5. Marco Penge
The odds were against him from the start. Penge barely kept his card last year and even served a three month suspension for irregular betting activity. He began this season ranked 416th in the world and somehow fought his way to a career high of 29.
He was the only player to win three titles this year with victories at the Hainan Classic, the Danish Golf Championship and the Open de Espana.
A T28 at the PGA Championship and a brilliant push in the Race to Dubai earned him second place there too keeping McIlroy honest at the end. Now he has dual PGA Tour membership and a game that travels. Not bad for someone who started the year in the wilderness.
4. JJ Spaun
Spaun became a fan favourite in the States this year. He bounced back from a crushing near miss at the Players then went on to claim the US Open at a brutal Oakmont. He ended last season ranked 119th and will finish this one ranked 6.
A T3 at the Sony Open kicked off his rise. After pushing Rory to a playoff at Sawgrass he found redemption with that steely win at Oakmont. The FedEx Cup Playoffs brought more drama with a playoff loss to Justin Rose at the St Jude Championship.
Spaun also held his own in America’s tough Ryder Cup campaign scoring two points on debut.
3. Tommy Fleetwood
Some have been a little too quick to put Tommy ahead of McIlroy but he still delivered his best season yet. Fleetwood finally turned all that consistency into real hardware.
He clinched the Tour Championship beating a stacked group and adding it to eight top fives across both tours. That run pushed him to a career high of third in the world.
Then came the Ryder Cup where he was once again Europe’s heartbeat scoring a tournament leading four points. It feels like he is edging closer and closer to that first major.
2. Rory McIlroy
Yes the rest of the season felt a little flat after Augusta but let’s not forget what came before it. Rory mania was real this year.
He won at Pebble Beach Sawgrass and Augusta becoming the rare player to take down America’s three most iconic courses in such a tight stretch. That long awaited Masters win came after surviving five near collapses to finally conquer Augusta National.
He wrapped it all up with a seventh Harold Vardon Trophy putting him one behind Monty’s all time record.
1. Scottie Scheffler
Another season of pure dominance for Scheffler who has now cemented himself as the most imposing force since Tiger at his peak.
He won six times including his third and fourth majors at the PGA Championship and the Open. He hasn’t finished outside the top eight since March which sounds fictional but isn’t.
Scheffler led the PGA Tour in SG Total and Scoring Average and looks set for a fourth straight Player of the Year award something even Tiger never managed.
Sentiment might push a few voters toward Rory after that Augusta win but come on. There is only one Scottie Scheffler. Whether his dominance makes golf a bit predictable is a debate for another day.