Player of the Year, Tiger returns (sort of) and more

Sign up every week for the unfiltered opinions of our writers and editors as they break down the hottest topics in sports and join the conversation by tweeting us at @golf_com. This week, we discuss end-of-season awards, the World Heroes Challenge, things we’re thankful for, and more.

The PGA Tour released its candidates for the 2024 Jack Nicklaus Award and the Arnold Palmer Award, with Scottie Scheffler, Xander Schauffele and Rory McIlroy battling for POY and Nick Dunlap, Max Greyserman, Jake Knapp and Matthieu Pavon nominated for Rookie of the Year. Any predictions?

Josh Berhow, managing editor (@Josh_Berhow): Scheffler’s seven-win season and the fact that most of those were in bigger events will be hard to top, even with Xander’s double-double year. (PS Scottie’s Olympic Gold doesn’t hurt his chances, either.) The race for ROY should be tighter, but not by much. Pavon won once and had a nice run at the Masters, but it’s hard to bet against the headlines Nick Dunlap made when he became the first amateur to win since Phil and the first player to win both as an amateur and a professional at the same time. season.

Jessica Marksbury, Senior Editor (@Jess_Marksbury): Scottie is a lock. In terms of quality of victory, Pavon’s title at the Farmers Insurance Open was perhaps the strongest in terms of prestige. But Josh, you make a great case for Nick Dunlap. I think you are right. All wins being equal, doing it as an amateur would be worth it anyway, and Dunlap won another tournament, too, for good measure. He gets a nod from me.

Dylan Dethier, senior writer (@dylan_dethier): There’s Scottie, who had a ridiculous, historic season. But as crazy as it sounds, I think Scheffler would have traded his season for Schauffele’s until he won gold. A player’s prime number is his most important number, and Schauffele took two of Scheffler’s. But Olympic gold is in a category of its own; combine that with his Masters title, add the Players and a package of additional Tour wins, cap it off with the FedEx Cup title and he’s the clear winner. What about the rookie of the year? Dunlap won twice and is therefore the easy pick. Max Greyserman has shown hot form, however, and could be the guy to watch for 2025.

It’s World Hero Challenge week, and while the 15-time winningest host won’t be hosting it, we’ll be hearing from him at his annual pre-tournament press conference. What do you hope to learn from Tiger Woods when he speaks to the media next week?

Berhow: We seem to constantly get updates without updates on the status of the pending merger between the PGA Tour and LIV Golf, but hopefully Tiger has a little more intelligence on current events and where everything stands. As a prominent golf figure, if he expresses any displeasure or skepticism, it will cause a stir. But maybe it’s wishful thinking that even his thoughts will have so much influence at this point.

Marksbury: I’m still not ready for Tiger’s complete transition from player to elder statesman. An update on LIV/PGA tour procedures would be great, but I also want to know how he is recovering from his latest procedure and if competitive golf is far off. A tentative schedule of when we can expect to see him doing it next year would also be nice.

Dethier: Right now people really want to know if Team Woods is going to take over PNC. I’m legitimately curious to take his temperature on TGL, too — how invested and excited is he? But Berhow is right that we should at least be able to read between the lines of whatever side he offers on the PIF-PGA Tour relationship. Mostly it will be good to see Woods out and about; the world hasn’t seen much of him since The Open.

GOLF recently released its latest rankings of Top 100 courses in the USA (including public list) and with it some more survey results collected from golf fans like you. What was the most interesting part you noticed?

Berhow: About 1/3 of respondents said they wouldn’t pay more than $100 to play a course in the Top 100. While I think that number is about right, I think it also reminds that there is a large portion of people out there who are more after golf for recreation, sport and companionship rather than checking off a bucket list gem – and that’s just fine. It is important to have courses to support it as well.

Marksbury: I was very surprised by how many respondents (55 percent!) said that a course designer matters to them when they choose where to play. Unless I’m headed to a heralded or bucket list destination in which the designer is essentially synonymous with the course, the designer of a given course is often something I think about after I play, rather than before.

Dethier: I was just surprised that 10 percent of the pollsters had played Pine Valley and nearly half of you know someone who has. I knew you all were sick of golf, I just didn’t realize how connected you were.

With a nod to Thanksgiving, what golf moment or part of the game are you thankful for right now?

Berhow: Friends to take buddy rides with, incline buttons on rangefinders, good push carts, high-quality bravos at the turn, and strong IPAs after the round in the yard.

Marksbury: Josh, what a list! Hard at the top. I’ll go with that feeling at the start, when expectations are at their peak and the round – and all its potential unrealized glory – is still ahead of you.

Dethier: Every time you go out on a cool fall day, it feels like you’re stealing one. Thank you for fall golf, a course with a view, and the relief when the only group holding you up goes away after nine.

And on another note, our Josh Sens compiled a list of our annuals’The price of TurkeyThe winners for 2024, which was a look back at some of the most underwhelming headlines of the year. Who or what is your winner in that category for this year?

Berhow: Oh boy, some worthy candidates for sure. Hard to get over the mess in Phoenix, even though the arrest of player no. 1 in the world can do this.

Marksbury: Scottie’s arrest, hands down. I’m still mad about it.

Dethier: There was something strange and funny about Matt Kuchar single-handedly extending the Wyndham Championship into Monday. Perhaps less hilarious for the tour staff who had to return first thing, though.