The PGA TOUR released its nominees Tuesday for the 2010 PGA TOUR Player of the Year. Nominees for the Jack Nicklaus Trophy as the PGA TOUR Player of the Year are Ernie Els, Jim Furyk,Dustin Johnson, Matt Kuchar and Phil Mickelson.
Players were nominated by the PGA TOUR Player Advisory Council (PAC) and Player Directors. The awards are determined by a member vote, with PGA TOUR members who played in at least 15 official money events in 2010 eligible to vote.
The winner will be announced on Saturday, December 4th.
None of the five nominees has ever been named as the TOUR's Player of the Year. Tiger Woods has won the award 10 times since 1997. The only other players to win during that span were Mark O'Meara in 1998, Vijay Singh in 2004 and Padraig Harrington in 2008.
2010 nominees
Ernie Els
Regular Season FedExCup points leader earned two wins at the World Golf Championships-CA Championship and Arnold Palmer Invitational presented by MasterCard.
Jim Furyk
Three wins for the FedExCup champion including THE TOUR Championship presented by Coca-Cola; also won the Transitions Championship and Verizon Heritage; second on TOUR official money list and fifth in adjusted scoring average.
Dustin Johnson
Two victories (AT&T Pebble Beach National Pro-Am and BMW Championship) with top 10s at two major championships (T-5 at the PGA Championship and T-8 at the U.S. Open).
Matt Kuchar
Winner of The Barclays led TOUR in top 10s; second in final FedExCup standings; earned money title and Vardon Trophy and Byron Nelson Awards (low adjusted scoring average); two major top 10s (T-6 at the U.S. Open and T-10 at the PGA Championship).
Phil Mickelson
Won 38th career title and fourth major at the Masters Tournament; finished among the top 15 in the FedExCup for the fourth consecutive season; five other top 10s including T4 at the U.S. Open.
The 2011 PGA TOUR season kicks off at the Hyundai Tournament of Champions, January 6th-9th, at The Plantation Course in Kapalua, Hawaii, with four-round coverage on Golf Channel.
