Scottie Scheffler, Rory McIlroy, Matt Fitzpatrick, Wyndham Clark, Cameron Young and Chris Gotterup are all in contention to be named the PGA Tour's Player of the Year, with the season-ending Tour Championship at East Lake still to come.
McIlroy said it was "all to play for" in the race for the award, known as the Jack Nicklaus Award, which is decided by a vote of PGA Tour members. He said ahead of the BMW Championship that there was "no chance" he should be considered, despite defending his Masters title in April, but he remains a contender after finishing third behind Wyndham Clark at the BMW Championship.
Scheffler has won the award in each of the last four seasons and could claim a fifth consecutive title. The world No 1 has had another consistent campaign, though he has won fewer tournaments than he did in 2025.
Scheffler, Clark, Fitzpatrick, Gotterup and Young have all won multiple times on the PGA Tour this season. Victory at the FedExCup finale at East Lake this week could give one of that quintet the edge before the shortlist is revealed in the autumn, with the race shaping up as one of the tightest and most open in recent years.
Scottie Scheffler
Scheffler picked up two victories in 2026, the first at The American Express in January and the second in August at the FedEx St Jude Championship.
His consistency has stood out. Scheffler has finished as runner-up five times on the PGA Tour this season, becoming the first player in Tour history to record three consecutive solo runner-up finishes, at The Masters, the RBC Heritage and the Cadillac Championship.
Rory McIlroy
McIlroy has won the Player of the Year award three times before. After successfully defending his Masters title, he again finds himself in contention.
He hit a 403-yard drive to within 10 feet on the ninth hole at The Open, one of several highlights in a strong season that also included a tied-second finish at the Genesis Invitational, top-ten finishes at the PGA Championship and the Genesis Scottish Open, and third place at the BMW Championship.
Matt Fitzpatrick
It has been Fitzpatrick's most successful PGA Tour season to date. The 2022 US Open champion has three victories and two runner-up finishes, notably just missing out on winning The Players, where he was beaten by Young at TPC Sawgrass.
Fitzpatrick responded by winning at his next start, The Valspar Championship, before claiming back-to-back titles at the RBC Heritage and the Zurich Classic of New Orleans, the latter alongside his brother Alex.
Wyndham Clark
Clark is also enjoying his most successful PGA Tour season, winning his third event of the year at the BMW Championship.
His first victory of 2026 came at the CJ Cup in May, before he won his second US Open title at Shinnecock Hills, beating Sam Burns by a shot with a display of strong putting.
Cameron Young
Young picked up the second and third victories of his PGA Tour career in 2026, winning The Players in March and outscoring Scheffler to win the Cadillac Championship in May.
He came close to a first major championship at The Open in July, finishing one shot behind winner Ryan Fox in second place.
Chris Gotterup
Gotterup began his 2026 campaign fast, winning the season-opening Sony Open in Hawaii in January before beating Hideki Matsuyama in a playoff to win the WM Phoenix Open the following month.
His third win of the season came later at the John Deere Classic, making it the 27-year-old's most successful year on the PGA Tour so far.
What's next
The PGA Tour season reaches its climax at the Tour Championship at East Lake Golf Club, where only the top 30 players in the standings are eligible to compete for the FedExCup and a $10 million first prize.
Live coverage of all four rounds begins on Thursday from 5pm on Sky Sports Golf.
