PGA Tour rookie of the year? And who was the comeback player of 2023? We’ve got thoughts
The PGA Tour ended its 2023 season with the RSM Classic, the last of the fall events that don’t count in the FedEx Cup race. The new season, no longer using a wraparound season, will begin in January in Hawaii, with The American Express in La Quinta as the third event of the new season and the second full-field event of the year.
Ballots for PGA Tour awards for the year won’t be mailed out to players until December, with honors like player of the year and rookie of the year to be decided. But why wait that long, when we can just conjecture who will win some of the awards based on what we already know about the 2023 season?
So here’s a guess at who will walk away with one of the awards (not to mention one that is no longer handed out):
Rookie of the year: Eric Cole
If the chase includes the Fall Series tournaments, it might be Ludvig Aberg that wins going away, with 13 made cuts in 16 starts, a runner-up finish and an impressive win at the RSM Classic on Sunday.
But for the entire year, Cole played outstanding golf for a guy who was just, well, a guy for many, many years.
He didn’t win in his 37 starts, but had two runner-ups, seven top-10s and 14 top-25 finishes while getting everyone to root for him each week. Other rookies did get wins, but we like Cole here.
Comeback player of the year: Lucas Glover
OK, so this award was shuttered back in 2012, but that won’t stop us from making our selection.
Lots of contenders here, including Justin Rose and Jason Day, both among the top players in the game at one point and both back in the winner’s circle this year.
But Glover, a past U.S. Open champion, not only returned to the winner’s circle, he did it two weeks in a row in August, including a win in the FedEx St. Jude Championship, the first of the three FedEx Cup playoff events on the tour.
Some people went so far as to say Glover could have played himself onto the U.S. Ryder Cup team, but he didn’t get the call from captain Zach Johnson. But he did have a terrific year after winning only once since 2011.
