The PGA Tour’s Player of the Year race is wide open, yet several contenders have emerged as frontrunners for the Tour’s most prestigious award. Among those with their hat in the ring are Matt Fitzpatrick and Cameron Young. One name is conspicuously absent from the list, however – Scottie Scheffler.
Scottie Scheffler Will Not Win PGA Tour Player Of The Year
Scottie Scheffler’s impressive list of accolades includes the last four straight Jack Nicklaus awards as PGA Tour Player of the Year. Scheffler’s dominance in golf over the past several years has been unquestioned. The number one ranked player in the world (for 162 consecutive weeks!) came into the 2026 season with the confidence from having won two major titles the year before.
Looking to ride that momentum, Scheffler got off to a fast start by winning the American Express tournament in January, his first start of the season. He followed the win with consecutive top-five finishes at Phoenix and Pebble, before recording three runner-up finishes at prestigious events in April. It seemed as though the wins would start stacking up once again, but so far, they haven’t materialized.
With six regular-season events and three playoff events to go this year, there is still ample time for Scheffler to start turning those high finishes into wins. But will he? Statistically, Scheffler struggles in a couple of important categories. He ranks outside the top 100 in Total Driving Efficiency and Proximity to the Hole. Translation: he’s leaving himself too long of birdie putts when compared to other PGA Tour players. So, if Scottie Scheffler doesn’t win his fifth consecutive PGA Tour Player of the Year award, who will?
Matt Fitzpatrick Leads A Strong List Of POTY Candidates
Matt Fitzpatrick, the 31-year-old Englishman, has had a standout season by any measure. He has three wins, including winning a Signature Event (RBC Heritage) in a playoff against Scottie Scheffler as a partisan crowd routinely serenaded Fitzpatrick with chants of, “USA, USA, USA.”
Fitzpatrick won the Valspar Championship, as well as the team event in New Orleans with his brother, Alex. Fitzpatrick’s strong resume also includes two second-place finishes, six Top 10s, and 15/15 cuts made.
Cameron Young Is Having His Best Season On The PGA Tour
Although Cameron Young’s play has fallen off a bit toward the middle part of the season, his strong play this spring has him well positioned to claim the Jack Nicklaus Award. Young placed himself firmly in contention by winning THE PLAYERS Championship in March (over a hard-charging Matt Fitzpatrick). He then went on to win the Cadillac Championship, a Signature Event, in May. Young has made the cut in all 13 tournaments he’s played, which includes six Top 10s and a T-3 at the Masters in April.
Wyndham Clark Makes A Big Move Late For Player Of The Year
After a promising T-13 at the American Express, Wyndham Clark had a bit of a letdown over the next couple of months, including several missed cuts. Would Clark, who is notoriously hard on himself, be able to find something to turn his season around?
After a missed cut at the PGA Championship, Clark won the following week at THE CJ CUP Byron Nelson in Texas, donning the traditional cowboy hat that goes to the winner and perhaps vanquishing his struggles earlier in the season.
Clark then went on to conquer the harsh crowd at the U.S. Open to capture his second U.S. Open title and become the only player on Tour this season to win both a major and a regular-season event. So, where does that put Clark in the heated race for Player of the Year? Historically, majors are given more weight compared to other wins, but is a major and a hot stretch enough to overcome the three wins and more consistent season Matt Fitzpatrick’s having?
There are still big events ahead and much to play for in terms of money, FedEx Cup points, and history. In fact, the oldest major – the Open Championship – is just around the corner. It just happens to be played at Matt Fitzpatrick’s old stomping grounds, Royal Birkdale in England. Perhaps there’s no better place for Fitzpatrick to hoist the Claret Jug and seal the PGA Tour’s Player of the Year.
