The debate rumbles on whether Rory McIlroy or Scottie Scheffler has had a better season, with the rivals nominated for the PGA Tour’s coveted Jack Nicklaus award
14:23 ET, 03 Dec 2025Updated 14:23 ET, 03 Dec 2025
Scottie Scheffler and Rory McIlroy have been nominated for the Jack Nicklaus Award(Image: Darren Carroll/PGA of America via Getty Images)
Rory McIlroy and Scottie Scheffler are the headline nominees for the PGA Tour’s Jack Nicklaus Award, presented to the outstanding player of the year.
McIlroy and Scheffler have enjoyed golden seasons, solidifying their status as the best players on the planet. World No. 2 McIlroy completed the career grand slam by winning The Masters, and also scooped a third Players title in a three-win PGA Tour season.
World No. 1 Scheffler won six times on tour this year, including the PGA Championship and Open Championship. The four-time major champion has come a long way from the temper tantrums that held him back in junior golf.
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Five-time major champion McIlroy made a sensational start to the season by winning the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am in February and The Players in March. His career-defining Masters win followed in April, and he also won his native Irish Open before leading Europe to Ryder Cup glory at Bethpage Black, although those accolades are not considered for this award.
Scheffler has become the most prolific winner on the PGA Tour since Tiger Woods over recent seasons, and after a sluggish start due to a freak hand injury suffered on Christmas Day last year, he found his stride at the CJ Cup Byron Nelson in May.
The win started a golden run for the 29-year-old. He won the PGA Championship at Quail Hollow two weeks later, and he also scooped the Memorial Tournament, BMW Championshop and Procore Championship titles in addition to winning the Claret Jug at Royal Portrush.
FedEx Cup champion Tommy Fleetwood and breakout star Ben Griffin are the other two nominees for the Jack Nicklaus award.
Fleetwood enjoyed an outstanding season and finally ended his long wait for a PGA Tour win. The Englishman overcame a series of near misses to win the Tour Championship at East Lake, landing the $10 million FedEx Cup in the process.
Griffin, meanwhile, has emerged as one of the top players on tour, winning the Zurich Classic of New Orleans alongside Andrew Novak before securing solo victories at the Charles Schwab Challenge and WWT Championship.
But it is McIlroy or Scheffler who will win the award, which will be voted for by the tour’s players. Voting closes on Dec. 12 and the winner will be revealed soon after.
Karl Vilips has been nominated for the Arnold Palmer Award(Image: Jed Jacobsohn/Getty Images)
The nominees for the Arnold Palmer Award, which is awarded to the rookie of the year, have also been revealed, with five players in the running.
Australia’s Karl Vilips, who became the first signing for Tiger Woods’ Sun Day Red brand, has been nominated after enjoying a successful debut campaign. The 24-year-old Stanford alum won the Puerto Rico Open in March.
Big-hitting South African Aldrich Potgeiter is also up for the award. He won the Rocket Classic in Detroit in June, and he also recorded top-10s at the Mexico Open and Charles Schwab Challenge.
Michael Brennan, Steven Fisk and William Mouw round out the nominees after also tasting victory for the first time on the PGA Tour this year.
