PGA POY

The 2013 PGA Tour season has officially come to a close. The Fedex Cup was a wild ride, one that eventually led to crowning Henrik Stenson the champion (Andrew also beat out Greg as the 2013 "Pick 5" Champ). That suddenly thrust him (Stenson) into POY consideration, but there are so many others that had great seasons. Todays debate: Who should be the 2013 Player of the Year? We'll make the case for six candidates and pick a player below:

Tiger Woods - Woods many times falls victim to his own legacy. Because he didn't win a major people forget how dominant he actually was. In just 16 starts (tied for the least amount of any of these guys), Woods won five times, all at good events (Farmers, Arnold Palmer, Players Championship - The "5th Major", and two WGC tournaments). That means he won essentially 1 of every 3 tournies he entered. He had 8 total top tens (half his tournaments), finished second in the Fedex Cup, and first on the money list (by over 2 million). And at those aforementioned majors, he made every cut and had two top six finishes, including a 4th place at the Masters that he would have taken to a tiebreak minus a historic bad break. His Players Championship was most impressive though as he has historically struggled there. Oh, and he's now ranked #1 in the world by a landslide.

Phil Mickelson - Phil had one of his best years ever, and that's saying something. He again put himself into contention for this award, one that he has never won in his career. The highlight of 2013 for him was his win at the Open Championship, a major he had never won and hadn't had a ton of success at. He also won at the Waste Management Open, and he won on the European Tour too (Scottish Open). He only finished ninth in the Fedex Cup, but he was fourth on the PGA money list, and had seven top ten's. And who could forget his "almost win" at the US Open (yes, another one). He ended up T2, but honestly should have walked away with his first win at the major he wants most. He sits at #3 in the world by the way.

Adam Scott - Obviously, Scott's year was made at The Master's, where he captured his first major. He did it in a playoff, just like Bubba a year ago. He added another win at the first Fedex Cup event, the Barclay's. He had 6 top ten's on the year, finished fourth in the Fedex Cup, six on the money list, and he sits at #2 in the world rankings. But this is a guy who played the majors well, not just winning one, but he finished 3rd at the Open Championship and 5th at the PGA Championship. That's impressive.

Henrik Stenson - As mentioned above, Stenson won the Fedex Cup. He did this by winning 2 of the 4 events, the Deutsche Bank Championship and the Tour Championship. He also showed up at the majors, finishing in the Top 21 at all four. This included a solo 2nd and 3rd at the Open Championship and PGA Championship respectively, tournaments he easily could have won with a couple better bounces. In all, he had 8 Top Ten finishes and finished second on the money list. He's also up to #4 in the world. In all honesty, he's been the best player in the world over the last few months and it's showing.

Matt Kuchar - Kuchar was the fifth guy on the official PGA ballet. Like Stenson, he won two quality tournaments (WGC Match Play and The Memorial) and had 8 Top Tens. He ended up finishing sixth in the Fedex Cup and was third on the money list. He sits at 8 in the world rankings also, which is essentially what he was last year. He did decent at the majors finishing in the Top 30 each time, but his only top ten was at The Masters.

Brandt Snedeker - "Sneeeeeeedeker" didn't make the final ballot for the PGA Tour, but he really does need to be considered. Although he finished just 12th on the final Fedex Cup standings, you need to consider he missed a good amount of time this spring due to injury. He won two events: AT&T National and Canadian Open, along with 7 other Top Tens. One of those was at The Masters, and he finished in the Top 20 at two of the other majors. He also finished fifth on the money list this season and climbed into the top ten in the world rankings.

So who do we think should win?

Andrew - Tiger Woods. Most guys on tour don't win five times in their careers, and he did that in just 2013. He was fairly consistent throughout the year too which is why he clearly topped the money list and was second in the Fedex Cup despite not winning a Fedex event. Throw in the fact that he deals with more pressure than any golfer in history and I think that makes his wins even more impressive. I have to admit though, I think he'd trade seasons with Scott or Mickelson in a heartbeat, because those guys won majors and those are what he wants more than anything now.

Greg - Henrik Stenson. He may not have been the best from start to finish, but overall I feel he had the best season and has been the best player over the last few months. His run started at the Scottish Open where he finished 3rd. Then he was 2nd at the Open Championship and the WGC at Firestone. That was followed by a 3rd at the PGA Championship, and of course he then won twice in the Fedex Cup Playoffs, including the Tour Championship. That's simply stunning.

By: The Sports Guys

PS: There isn't a need to break down the Rookie of the Year race, because Jordan Spieth will win in a blowout. And he deserves it.