Player of the Year Award Winners on the PGA Tour
The PGA of America's Player of the Year award is based on a points system, and has been around since 1948. The PGA Tour's Player of the Year award was introduced in 1990, and is based on a vote by the players themselves. Because the PGA of America's award is much older, for many years — even after the PGA Tour's own award came along — the PGA's was considered more prestigious. That is no longer the case, with most attention being giving to the PGA Tour's version of award.
Having said that, it rarely matters whether one is considered more prestigious than the other, since the two awards have gone to the same winner in every year from 1992 forward.
Here are the PGA Tour golfers who have won Player of the Year awards:
| Year | PGA (Points) | PGA Tour (Vote) |
| 2022 | Cameron Smith | Scottie Scheffler |
| 2021 | Jon Rahm | Patrick Cantlay |
| 2020 | Justin Thomas | Dustin Johnson |
| 2019 | Brooks Koepka | Rory McIlroy |
| 2018 | Brooks Koepka | Brooks Koepka |
| 2017 | Justin Thomas | Justin Thomas |
| 2016 | Dustin Johnson | Dustin Johnson |
| 2015 | Jordan Spieth | Jordan Spieth |
| 2014 | Rory McIlroy | Rory McIlroy |
| 2013 | Tiger Woods | Tiger Woods |
| 2012 | Rory McIlroy | Rory McIlroy |
| 2011 | Luke Donald | Luke Donald |
| 2010 | Jim Furyk | Jim Furyk |
| 2009 | Tiger Woods | Tiger Woods |
| 2008 | Padraig Harrington | Padraig Harrington |
| 2007 | Tiger Woods | Tiger Woods |
| 2006 | Tiger Woods | Tiger Woods |
| 2005 | Tiger Woods | Tiger Woods |
| 2004 | Vijay Singh | Vijay Singh |
| 2003 | Tiger Woods | Tiger Woods |
| 2002 | Tiger Woods | Tiger Woods |
| 2001 | Tiger Woods | Tiger Woods |
| 2000 | Tiger Woods | Tiger Woods |
| 1999 | Tiger Woods | Tiger Woods |
| 1998 | Mark O'Meara | Mark O'Meara |
| 1997 | Tiger Woods | Tiger Woods |
| 1996 | Tom Lehman | Tom Lehman |
| 1995 | Greg Norman | Greg Norman |
| 1994 | Nick Price | Nick Price |
| 1993 | Nick Price | Nick Price |
| 1992 | Fred Couples | Fred Couples |
| 1991 | Corey Pavin | Fred Couples |
| 1990 | Nick Faldo | Wayne Levi |
| 1989 | Tom Kite | |
| 1988 | Curtis Strange | |
| 1987 | Paul Azinger | |
| 1986 | Bob Tway | |
| 1985 | Lanny Wadkins | |
| 1984 | Tom Watson | |
| 1983 | Hal Sutton | |
| 1982 | Tom Watson | |
| 1981 | Bill Rogers | |
| 1980 | Tom Watson | |
| 1979 | Tom Watson | |
| 1978 | Tom Watson | |
| 1977 | Tom Watson | |
| 1976 | Jack Nicklaus | |
| 1975 | Jack Nicklaus | |
| 1974 | Johnny Miller | |
| 1973 | Jack Nicklaus | |
| 1972 | Jack Nicklaus | |
| 1971 | Lee Trevino | |
| 1970 | Billy Casper | |
| 1969 | Orville Moody | |
| 1968 | No award | |
| 1967 | Jack Nicklaus | |
| 1966 | Billy Casper | |
| 1965 | Dave Marr | |
| 1964 | Ken Venturi | |
| 1963 | Julius Boros | |
| 1962 | Arnold Palmer | |
| 1961 | Jerry Barber | |
| 1960 | Arnold Palmer | |
| 1959 | Art Wall | |
| 1958 | Dow Finsterwald | |
| 1957 | Dick Mayer | |
| 1956 | Jack Burke Jr. | |
| 1955 | Doug Ford | |
| 1954 | Ed Furgol | |
| 1953 | Ben Hogan | |
| 1952 | Julius Boros | |
| 1951 | Ben Hogan | |
| 1950 | Ben Hogan | |
| 1949 | Sam Snead | |
| 1948 | Ben Hogan |
On thing that jumps out in the side-by-side years above is that in only three years did the PGA Tour and PGA of America awards go to different golfers: the first two years of the PGA Tour award's existence, 1990 and 1991, plus 2019.
Golfers with the Most Player of the Year Awards
No surprise that Tiger Woods holds the all-time record for most Player of the Year awards won by a PGA Tour golfer:
- Tiger Woods — 11
- Tom Watson — 6
- Jack Nicklaus — 5
- Ben Hogan — 4