deserved achievement.

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