The PGA TOUR announced today that Xander Schauffele has been named the 2017 PGA TOUR Rookie of the Year as voted on by the TOUR’s membership for the 2016-17 season.
PGA TOUR members who played in at least 15 official money events this past season were eligible to vote. The balloting process ended on October 2.
“On behalf of the PGA TOUR, congratulations to Xander Schauffele on being voted PGA TOUR Rookie of the Year,” said PGA TOUR Commissioner Jay Monahan. “Being recognized by your peers is one of the highest honours a player can receive, and Xander’s win at the TOUR Championship during the FedExCup Playoffs capped off what had already been a remarkable rookie season.”
Schauffele, a 23-year-old resident of San Diego, California, capped off his season in record-breaking fashion by holding off FedExCup champion Justin Thomas to become the first rookie to win the season-ending TOUR Championship. By doing so, he finished the season third in the FedExCup.
Schauffele is the fourth member of the high school class of 2011 to earn PGA TOUR Rookie of the Year honours, joining Jordan Spieth (2013), Daniel Berger (2015) and Emiliano Grillo (2016). Thomas, another member of that class, won the FedExCup this season by holding off Spieth and Schauffele, his nearest competitors.
Having captured The Greenbrier Classic earlier in the season for his first TOUR victory, Schauffele was one of six multiple winners during the 2016-17 season, joining Thomas, Spieth, Dustin Johnson, Hideki Matsuyama and Marc Leishman. In 28 starts, he turned in four top-10 finishes among 20 made cuts.
A 2016 graduate of the Web.com Tour, Schauffele was selected for the honour over Wesley Bryan, Patrick Cantlay, Mackenzie Hughes and Grayson Murray.