Rory McIlroy flirts with 59, wins RBC Canadian Open

PONTE VEDRA BEACH, FLORIDA – The PGA TOUR today announced nominees for the 2021-22 PGA TOUR Season Player of the Year (Jack Nicklaus Award) and Rookie of the Year (Arnold Palmer Award), as finalized by the PGA TOUR Player Directors and members of the Player Advisory Council (PAC). The nominees for the Jack Nicklaus Award as the 2022 PGA TOUR Player of the Year are (alphabetically) Rory McIlroy, Scottie Scheffler and Cameron Smith. The nominees for the 2022 Arnold Palmer Award as the PGA TOUR Rookie of the Year are Tom Kim, Sahith Theegala and Cameron Young. The Player of the Year and Rookie of the Year awards are determined by a member vote, with PGA TOUR members who played in at least 15 official FedExCup events during the 2021-22 season eligible to vote. The voting will close on Friday, Sept. 9, at 5 p.m. ET. The winners will be announced at a later date. Player of the Year nominees (alphabetical) Rory McIlroy, 33 Holywood, Northern Ireland • Entered 16 events with victories (3) at THE CJ CUP @ SUMMIT, RBC Canadian Open and TOUR Championship • 2022 FedExCup Champion; First player to win the FedExCup three times (others: 2016, 2019) • Led the PGA TOUR in Scoring Average (68.670), the lowest on TOUR since Tiger Woods in 2009 (68.670) • Recorded a total of 10 top-10s and made 14 cuts Scottie Scheffler, 26 Dallas, Texas • Entered 25 events with victories (4) at the WM Phoenix Open, Arnold Palmer Invitational presented by Mastercard, World Golf Championships-Dell Technologies Match Play and Masters Tournament • Finished No. 2 in the FedExCup • Finished fourth in Scoring Average (69.293) • Recorded a total of 11 top-10s and made 21 cuts Cameron Smith, 29 Brisbane, Australia • Entered 18 events with victories (3) at the Sentry Tournament of Champions, THE PLAYERS Championship and The Open Championship • Finished No. 20 in the FedExCup • Finished second in Scoring Average (69.203) • Recorded a total of seven top-10s and made 15 cuts Rookie of the Year nominees (alphabetical) Tom Kim, 20 Seoul, South Korea • Entered 11 events with a victory at the Wyndham Championship and additional top-10s at the Genesis Scottish Open (3rd) and Rocket Mortgage Classic (7th) • Finished No. 35 in the FedExCup • Recorded a total of six top-25s and made 10 cuts • Joined the PGA TOUR as a Special Temporary Member after The Open Championship Sahith Theegala, 24 Chino Hills, California • Entered 32 events with five top-10s, highlighted by a T2 at the Travelers Championship and T3 at the WM Phoenix Open • Qualified for the TOUR Championship and finished No. 28 in the FedExCup • Recorded a total of 11 top-25s and made 26 cuts Cameron Young, 25 Scarborough, New York • Entered 25 events with seven top-10s, including five runner-up finishes • Finished second at the Sanderson Farms Championship, The Genesis Invitational, Wells Fargo Championship, The Open Championship and Rocket Mortgage Classic • Qualified for the TOUR Championship and finished No. 19 in the FedExCup • Recorded a total of 12 top-25s and made 18 cuts

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PALM BEACH GARDENS, Fla. – A year ago, Brooks Koepka was at home, sidelined with an injured left wrist, while The Honda Classic was being played just a few miles away. His mood – and his diet – were both going through a dark period. “I was sitting on the couch, probably eating a bunch of food,â€� Koepka recalled. “I wasn’t doing a whole lot. I gained, I think, 15, 20 pounds. I was obviously upset. I just missed competition. It wasn’t fun for me.â€� The wrist injury kept him out for four months and prevented him from playing the Florida Swing in March. He didn’t return until the week before THE PLAYERS Championship in May. Of course, you know how the rest of the season turned out — two major victories and the PGA TOUR Player of the Year award. All’s well that end’s well, perhaps, but those four months of inactivity for a player who was obviously ready to take the next step was tough. “I didn’t watch any golf until Augusta, so I didn’t know what was going on,â€� Koepka said. “You make a lot of friendships, seeing a bunch of people out here, and you just don’t have that. You’re forgotten very quickly. That’s what it taught me.â€� Nobody’s forgetting Koepka now, of course. He’s now starting his heavy stretch, having made just two starts since the calendar flipped to 2019. The most recent was last week at the World Golf Championships-Mexico Championship, where Koepka finished T-27. He’s among the favorites this week at PGA National, although his track record at this event is not something to celebrate – four starts, one missed cut, his best finish a T-27 in 2016. Before missing last year’s event, he missed the cut the year before. “I haven’t had the best memories here,â€� said Koepka, who was born in West Palm Beach and now lives in Jupiter, just a few miles north of PGA National. “I was going through a bunch of stuff off the golf course two years ago and then last year not being able to play, so I’ve tried to put that all in the past and tried to move on.â€� Despite the results, Koepka insists that PGA National is a course he likes. “I think it suits me really well, especially with the firm greens now. I think I’ve got a good chance.â€� That last sentence seems like an understatement – especially given the fact he’s won four times (three majors and THE CJ CUP @ NINE BRIDGES in Korea) since he last played The Honda Classic. “I always had the confidence,â€� Koepka said. “I wasn’t lacking that. I feel like I’m borderline cocky when it comes to that, but everybody out here should expect to win. Everybody out here is borderline confident to cocky. “Everytime you win, you’re going to build confidence, and if you’re on a nice little run like I was, you’re going to have a lot of it, and I feel like I’m still riding high on that. I’ve just been waiting for this Florida Swing for a while.â€�

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