Tiger Woods, Phil Mickelson head list for PGA player of the year

By pure numbers alone, Tiger Woods looks like the favorite among the PGA Tour nominees for player of the year.

No one else on the list -- Phil Mickelson, Henrik Stenson, Adam Scott and Matt Kuchar -- can match what Woods did this season.

His resume includes five wins, which is three more than any of the others. He captured the Arnold Palmer Award as the leading money winner and the Vardon Trophy for the lowest scoring average.

Asked about adding player of the year honors, he responded: “Well, look at the fact that I had five wins this year. So I think that’s a pretty good year.”

But golf is about performing on the big stage, which means winning at the majors. And, with no such victories this season, Woods has left an opening for the rest of the field.

Mickelson came through at the British Open and had seven top-10 finishes. Stenson finished the season as the Tour’s hottest golfer, winning two FedEx Cup playoff events and collecting the $10-million bonus for that.

“It’s just been a great summer,” the Swedish golfer said after winning the Tour Championship last weekend. “I mean, way beyond what I could imagine.”

Scott won the Masters and came close at the British Open and the PGA Championship. Kuchar finished No. 3 on the money list and No. 6 in the FedEx Cup standings.

Tour officials also announced the nominees for rookie of the year: Russell Henley, Derek Ernst, David Lingmerth and the newest sensation, Jordan Spieth, who won the John Deere Classic and posted nine top-10 finishes in 23 starts.

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