The case for LPGA Tour participant of the yr could possibly be compelling if it have been determined by a vote of the gamers as an alternative of a factors system.
Because it stands, Nelly Korda has just about locked up the award for the primary time. Lydia Ko must win 4 extra tournaments the remainder of the season, and he or she is taking part in in solely two of them. Two different gamers, Ayaka Furue and Haeran Ryu, must win out.
Korda profitable wouldn’t elicit a lot of a debate. Her six victories this yr embrace a serious at The Chevron Championship, and he or she tied an LPGA document by profitable 5 in a row that introduced much-needed consideration to the LPGA.
Ko has received 4 instances this yr, together with the AIG Girls’s Open at St. Andrews . The LPGA remarkably counts solely three wins towards the points-based award. Neglected is that shiny gold medal on the Olympics .
How would the gamers vote?
The good thing about utilizing factors is eliminating subjectivity. The PGA Tour makes use of a participant vote, and it was stunning final yr when Scottie Scheffler along with his two wins captured the award over Jon Rahm , whose 4 wins included the Masters.
Scheffler’s consistency — the very best statistical season since peak Tiger Woods — was an enormous issue. Unknown was whether or not Rahm misplaced votes by defecting to LIV Golf in the course of the voting.
Ko is likely to be the primary to agree Korda is deserving of the award. It’s additionally doubtless the Kiwi wouldn’t commerce her season. Golf is about trophies, and it’s additionally about moments. Ko had some massive ones.
Her gold medal in Paris, which adopted a bronze in Tokyo and a silver in Rio de Janeiro, made her eligible for the LPGA Corridor of Fame. Successful one other main was massive, however profitable at St. Andrews is subsequent degree.
The Golf Writers Affiliation of America will determine at yr’s finish by a vote.
The PGA Tour, in the meantime, might need an analogous argument. Scheffler is the doubtless alternative for one more beautiful statistical yr, this time to go together with seven victories, together with the Masters and The Gamers Championship, and 4 signature occasions.
He additionally received the Olympic gold medal with a 62 within the ultimate spherical.
Xander Schauffele received solely twice, however they have been majors on the PGA Championship and The Open. And gamers are likely to put essentially the most weight on majors.
No PGA Tour member has ever received two majors in the identical yr with out being voted participant of the yr (Nick Faldo was not a member in 1990). Then once more, it could possibly be a measure of whether or not gamers actually put The Gamers on par with a serious.
Voting for PGA Tour participant of the yr doesn’t begin till after the season ends on Nov. 24.
This would appear to a straightforward alternative — a minimum of Schauffele thinks so. He was requested Tuesday in Japan what it will take to win the award subsequent yr.
“It appears I must have the very best profession ever,” he stated. “I simply had my greatest profession ever and wasn’t actually shut.”
