Xander Schauffele at the 2024 Presidents Cup. | Photo by Minas Panagiotakis/Getty Images
Xander Schauffele had an outstanding 2024 season, but even he knows the Player of the Year award is not his.
Since 1990, when the PGA Tour established the Player of the Year Award—now known as the Jack Nicklaus Award—eight players have won multiple major championships in a given season.
Tiger Woods accomplished this feat on four occasions, winning multiple majors in 2000, 2002, 2005, and 2006. Xander Schauffele most recently did so this past season, winning the PGA Championship at Valhalla and The Open at Royal Troon. These two wins launched his career into a different stratosphere, as Schauffele further cemented himself as one of the best golfers on the planet. He also became one of the top players of his generation.
Before this season, 10 players won at least two majors in the same calendar year dating back to 1990. In all 10 instances, that individual won the Jack Nicklaus Award, as decided by fellow tour pros by a vote. The complete list follows below:
1994: Nick Price
1998: Mark O’Meara
2000: Tiger Woods
2002: Tiger Woods
2005: Tiger Woods
2006: Tiger Woods
2008: Padraig Harrington
2014: Rory McIlroy
2015: Jordan Spieth
2018: Brooks Koepka
That mold will break this year, and Schauffele knows it.
“I mean, it seems I need to have the best year ever,” Schauffele said when asked what he needs to do to win the Player of the Year next year.
“I just had the best year of my career and wasn’t really close. I’m pretty content with how I played and where my game is at. If I can keep on doing what I’m doing, I’d be very pleased.”
The PGA Tour will presumably celebrate Scottie Scheffler as its Player of the Year for a third straight season. Scheffler went on a historic tear beginning in early March at Bay Hill, winning the Arnold Palmer Invitational and then The Players in back-to-back weeks. He went on to win at Augusta National, Harbour Town, Muirfield Village, and TPC River Highlands, thus becoming the first player to win six times before Jul. 1 since Arnold Palmer did so in 1962. He capped off his season with a dominant performance at East Lake, capturing his first FedEx Cup title during Labor Day weekend. Scheffler also added a Gold Medal at The Olympics in between, thanks to a historic Sunday charge at Le Golf National that will be highlighted in the history books forever.
Schauffele, meanwhile, did not win outside of his two major triumphs. But he made every cut in 2024. He had a presence on the front page of the leaderboard seemingly every week. He finished among the top-10 in 15 of the 21 events he played on the PGA Tour, including all four majors in 2024—the only one to do so. Scheffler cannot say the same. Thanks to his putter not showing up, the former Texas Longhorn tied for 41st at Pinehurst No. 2. Schauffele tied for seventh that week, finishing five back of Bryson DeChambeau, so at least he can hold that against the World No. 1.
Yet, despite making history related to the Player of the Year award, Schauffele would not change a thing about this past season.
“It was a dream come true,” Schauffele said ahead of this week’s ZOZO Championship.
“Winning two majors in a season is, you know, you sort of dream of that stuff, and for me, being able to do it is very special. So I will always remember 2024.”
Jack Milko is a golf staff writer for SB Nation’s Playing Through. Be sure to check out @_PlayingThrough for more golf coverage. You can follow him on Twitter @jack_milko as well.
