WATCH: McIlroy Surprised By Nicklaus With Player Of The Year Trophy
The four-time Major winner received the Jack Nicklaus Award in the presence of the Golden Bear himself
The four-time Major winner received the Jack Nicklaus Award in the presence of the Golden Bear himself
WATCH: McIlroy Surprised By Nicklaus With Player Of The Year Trophy
Rory McIlroy was named 2018/19 PGA Tour Player of the Year to win the award for the third time.
The four-time Major winner beat USPGA Champion and World No.1 Brooks Koepka to the title, and he found out about it after Jack Nicklaus surprised him over lunch.
Watch the video below -
He was sat at a table in the clubhouse at the Bear's Club, which Jack Nicklaus owns, with the pair chatting about a recent tournament the Golden Bear won.
The Players Championship trophy was then placed on the table before the RBC Canadian Open trophy joined it, with McIlroy beginning to look suspicious.
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Nicklaus asked, "What are they bringing these things out for?"
"I have no idea," McIlroy responded.
His FedEx Cup trophy was then brought before his Byron Nelson Award for lowest scoring average.
And then came the Jack Nicklaus Award, given to the PGA Tour Player of the Year.
McIlroy said, "I've already got two of those," with Nicklaus saying, "well you've got three now."
A shocked McIlroy replied, "Really?...I've got goosebumps."
"Wow. That's completely taken me by surprise. I had no idea. Thank you, wow," the 30-year-old said with PGA Tour Commissioner Jay Monahan congratulating him.
"I felt like I had a chance to win it but I didn't know guys would have thought because of Brooks and just winning that Major, whether it was gonna be the difference maker."
Rory McIlroy won three times during the 2018/19 season at the Players Championship, RBC Canadian Open and Tour Championship.
He won the FedEx Cup title for the second time and has now been crowned PGA Tour Player of the Year after winning the award in both 2012 and 2014.
The award is voted by his fellow PGA Tour pros.
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Elliott Heath is our News Editor and has been with Golf Monthly since early 2016 after graduating with a degree in Sports Journalism. He manages the Golf Monthly news team as well as our large Facebook, Twitter and Instagram pages. He covered the 2022 Masters from Augusta National as well as five Open Championships on-site including the 150th at St Andrews. His first Open was in 2017 at Royal Birkdale, when he walked inside the ropes with Jordan Spieth during the Texan's memorable Claret Jug triumph. He has played 35 of our Top 100 golf courses, with his favourites being both Sunningdales, Woodhall Spa, Western Gailes, Old Head and Turnberry. He has been obsessed with the sport since the age of 8 and currently plays off of a six handicap. His golfing highlights are making albatross on the 9th hole on the Hotchkin Course at Woodhall Spa, shooting an under-par round, playing in the Aramco Team Series on the Ladies European Tour and making his one and only hole-in-one at the age of 15 - a long time ago now!
Elliott is currently playing:
Driver: Titleist TSR4
3 wood: Titleist TSi2
Hybrids: Titleist 816 H1
Irons: Mizuno MP5 5-PW
Wedges: Cleveland RTX ZipCore 50, 54, 58
Putter: Odyssey White Hot OG #5
Ball: Srixon Z Star XV
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