Dustin Johnson's FedEx Cup win at the Tour Championship ended the strangest PGA Tour season ever. It was a campaign that started in September of 2019 and took unpredictable twists and turns.
The Tour deserves a ton of credit for salvaging a season interrupted by the coronavirus pandemic. There is no way invalidate any of the results that unfolded during the new normal in the golf world, even without fans for the latter part of the year.
With that said, here are the 10 most impressive players during the 2019-20 campaign, with No. 1 being our choice to claim PGA Tour Player of the Year honors:
10. Xander Schauffele
Despite failing to find the winner's circle in 2019-20, Xander Schauffele's season is worth recognition. He shot the lowest 72-hole score at the Tour Championship - which typically wins most events - and had two other runner-up finishes. He came inside the top 25 in 16 of his 18 tournaments, ranked third in strokes gained: total and fifth in adjusted scoring average.
9. Daniel Berger
Daniel Berger was playing great golf before the three-month break and came out of the gates following the pandemic even hotter. He won the Charles Schwab Challenge, the first event back, and added three additional top-three finishes before season's end. He vaulted up the world rankings in the process, starting the season outside the top 130 and moving to No. 13.
8. Bryson DeChambeau
If these rankings were entirely entertainment-based, Bryson DeChambeau would definitely be No. 1. But his performances were not too shabby either. He turned in a stretch of seven consecutive top-eight results capped with a win at the 3M Open. He also shared fourth at the PGA Championship, posting his first top-10 at a major.
7. Rory McIlroy
It might seem like years ago at this point, but Rory McIlroy actually played really well during this campaign. He started with six straight top-five finishes, including a win at the WGC-HSBC Champions. He was clearly the best player in the world before the pandemic halted the season and ruined McIlroy's momentum. However, you should expect big things in 2020-21 from the new-father, who has six attempts to win his fifth career major.
6. Brendon Todd
Whenever you discuss Player of the Year, victories are the first stat to reference - and Brendon Todd has two of them. Regardless of which events (the Mayakoba Classic and Bermuda Championship for those keeping score at home), winning twice is no small feat. He also seemingly lingered around the top of leaderboards all season long.
5. Webb Simpson
The remaining four players on this list overshadow Webb Simpson's season, but how great it was should still be highlighted. The 35-year-old hoisted two trophies in 2019-20 - first at the Waste Management Phoenix Open, then at the RBC Heritage - where the field resembled a major championship. He also led the Tour in adjusted scoring average to claim the Byron Nelson Award.
4. Jon Rahm
Jon Rahm made a late push for Player of the Year honors with two fantastic wins at extremely tough setups. His win at the Memorial Tournament, closely followed by taking down Johnson at Olympia Fields, is a sign of things to come for the Spaniard - perhaps as soon as two weeks from now when the PGA Tour heads to the difficult Winged Foot for the U.S. Open.
3. Collin Morikawa
Collin Morikawa thrived in his first full campaign on Tour - he added wins Nos. 2 and 3 to his resume, including an impressive victory at TPC Harding Park for his first career major title. The sky is the limit for the 23-year-old, and golf fans got a great glimpse throughout the season of what his future holds.
2. Justin Thomas
Justin Thomas was the only player to claim three PGA Tour titles this season, but ultimately, he fell short when it mattered most. Not to take anything away from his three victories, but they all came in limited field, no-cut tournaments. He placed in a tie for 37th at the PGA Championship and did not crack the top-20 in the first two playoff events. He had a phenomenal year, but it didn't quite top ...
1. Dustin Johnson
The way Johnson finished the season was simply remarkable. His win at the Travelers Championship kicked off a wild run, in which he won twice in his final four tournaments and was a runner-up in the other two. He dominated at TPC Boston, then lost in a playoff at the BMW Championship before hoisting his first FedEx Cup at East Lake.
Johnson climbed to No. 1 in the world with his late-season charge and will certainly deserve a Player of the Year award for his efforts.
