FEDEX CUP CHAMPION Rory McIlroy, Masters champion Scottie Scheffler and Open champion Cameron Smith have been nominated for the PGA Tour’s Player of the Year award for the 2021/22 season.

The nominees for the Jack Nicklaus Award were finalised by the PGA Tour player-directors and members of the Player Advisory Council (PAC) and the winner will be determined by a member vote, with players who competed in at least 15 official FedEx Cup events this season eligible to vote.

Holywood native McIlroy won three of the 16 events he entered this season, his victory at the Tour Championship in late August seeing him become the first player ever to win three FedEx Cup titles. The 33-year-old led the PGA Tour in scoring average (68.670), the lowest on tour since Tiger Woods in 2009 (68.670).

McIlroy recorded a total of 10 top-10s and made 14 cuts from his 16 outings.

Texan Scheffler won four of his 25 events including his first major, the Masters at Augusta, and finished second to McIlroy in the FedEx. The 26-year-old was fourth in scoring average 69.293, recorded 11 top-10 finishes and made 21 cuts from his 25 events.

Young, a native of Brisbane, Australia, won three of his 18 events, a spectacular Sunday effort seeing him past McIlroy to win The Open at St Andrews. While he was 20th in the FedEx Cup standings, he posted the second lowest scoring average on tour (69.203), recorded seven top 10s, and made 15 cuts from 18.

The world no.2 recently left the PGA Tour for LIV Golf, finishing fourth on his debut in Boston.

The nominees for the PGA Tour’s Rookie of the Year, or the Arnold Palmer Award, are 20-year-old Korean Tom Kim, 24-year-old American Sahith Theegala, and 25-year-old American Cameron Young.

Voting for members will close this Friday, 9 September, and the winners of both awards will be announced at a later date.