2012 PGA Tour Awards

The Francis Ouimet Rookie of the Year – John Huh

21 made cuts in 27 events

11 Top-25s, 4 Top-10s, 3 Top-5s including 1 win (Mayakoba Golf Classic)

29^th in the FedEx Cup

9^th overall with 68.58% Driving Accuracy

5^th in Total Birdies with 343

20^th in Par 5 Performance at -100

27^th in Total Putting

John Huh easily takes the honors as the PGA Tour’s top rookie in 2012. I’m not actually sure if his nickname really is “Johnny Question Mark” but either way, this kid can play golf. Missing just 6 cuts all year, Huh becomes just the second rookie in FedEx Cup history to make it all the way to the TOUR Championship, ultimately finishing a very respectable 29^th overall. Though it was in an alternate event, he picked up a win in a playoff at the Mayakoba, while also bagging a T-2 at TPC San Antonio and a T-5 at Colonial. The two things he does best are driving the ball in the fairway and putting. If he can continue to excel at those two things, this 22 year old should enjoy a long and decorated career.

Runner-up: Seung-yul Noh

The Steve Stricker Comeback Player of the Year – Tiger Woods

8 Events and 23 full competitive rounds in 2011

19 Events and 69 full competitive rounds in 2012

13 Top-25s, 9 Top-10s, 6 Top-5s including 3 wins (Arnold Palmer, Memorial, AT&T)

3^rd in the FedEx Cup

4^th in Birdie Average at 3.97 per round

2^nd in Scoring Average at 68.904 strokes per round

2^nd in Par 4 Performance at -4

19^th in Total Putting

You had to know I was going to find an excuse to talk about Tiger in some way. But when you consider the kind of 2012 he had with respect to 2011, it’s astounding and scary at the same time. Most golfers are happy to make more cuts than miss after a major surgery. Woods not only did that (by a 17 to 2 margin) but also won 3 tournaments and finished 3^rd in the FedEx. The win at Congressional moved him past Jack Nicklaus on the all time wins list. While he isn’t the same dominant golfer he once was, his best stats are of the all-around variety and with the exception of Rory McIlroy, there’s no one who has a better chance of winning any given week.

Runner-up: J.B. Holmes

The Tom Watson Old Man Award – Vijay Singh

49 Years Old, turned pro in 1982

21 Made Cuts in 24 Events

8 Top-25s, 4 Top-10s

33^rd in the FedEx Cup

41^st in Average Driving Distance at 295.3 yards

33^rd in Scoring Average at 70.285 strokes per round

26^th in Par 5 Performance at -97

21^st in Going for the Green success at 63.11%

5^th in Approaches from 100-125 Yards at 16’ 7” average distance to hole

I have always loved Vijay Singh. His year in 2004 is arguably one of the greatest of all time and the fact that he did so in the middle of Tiger’s prime makes it all the more impressive. At 49 years young, this old Fijian is still showing he has gas left in the tank. Singh says he’s ready to absolutely tear up the Champions Tour (which I am sure he will), but his year in 2012 with the whippersnappers should not be ignored. Vijay has always been a long hitter and his stats prove that he can still make a living on the TOUR feasting on the Par 5s.

And he is still just flat out money with a wedge in his hand leaving himself an average of 16.5 feet to the cup on approaches from 100-125 yards. His hottest 4 weeks was from late July to late August where he finished T-9 at the Open Championship and T-7 at the Canadian Open, following by taking the 36-hole lead at the PGA. Unfortunately the rain shortened Saturday forced him to play over 30 holes on Sunday starting at 7 AM, so let’s give the old man a break. Vijay ended his season strong with a solo 8^th place finish at the BMW.

Runner-up: Steve Stricker

The Todd Hamilton “What the hell happened to you?” Award 

– Charl Schwartzel

2011 Season: 15 Events, 10 Top-25s, 3 Top-10s, 1 win at The Masters

2012 Season: 16 Events, 7 Top-25s, 2 Top-10s, Best major finish T-38 U.S. Open

This might be a harsh awarding of the first annual Todd Hamilton, but the golf world had high hopes for this young South African in 2012 and he failed miserably to make good on them. And let’s not forget why: at 26 years old, he won the Masters by shooting a closing 66 that including 4 consecutive birdies on his last 4 holes. Moreover, he followed that up by finishing T-9, T-16, and T-12 in the year’s remaining majors. I expected big things coming into 2012 and it looked like that was going to happen: T-17 at WGC-Accenture, T-5 at the Honda, and T-4 at WGC-CA Championship.

Then disaster (for someone with his talent): in his final 13 events he missed 3 cuts and failed to finish in the top-25 six times. The lone bright spot, if you can call it that, was a T-14 at the Wyndham. Schwartzel and Keegan Bradley (the other two 20-something major winners of 2011) have the benefit of operating in the shadows of the limelight shining on McIlroy, but that doesn’t change the fact that they are young, immensely talented, and already part of the major’s club. He’s not yet a full time player on the PGA Tour yet, but after seeing Rory’s success in just his first year playing full time in the States, perhaps Charl makes that jump sooner rather than later.

Runner-up: I don’t think there’s a true runner-up for this award in 2012. I will say that I expected more out of Nick Watney, but then again he did win a playoff event (The Barclays) at an extremely difficult course (Bethpage Black).

The Poor Jim Furyk Disastrous Collapse Award aka The Greg Norman Award – Jim Furyk

Wins in 2012: 0

“Almosts” in 2012: 3 including a major

- Shared the 54-hole lead at the Transitions Championship, lost in a playoff.

- Shared the 54-hole lead at the U.S. Open, was leading through 69 holes.

- Held the 18, 36, and 54-hole leads at the Bridgestone Invitational, was leading through 71 holes.

My heart truly goes out to Jim Furyk and I ask anyone who disagrees to put themselves in his shoes. Oh, what’s that? You can’t? Because you’re not a professional golfer and have no concept of that pressure in those moments? That’s what I thought. And I didn’t hear a single pro say that Jim “should have” done this or that. Because Poor Jim Furyk had a 2012 that he probably doesn’t want to remember.

This pretty much sums up Jim's year.

In the middle of March at the Transitions, Jim shared the 54-hole lead with Retief Goosen. It’s an event he’d won before at a course that fits his game. But he couldn’t seal the deal, ending up in a four-way playoff that was won by Luke Donald. For most people, that would be plenty of heartbreak for one year. But Jim kept his head up and fired off a T-11, solo 11^th, and T-8 in his next 3 events. After a couple of shakier starts, if you call T-26 and T-25 shaky, Jim finished solo 4^th and T-13 before descending on the Olympic Club for the U.S. Open.

As he had been for 2 months running, Jim’s steady accuracy looked to be unbeatable and he shared the 54-hole lead with Graeme McDowell heading into Sunday. But McDowell struggled from the start, going out at +4 and giving back birdies at 11 and 12 with bogeys at 13 and 14. The door was open for Jim. Lacking the length of many on Tour, the 670-yard par-5 16^th hole (which he had played at +2) was shockingly moved up some 90+ yards, completely changing the look from the tee. He proceeded to hit the worst snap hook I have ever seen. Remarkably, he managed to escape with bogey. He bogey 18 too, but really the damage was well done with. I still can’t get the image of that hook out of my mind.

That is, when it’s not being nudged out by the following two images. Naturally after such a disaster, Jim struggled to return to form, sandwiching two missed cuts with a T-34 at the British. But something must have clicked in his practice rounds for the Bridgestone, as he roared out of the gates with a 63 and backed it up with a 66. An even round of 70 still had him in the lead and it looked like he would be the first wire-to-wire winner on Tour since Rory at the 2011 U.S. Open.

Furyk looked more than ready to go on Sunday, birding the first three holes to build a nice lead and put the pressure on his playing partners Louis Oosthuizen and Keegan Bradley. Despite making birdie after birdie, Bradley still found himself behind Furyk’s comfortable position. On the 72^nd tee, Furyk stood with a one-stroke lead over Bradley and needed just a par to win. His tee ball was just off the fairway and trees impeded his approach. But really he just needed to play a solid draw to the left side of the green, or short on the collar for an up-and-down.

Bradley had played a poor tee shot and ended up in a buried lie in the right greenside bunker. Not having drawn the ball enough, Furyk ended up in the same bunker Keegan was buried in. The advantage was still clearly his, and again, Bradley needed to hole a basically impossible bunker shot just to have a chance. Or so you would think. Jim undercut his bunker shot and barely got out of it into the rough in back of the fringe. I am really good at executing that shot; so if you ever need a demonstration, let me know.

Bradley, not surprisingly, had splashed out well beyond the hole. Now sitting at 3 and a bit rattled, Furyk faced an up-and-down for bogey that looked like it could still win. Bradley’s putt was just hard enough. Furyk undercut again, this time catching too much grass and stopping his follow though. We’ve all done it before. It was not a good shot, but he was left with 5 or so feet for par. Not ideal but should be automatic for a pro and the onus is still on Bradley. To his credit, Keegan stepped up like the major champion he is and drained his par putt to get in with -13. OK, so yes, this has not gone well, but you have an easy 5 footer to take this to a playoff. I can’t express how hard Jim slammed his bogey putt past the hole. I think the only person who was in more shock than I was Keegan Bradley.

I dedicated this much ink to poor Jim because my heart and the dedication of this award go out to him.

The Golden Bear Award – Rory McIlroy

13 Made Cuts in 16 Events

11 Top-25s, 10 Top-10s, 7 Top-5s including 4 wins (Honda, PGA, Deutsche Bank, BMW)

2^nd in the FedEx Cup

5^th in Driving Distance at 310.1 yards per drive

1^st in Birdie Average at 4.20 per round

1^st in Scoring Average at 68.873 strokes per round

1^st in Par Breakers at 24.28% of holes played under par

4^th in Par 3 Performance at -2

4th in GIR Percentage from 175-200 yards at 62.61%

3^rd in Approaches from 175-200 yards at 30’ 2” average distance to hole

4^th in Approaches from 125-150 yards at 19’ 9” average distance to hole

McIlroy is the obvious choice for the award I dedicate to the greatest of all time, though it wasn’t until August and September for that to be clear. He roared out of the gates starting with a 2^nd place finish in the WGC-Accenture Match Play, followed by a win at the Honda Classic the next week. The week after, he finished solo 3^rd at Doral. He took the next few weeks off and it wasn’t clear if it was just enough time for the rust to settle in, or if the ghosts of 2011 got him, but he finished a disappointing T-40 at Augusta, shooting 77-76 over the weekend.

Shockingly to many, he took another several weeks off but he put any doubt to rest with 2^nd place finish at Quail Hollow, losing to Rickie Fowler in a playoff. The following week he brought nothing to Sawgrass and surprisingly missed the cut. Shaking off further questions regarding his schedule, he took another two weeks off before playing in the Memorial where he again missed the cut. Now the questions flowed about his distractions; young, rich, famous, and dating a star tennis player, was he really dedicated to taking over the golf world?

Perhaps out of sheer pride, McIlroy quickly entered in the St. Jude Classic for the next week and finished with a strong T-7. Because it’s played right after the Memorial, it’s not typically a super deep field, but TPC Southwind is actually one of the tougher courses on Tour. Despite this showing, McIlroy missed the cut in his title defense at the U.S. Open then took another month off before carding a T-60 at the Open Championship. Mostly media chatter before, now people were genuinely worried.

And the worry was totally justified. Roundly considered the most talented player in the world, Rory had mixed one Top-10 in with 3 missed cuts and a T-60 over the last 3 months of competition. You often hear with those at the elite level that it takes one swing, one realization, to turn things around. At the Bridgestone, this happened for McIlroy as he closed with 67-66 to finish T-5. The next week at the PGA Championship, he again closed with 67-66 to obliterate the field by 8 strokes at what is rated the most difficult course in the United States.

I could end there and he would still deserve this award. Except all McIlrory did was win two of his final four events in the FedEx Cup playoffs. He followed a respectable T-24 at Bethpage with consecutive victories at the Deutsche Bank and BMW, shooting 8 consecutive rounds in the 60s. The prospect of three in a row seemed a bit too much on the final Sunday at East Lake, where he shot a 74 to finish T-10. Still, McIlroy turned what could have been a disappointing year for someone of his talent into a closing onslaught that saw him finish 2^nd in the FedEx Cup, win his 2^nd major, and put any doubts to rest as to whether he’d taken over the golf world.

McIlroy boasts a complete game, though statistically speaking his shortcoming this season was putting. This is more indicative of his streakiness this season than his talent, though. Looking at the numbers, where McIlroy really excels in the distance game, averaging 310 yards off the tee while having the 3^rd best average proximity to the hole from 175-200 yards out. He’s also one of the best par-3 players in the world. Tiger-proofing of the Tour’s golf courses has dramatically increased the difficulty and length of par-3s. Rory’s dominance stems from all facets, but his performance in the long game is hard to ignore.

I wasn’t ready to say it in 2011, but I am ready now. The Rory McIlroy era has officially begun.

Runners-up: Tiger Woods, Jason Dufner

Shot of the Year – Bubba Watson, The Masters, 74^th hole (2^nd playoff hole)

End Notes on Award Dedications

1. Francis Ouimet is a legend. He won the 1913 U.S. Open as an amateur at the age of 20 years and put American golf on the map. He won that tournament in a playoff against two of the best golfers at the time, both British. It did help that it was played at The Country Club in Brookline and it also probably helped that he grew up in a house just off the 17^th hole. OK, it probably also helped that he’d been a caddy at the club since he was 9 years old. Regardless, he’s the man. Before Hagen, Sarazen, and Jones, there was Francis.

2. By some fashion that is completely beyond me, Steve Stricker won the PGA Comeback Player of the Year award consecutively in 2006 and 2007. The first year, it made sense: he had fallen into such a slump that he lost his Tour card but was able to record 7 Top-10s in events he entered on exemptions. But don’t ask me to explain 2007. I mean, he won for the first time in 6 years, but why that earned him comeback honors I don’t know. Either way, I will bet money that no one ever pulls that off again, and so therefore the award should be dedicated in his honor.

3. In 2009 at the age of 59, Tom Watson held the 54-hole lead at the Open Championship. On the 72^nd hole, he needed just a short par putt to win. It would have been probably the most amazing thing to happen in modern golf, but he just missed his putt. While this left him in a playoff, he wasn’t able to hang with Stewart Cink (some 23 years younger) who eventually won. Now, arguably this could be dedicated in Sam Snead’s honor. Snead not only is the oldest winner of a PGA Tour event (52 years 10 months, 1965 Greater Greensboro Open), but also the oldest player to make a cut at a major (67 years 2 months, 1979 PGA Championship). However, Watson transcended two enormously different eras of golf and the fact that he was even able to contend, much less be a short putt away from winning a major in 2009 is flat out insane.

4. In March of 2004, a 38 year old American named Todd Hamilton won the Honda Classic. Four months later, he improbably won the Open Champonship at Royal Troon, beating Ernie Els in a playoff. That is the story of Todd Hamilton.

5. Tales of heartbreak, my friends. The Shark will forever be known as the all-time choke artist and sufferer of terrible luck. But I am not sure we will ever see a succession of chokes in one season that Jim had in 2012.

6. Does this really need explanation?