The PGA Tour Player of the Year Award was announced this week, going to Scottie Scheffler for the fourth season in a row. It is an incredible feat that hasn’t been accomplished on the LPGA Tour since Lorena Ochoa from 2006-2009.
The PGA Tour hands out their Player of the Year a bit differently, with a vote from PGA Tour members who played at least 15 Fed Ex Cup events throughout the season. On the LPGA Tour, a more “objective” system is used, with players earning Player of the Year points throughout the year, gaining them with every top-10 finish.
Is this the correct way to determine the winner and would any of the last 10 winners changed with a vote? Let’s take a look:
2025 – JEENO THITIKUL
Despite Thitikul not winning a major in 2025, something I as well as others take a lot of stock in, there simply was no argument for anyone else to win this award. Thitikul was the only player on the LPGA Tour to win three times and that included the season-ending Tour Championship. She also led the Tour with a startling 14 top-10 finishes and set the season-long LPGA Tour scoring record.
2024 – NELLY KORDA
While Lydia Ko probably would’ve earned a vote in almost any other season, winning three times on the LPGA Tour including a major championship and Olympic Gold Medal (which is not factored into Player of the Year points), Korda was incredible with seven wins and a major title. Despite some mid-season struggles, it was hard to deny Korda this award by the time she had won five tournaments in a row early in the year.
2023 – LILIA VU
Celine Boutier, with four wins and a major, was certainly a fantastic candidate to win, but Lilia Vu had the same amount of wins and an additional major championship. Vu bookmarked the major season with wins at The Chevron Championship and the AIG Women’s Open. Though she at one point missed 4/5 cuts in the middle of the year, it is tough to win two majors and not get Player of the Year, and she rightfully won.
2022 – LYDIA KO
This is the first one on this list that I could see being up for debate. Ko had a fantastic finish to the season, finishing top five in 4/5 events she played in, including two wins. Really everything from the end of April to the Tour Championship, which she won, was elite. That being said, Minjee Lee had two wins, at the Founders Cup and the U.S. Women’s Open, and finished top five at three of the majors, taking home the Annika Major Award. Ko herself played well in the majors, with three top-10 finishes, but I think Lee’s performances in the big ones were enough to eek out a personal vote from me.
2021 – JIN YOUNG KO
This is the first true head scratcher, one that had media members really questioning the way this award is handed out. While Ko was great and led the LPGA Tour with five wins, Nelly Korda was better in almost every metric of judging players. Korda had four wins, a major championship and the Olympic Gold Medal. Both players missed just one cut and had roughly the same top-10 percentage. Ko did have her beat in scoring average but had just one top-five finish in a major.
2020 – SEI YOUNG KIM
This one is pretty easy. In a bizarre COVID-impacted season, Sei Young Kim won twice including a major at the KPMG Women’s PGA Championship. She finished in the top 10 in 2/3 of her starts and the top 20 every time she played. She also nearly won the CME Group Tour Championship, finishing tied for second. She also led the tour in scoring average. Though it was a small sample size, with just nine tournaments competed in, it is tough to say anyone even approached her in 2020.
2019 – JIN YOUNG KO
Jin Young Ko’s true breakout season was inarguably the best any player competed in 2019. Ko finished in the top five nine times in 22 tournaments played, with five wins and two majors. At one point, she went a full month finishing in the top three. Nelly Korda, with two wins, was her closest finisher in the standings, but really, nobody else had any type of argument against Ko’s four wins.
2018 – ARIYA JUTANUGARN
Ariya Jutanugarn’s second Player of the Year win was dominant as she made all 28 cuts with 17 top-10 finishes, three wins and a major title at the U.S. Women’s Open. Really, nobody was in contention as the combination of remarkable consistency and high-profile wins really stamped the Thai icon’s place amongst the legends of the game.
2017 – SO YEON RYU, SUNG HYUN PARK
Outside of maybe 2021, this is the most fascinating race ever. Ryu and Park tied for the win, with Shanshan Feng and Lexi Thompson finishing tied for second, just three points back. Nine players had multiple wins in total. Ryu and Park each had two wins with a major, but I think I would lean toward giving this to Feng. While she didn’t win a major in 2017, Feng led the tour in wins and top-10 finishes and was unquestionably the best player in the second half of the season. From the beginning of August – Mid November, Feng finished outside the top seven just once.
2016 – ARIYA JUTANUGARN
Jutanugarn’s second year on tour was fantastic, particularly in May, when she won three tournaments in a row. She backed that up with two more, including a major at the AIG Women’s Open, to end the year off with five in total. That being said, this is arguably the best Lydia Ko ever was. Ko won her second major, The ANA Inspiration (Now The Chevron Championship) and finished top three nine times in 24 tournaments played. She didn’t miss a cut and won four times on the season. I would’ve given this one to Lydia Ko.
