Schauffele named PGA Tour Rookie of the Year

[October 04, 2017]    The Sports Xchange

Xander Schauffele was voted the PGA Tour's Rookie of the Year for the 2016-17 season after the 23-year-old La Jolla, Calif. native notched a pair of victories during his rookie campaign, the Tour announced Tuesday.

Schauffele, ranked 32nd in the Official World Golf Rankings, earned his first career Tour victory at the Greenbrier Classic in July before winning the Tour Championship in September by one stroke over FedExCup champion Justin Thomas.

Schauffele is the first rookie to win the season-ending event at East Lake in Atlanta. The San Diego State product finished third in the FedExCup standings.

"Being recognized by your peers is one of the highest honors a player can receive, and Xander's win at the TOUR Championship during the FedExCup Playoffs capped off what had already been a remarkable rookie season," PGA Tour commissioner Jay Monahan said in a statement.

Schauffele's best finish in a major this past season came at the U.S. Open, where he tied for fifth place. He tied for 20th place at the PGA Championship, missed the cut at The Open Championship and did not play at The Masters.

He totaled four top-10 finishes and 20 made cuts over 28 starts in his first season on Tour.

Schauffele was selected over Wesley Bryan, Patrick Cantlay, Mackenzie Hughes and Grayson Murray for the Tour's top rookie honor.

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