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Twitter can’t believe Brooks Koepka didn’t win POY

September 11, 2019

In case you missed it, Rory McIlroy was named PGA Tour Player of the Year on Wednesday, and many observers were shocked that McIlroy was given the honor over Brooks Koepka, who was seen as a lock after turning in top performances at the year’s most important tournaments.

Koepka won the PGA Championship at Bethpage Black, was runner-up at both the Masters and the U.S. Open, and was T4 at the Open Championship. He also won the WGC-FedEx St. Jude and the C.J. Cup at Nine Bridges and is the reigning No. 1-ranked player in the world.

Like Koepka, McIlroy also had three wins last season (the Players Championship, the RBC Canadian Open and the Tour Championship), but his best finish in the majors was T8. McIlroy also won the FedEx Cup and had an impressive 14 top-10 finishes in 19 events.

The PGA Tour Player of the Year is voted upon by the players’ peers, and is not based on statistics of any kind. While McIlroy was certainly a deserving contender, many observers — especially in the Twitterverse — felt that Koepka was a more deserving POY, and they weren’t shy about sharing their outrage.

While several users commented that this latest slight will only motivate Koepka to even greater heights next year, Golf Channel’s Rich Lerner tweeted that he had reached Koepka for comment, and Koepka was gracious about the situation.

Other players in the running for this past season’s POY were Matt Kuchar and Xander Schauffele. McIlroy’s win marks the third of his career, and first since 2014.

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