The PGA Tour has named a Rookie of the Year each year since 1990. Sometimes, for golfers like Jordan Spieth and Tiger Woods, became superstars. Others never won another event on the PGA Tour. Here are all of the winners of the prestigious award.
2024 – Nick Dunlap
Nick Dunlap won his first PGA Tour Event, the American Express, as an amateur, but the victory convinced him to turn pro. While he wouldn’t make the cut at any Major, he would add a second PGA Tour victory at the Barracuda Championship in July.
2023 – Eric Cole
Turning pro in 2009, Eric Cole had to work his way onto the PGA Tour by winning 56 times on the Minor League Golf Tour. He didn’t win an event in his rookie season, but lost the Honda Classic in a playoff and finished in a 15th place tie at the PGA Championship and a 39th place tie at the US Open.
2022 – Cameron Young
Cameron Young from Scarborough, New York, made his mark in his rookie year with incredible play at two majors. In 2022, Young tied for 3rd at the PGA Championship and 2nd at the Open Championship. He was voted Rookie of the Year nearly unanimously.
2021 – Will Zalatoris
Fans first noticed Will Zalatoris because of his resemblance to the caddie from Happy Gilmore, and then they noticed him for his incredible play. During his first season, he nearly won the 2021 Masters, finishing in second place, one stroke behind Hideki Matsuyama.
2020 – Scottie Scheffler
Scottie Scheffler was the 2019 Rookie of the Year on the Kohn Ferry Tour and followed that up by becoming the 2020 PGA Tour Rookie of the Year. He’s only continued to succeed since then, spending 115 weeks as the world’s number one golfer.
2019 – Sungjae Im
South Korean Sungjae Im did not win any PGA Tour events in 2019, but he had seven top ten finishes and qualified for the Fed Ex Cup Tour Championship. Today, Im feels like one of the best players yet to really put it together consisitently on the Tour.
2018 – Aaron Wise
Aaron Wise, who played his college golf at the University of Oregon, first earned a year on the PGA Tour with his win at the 2017 Air Capital Classic. Wise then went on to win the AT&T Byron Nelson Classic in May of 2018, helping him to the Rookie of the Year Award.
2017 – Xander Schauffle
Xander Schauffle started out great, winning the Greenbriar Classic, the Tour Championship and Rookie of the Year in 2017. He’s only moved closer to superstardom since then, winning the PGA Championship and the Open Championship in 2024.
2016 – Emiliano Grillo
Argentinian Emiliano Grillo began playing on the European Tour in 2011 and he joined the PGA Tour in 2016. He won the Frys.com Open that counted towards 2016 and has a T54 at the US Open, a T17 at the Masters, a T12 at the Open Championship and a T13 at the PGA Championship.
2015 – Daniel Berger
Berger’s father, Jay, is a renowned tennis coach, but Daniel chose to play golf, and it seems like he made the right decision. He was named the 2015 PGA Rookie of the Year after winning that year’s Honda Classic and adding six top-ten finishes.
2014 – Chesson Hadley
Chesson Hadley first played in the Web.com Tour after turning pro in 2010 and began playing on the PGA Tour in 2014. That season, he won the Rookie of the Year award after winning the Puerto Rican Open. As of today, that is his only win on the PGA Tour.
2013 – Jordan Spieth
Jordan Spieth’s future stardom was easy to see when he was still a rookie. By winning that 2013 John Deere Classic, he became the first teenager to win a PGA Tour event since 1931. Weeks later, he would lose the Wyndham Championship in a playoff to Patrick Reed.
2012 – John Huh
John Huh spent his childhood in both the United States and South Korea, becoming a professional in 2008 on the Korean Tour. He joined the PGA Tour in 2012, notching an impressive win at the Mayakoba Classic and also finished T2 at the Valero Texas Open and T5 at the Crowne Plaza Invitational.
2011- Keegan Bradley
Keegan Bradley was one of history’s easiest Rookie of the Year decisions. Not only did he win the Byron Nelson Classic in a playoff over Ryan Palmer, he would also take home a Major, winning the PGA Championship in a playoff over Jason Dufner.
2010 – Rickie Fowler
Rickie Fowler’s 2010 Rookie of the Year Award was not without controversy as many felt it should have gone to Rory McIlroy. Still, Fowler was terrific in his first year on the PGA Tour, with second place finishes as the Waste Management Open and the Memorial Tournament.
2009 – Marc Leishman
Marc Leishman first turned professional in 2005 and joined the PGA Tour in 2009. During his rookie year, he finished second behind Tiger Woods at the BMW Championship and had two other top-ten finishes ended as the 53rd top earner on the tour that year.
2008 – Andres Romero
Andres Romero, an Argentinian player with the awesome nickname of A-Bomb, moved to the PGA Tour from the European Tour in 2008 and quickly became a force, winning the Zurich Classic of New Orleans and finishing in the top 10 of two other events.
2007 – Brandt Snedeker
After playing at Vanderbilt, Brandt Snedeker first played on the Nationwide Tour before joining the PGA Tour in 2007. His best result was a third place finish at the Buick Championship, but he consistently made cuts and played well which resulted in him being named Rookie of the Year.
2006 – Trevor Immelman
South African Trevor Immelman turned pro in 1999 and mostly played in Europe until he came over to the PGA Tour in 2006. He had a very impressive win at the Cialis Western Open finishing ahead of Tiger Woods. He would beat out Woods again in impressive fashion at the 2008 Masters.
2005 – Sean O’Hair
Sean O’Hair’s father spent millions on his son’s career and Sean turned pro following his junior year. It took several years, but he made it to the PGA Tour in 2005, winning his first event, the John Deere Classic and finishing second at the Byron Nelson.
2004 – Todd Hamilton
Todd Hamilton earned his PGA Tour card on his 8th try at the age of 38. When he hit the tour he was ready, winning the Honda Classic, then shocking the golf world by beating Ernie Els in a playoff to capture the Open Championship. Those are the only PGA Tour wins of his career.
2003 – Ben Curtis
Ben Curtis started off his rookie year inauspisciously, but his 13th place finish at the Western Open qualified him for the Open Championship and he won the whole thing despite being a 300-1 underdog. Curtis won 3 more times on the Tour, the last coming in 2012.
2002 – Jonathan Byrd
Jonathan Byrd played his college golf at Clemson and joined the PGA Tour in 2002. He made an impact in his first year, winning the Buick Challenge. Byrd is still active and has won four more times on the Tour since his rookie year.
2001 – Charles Howell III
With a name made for golf, Charles Howell III hails from the crucially important golf town of Augusta, Georgia. He was a top prospect for years and met expectations in year one. He made 20 of 24 cuts with five top tens, including top tens in the first four events.
2000 – Michael Clark II
Michael Clark II turned pro out of Georgia Tech in 1992 and it took him until 2000 to make the PGA Tour. He got off to a strong start, winning the John Deere Classic in a playoff. He would continue his career, but hasn’t played a PGA Tour event since 2012.
1999 – Carlos Franco
Carlos Franco was an experienced veteran when he joined the PGA in 1999 and it showed. He was successful right away, winning the Compaq Classic of New Orleans, the Greater Milwaukee Open and becoming the right rookie in PGA history to earn $1,000,000 in a season.
1998 – Steve Flesch
Steve Flesch was a strong player on the Asian Tour for several years before moving over to the PGA. He had an impressive first season, winning the Rookie of the Year Award. The personable former player has also been active in the media, working for Fox Sports and the Golf Channel.
1997 – Stewart Cink
Stewart Cink turned pro in 1995, winning the Mexican Open and three Nike Tour events before joining the PGA Tour in 1997. He won the Canon Greater Hartford Open on his way to the Rookie of the Year Award. He’d add a Major in 2009, the Open Championship.
1996 – Tiger Woods
The most hotly anticipated phenom in golf history, Tiger Woods did not disappoint. He only played in 10 events, missing one cut, and won two tournaments: The Las Vegas Invitational and the Walt Disney World/Oldsmobile Classic.
1995 – Woody Austin
Turning pro after graduation from the University of Miami in 1986, Woody Austin took almost a decade to make it to the PGA Tour. He won the Buick Open in a playoff over Mike Brisky and that win helped propel him to the 1995 Rookie of the Year Award.
1994 – Ernie Els
Ernie Els turned pro in 1989 and played all over before brining his game to the PGA Tour in 1994. He made his mark immediately by winning the US Open. It was a sign of things to come as Els would go on to win three more Majors in the coming years.
1993 – Vijay Singh
Vijay Singh was 30-years-old and a veteran of the Asian and European Tour when he came over the the PGA Tour. He won his first ever event, the Buick Classic. He would go on to become one of the best players in the world and the world number one in 2004.
1992 – Mark Carnevale
Mark Carnevale, who played his college golf at James Madison made it to the PGA Tour in 1992. He experienced the biggest success of his career, winning the Chattanooga Classic by two strokes. It was only PGA Tour event he’d ever win.
1991 – John Daly
Who else could have been the 1991 PGA Tour Rookie of the Year than John Daly. The wildly popular golfer shocked the world by winning the 1991 PGA Championship. A man of the people, Daly donated a significant portion of his purse to the children of a man who was hit by lightning on the course.
1990 – Robert Gamez
Robert Gamez turned pro impressively, winning his first ever event, the Northern Telecom Tucson Open, becoming one of four players to win in their first event on the Tour. Gamez would win again in 1990, beating out Greg Norman at the Nestle Invitational.
