Rory McIlroy defeats Brooks Koepka for PGA Tour Player of the Year

Rory McIlroy defeated Brooks Koepka until his third PGA Tour Player of the Year honor.

Voting for the prize was open to players who participated in at least 15 official FedEx Cup events during the 2018-19 season.

Although the Tour does not release voting totals and McIlroy announced the winner of Koepka, Matt Kuchar and Xander Schauffele in alphabetical order, it was long considered a two-man race between McIlroy and Koepka. For all his achievements last season, McIlroy did not claim a major title, while Koepka won the PGA championship and remains the best player in the world.

"Look, Brooks has had an incredible year, an incredible two, three years, whatever it is, & said McIlroy." He is the number 1 player in the world in the world ranking for golf, and I don't know, I think this speaks volumes of what PGA Tour players think is important, and you know, because I think that – and I did a bit of this over the course of the year. "

" Yes, I have no more words, "McIlroy said." So I think I won my third Jack Nicklaus trophy, which the man himself would present to the Jack Nicklaus trophy today, was very surprising.

"Yes, look, I could not be more proud of what I have achieved this year," McIlroy said. "You know, I wanted to try to do my best every week and I have the feeling that I have done that to the best of my ability, and I feel like the top 10, the consistency, the work I have done said, I think the biggest compliment you get is that your colleague's feeling that you have done something very special and that this medal is voted by my fellow players, I am very humble and very honored.

And I think it says a lot about what I did this year and it confirms some of the decisions I've made since the year, and you know, I couldn't be more proud to win this prize for the third time, "McIlroy added.

McIlroy is the second player, after Woods in 2007 and 2009, to win multiple FedEx Cup championships. The Northern Irish also won the Players Championship and the RBC Canadian Open while leading the Tour in adjusted scoring average (69,057), top-10 & # 39; s (14) and total hits (2,551).

McIlroy, 30, also won the Jack Nicklaus Award as a player of the year in 2012 and 2014. He is only the third player to present the Players, a major, the FedEx Cup and a World Golf Championship event in won a career, becoming a member of Woods and the Swedish Henrik Stenson.

Sungjae Im from South Korea, the only rookie who qualifies for the Tour Championship, receives the Arnold Palmer Award – renamed Palmer this year.

The 21-year-old draw for 19th in the FedEx Cup rankings and joins Stewart Cink as the only players to become the Korn Ferry Tour Player of the Year and PGA Tour Rookie of the Year in consecutive seasons called. I made 26 of the 35 cuts during his rookie season, with seven top 10 & # 39; s, with his best finish, a draw for third place at the Arnold Palmer Invitational in March.