The PGA TOUR today announced that world No. 1 Scottie Scheffler has won the Jack Nicklaus Award as PGA TOUR Player of the Year, while 21-year-old Aldrich Potgieter has been named winner of the Arnold Palmer Award as 2025 PGA TOUR Rookie of the Year.Scheffler, a 19-time PGA TOUR winner who won six times in 2025, including two majors – the PGA Championship and The Open Championship – is just the second player to win the award four or more times in a row (Tiger Woods/1999-2003).
South Africa’s Potgieter, the 2025 Rocket Classic champion, was one of five rookies to win on the PGA TOUR this season and the only rookie to qualify for the FedExCup Playoffs. The native of Mossel Bay, South Africa, is the third South African winner of the Arnold Palmer Award, joining Ernie Els (1994) and Trevor Immelman (2006).
“On behalf of the PGA TOUR, we congratulate Scottie Scheffler on being named PGA TOUR Player of the Year and Aldrich Potgieter on earning PGA TOUR Rookie of the Year honors for 2025,” said PGA TOUR CEO Brian Rolapp. “Scottie’s consistent level of success is nothing short of spectacular as he continues to chase history on the PGA TOUR, and we’re excited to see what he will deliver in 2026.
“What Aldrich has achieved at such a young age is truly remarkable. He has captivated fans around the world, including his home country of South Africa, and the TOUR is excited to see what his future holds.”
The Player of the Year and Rookie of the Year awards will be determined by a vote of the membership, with PGA TOUR Members who have played in at least 15 official FedExCup events during the 2025 season eligible to vote. For the first time, members voted via PGA TOUR CENTRAL, the TOUR’s new player app and website, with the voting period running from December 4 to 12.
Scheffler earned the Jack Nicklaus Award over three other nominees: Tommy Fleetwood, Ben Griffin and Rory McIlroy. Potgieter received the Arnold Palmer Award over four other nominees: Michael Brennan, Steven Fisk, William Mouw and Karl Vilips.
Jack Nicklaus Award – Scottie Scheffler
With a PGA TOUR-best six wins, Scheffler, 29, achieved at least six wins for the second consecutive season (7/2024) and joined Tiger Woods as the only players to record six or more wins in multiple seasons since 1983.
Scheffler opened his season with a T9 at the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am after being sidelined from the competition following an injury to his right hand suffered in December 2024.
In his first victory of the season at THE CJ CUP Byron Nelson, Scheffler matched the PGA TOUR’s low 72-hole score with his total of 31-under 253. Two weeks later, he claimed his third career major title at the PGA Championship, winning by five at the Quail Hollow Club.
At the Memorial Tournament presented by Workday, Scheffler became the first player since Tiger Woods (1999-2001) to successfully defend his title at Muirfield Village Golf Club with a four-stroke victory over PGA TOUR Player of the Year nominee Ben Griffin.
He added a second major championship title at The Open Championship and completed the third leg of the Career Grand Slam with his win at Royal Portrush Golf Club.
Scheffler’s fifth victory of the season came in thrilling fashion in the BMW Championship, where he took a lead on the par-3 17th hole and survived a weekend duel with Robert MacIntyre at Caves Valley Golf Club. He took the lead in the FedExCup standings for the fourth year in a row heading into the following week’s TOUR Championship, ultimately finishing in fourth place.
Scheffler captured his 19th career TOUR title and sixth of the season at the Procore Championship, winning an event on TOUR for the first time in his tournament debut. Two weeks later, he represented the United States as one of six automatic qualifiers in his third career Ryder Cup.
The Dallas native received the Byron Nelson Award for the lowest scoring average on TOUR (68.131) for the third year in a row. He ranked first in average score in Round 1 (67.45), Round 2 (68.00), Round 3 (68.40) and Round 4 (68.10), becoming the first player since Tiger Woods (2000) to lead the TOUR in all four categories in a single season.
Scheffler finished in the top 25 in all 20 starts, with 17 top-10 finishes on the season (including 15 in a row) and no missed cuts. He led the TOUR in Strokes Gained: Tee to Green (2,361), Strokes Gained: Approach the Green (1,291) and Strokes Gained: Total (2,743).
Arnold Palmer Award – Aldrich Potgieter
At the age of 20 years, 9 months and 16 days, Potgieter became the ninth-youngest PGA TOUR winner since the start of the 1983 season and the youngest TOUR winner from South Africa with his victory at the Rocket Classic. Potgieter survived a three-man playoff against Chris Kirk and Max Greyserman, birdieing the fifth extra hole at Detroit Golf Club to claim his first TOUR title and rise to career No. 49 in the Official World Golf Ranking.
In addition to his victory in Detroit, Potgieter recorded top-10s at the VidantaWorld Mexico Open (P2) and the Charles Schwab Challenge (T6) and led the PGA TOUR in Driving Distance (325) during the season. Potgieter went viral during a 374-meter run he made in Mexico and a driver off the deck the same week.
Of the 36 rookies on the PGA TOUR for the 2025 season, Potgieter was the only rookie to qualify for the FedExCup Playoffs, finishing No. 56 in the FedExCup Fall standings, earning spots in the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am and The Genesis Invitational in 2026 via the Aon Next 10.
Potgieter earned 2025 PGA TOUR membership through the 2024 Korn Ferry Tour points list and became the second-youngest graduate in Korn Ferry Tour history, earning his TOUR card at 20 years and 23 days old.
#Scottie #Scheffler #Aldrich #Potgieter #named #PGA #Tour #Player #Rookie #Year