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Published January 13, 2015
Tiger Woods was named PGA Tour Player of the Year for the 11th time on Friday, while 20-year-old Jordan Spieth captured Rookie of the Year honors.
In a vote of the tour's players, Woods edged Phil Mickelson, Adam Scott, FedExCup winner Henrik Stenson and Matt Kuchar on the Jack Nicklaus Award ballot.
Despite not winning a major in 2013, Woods posted five victories, three more than anyone else on tour. Among those triumphs were two World Golf Championships titles and a win at the Players Championship.
"It's been just a fantastic year all around," he said. "It's also an incredible feeling to be voted by your peers and have that type of respect. It's something that is very humbling."
Woods racked up just over $8.5 million in 16 starts, securing his 10th Arnold Palmer Award as the tour's leading official money winner. He also earned his 11th PGA of America Player of the Year Award and his ninth Vardon Trophy for adjusted scoring average (68.985), awarded by the PGA of America.
Mickelson and Scott figured to be Woods' main competition for the award, with the former posting a memorable victory at the British Open, which included a final-round 66, and the latter winning his first major in a playoff at Augusta National in April. Mickelson also posted an early-season win at the Phoenix Open, while Scott titled at the Barclays in the FedExCup playoffs opener.
Spieth, who started the year with no status on any tour, titled at the John Deere Classic in July, becoming the youngest player to win on the PGA Tour since Ralph Guldahl in 1931.
During his award-winning rookie campaign, Spieth tied Brandt Snedeker and Bill Haas for most top-10 finishes on tour with nine, including runner-ups at the Puerto Rico Open, Wyndham Championship and the Tour Championship. Additionally, he became the youngest player to make the Tour Championship, finished seventh in the FedExCup standings and was selected to next week's Presidents Cup as a captain's pick by Fred Couples.
"With no status, it's hard to expect or really think about something like this happening. I had confidence in myself and my support team definitely believed in my to get the job done," said Spieth, who defeated Derek Ernst, Russell Henley and David Lingmerth on the ballot.
https://www.foxnews.com/sports/woods-spieth-win-pga-tour-honors