John Huggan: Greenbacks, not green play, are likely to decide who’ll be named the PGA Tour’s 2011 Player of the Year

AS MUCH as is currently possible amidst a sea of high-profile American sporting acronyms like the NFL, a “lockout” of NBA players and the World Series, traditional climax to the MLB season, golf fans in the United States are still finding time to be all of a tizzy over who will top the PGA Tour’s money-list and, in turn, be named “player of the year” on the game’s biggest and richest circuit.

At least according to those who should know – and even some who don’t – there would appear to be but two candidates: World No.1 Luke Donald and the rapidly-rising but oh-so-slow moving star of American golf, Webb Simpson. Although there are those who apparently have a sneaky wee fancy for USPGA champion, Keegan Bradley, who just the other day added victory in the Grand Slam of Golf to his growing curriculum vitae.

Realistically, however, we have ourselves a two-horse race between the Chicago-based Donald and a man who, four years ago, lost twice in Walker Cup singles to, as it turns out, another bright young thing in world golf, England’s David Horsey. Still, albeit haltingly, Simpson has come a long way from that winless week in Northern Ireland. Before his 26th and final PGA Tour appearance at this week’s Children’s Miracle Network Hospitals Classic (henceforth known as “the Disney”) in Orlando, the 26-year-old from North Carolina had already amassed $6,200,243. Donald, by way of comparison, has picked up $5,837,214 from 18 appearances.

That’s the thing though. The exact criteria by which the PGA Tour players/voters will be asked to make their collective decision remain unclear. Should money won be the only determining factor? Or should things like top-ten finishes, victories, average score per round, results in the majors and performances/wins in non-PGA Tour events overseas also be taken into consideration?

“If I had a vote, I’d vote for Luke Donald,” declares leading coach and commentator, Peter Kostis, who numbers Paul Casey, ranked 22nd in the world, amongst his various charges. “He’s been the most consistent and the best player of 2011. I am one who has a hard time eliminating the rest of the world from this decision. Luke has accumulated the most world ranking points this year, which must factor in somehow.

“But it comes down to what the players think, simple as that. I’m sure a lot of the international guys will instinctively take international play into account, while American players may not.”

Indeed, if enough of the increasingly cosmopolitan band of voters does look outward for help with its deliberations, then that can only be good for Donald. As well as lifting his first World Golf Championship this year, this baby-faced assassin also claimed two of the biggest titles on the European Tour: the BMW PGA Championship at Wentworth and the sadly rain-shortened Scottish Open at Castle Stuart. Advantage Luke.

Then there are the four majors, golf’s most important and most prestigious events. Both Simpson (who was ineligible for the Masters) and Donald missed the cut in one of the quartet, but the latter did manage two top-tens. Again, the edge must go to Donald.

Hang on, though. Kostis is one who feels too much credence is given to what are but four weeks of a packed golfing calendar, during which the leading players face up to one another more often than ever before.

“One of the few advantages to being my age is that – assuming you have a reasonable memory – you can remember how things were,” continues the 64-year-old American. “Until Jack Nicklaus came along, the majors were never the most important, Holy Grail, events on the calendar. Jack used them as a justification for his reduced schedule because he simply didn’t want to play a lot. Now, all of a sudden, the majors are the be-all and end-all. If you haven’t won a major you can’t be world No.1 in the eyes of many. Or, if you haven’t won a major, you can’t do much of anything. And that has only come to pass in the last 50 years or so. Too many people put too much weight on the majors and neglect the other events where world-class players compete against each other. If you don’t fall into that trap, Luke is head-and-shoulders above anyone else this year. But who knows what will happen? If we use baseball as an analogy, do you go for the consistent guy who gets on base a lot but only hits two home runs? Or do you go for the guy who strikes out a lot but hits many more home runs? Different people will make different decisions on that.”

Kostis is certainly correct in one assertion: Donald has been the more consistent of the two candidates. Despite making seven fewer appearances on the PGA Tour, he actually has more top-ten finishes, 13 to 11. And he has missed two cuts versus Simpson’s three. Donald’s average winnings per event are also higher than Simpson’s: $324,289 against $248,009. So, given Simpson’s healthy lead of $363,029 heading into the Disney that will conclude tonight, “normal” performances from both would leave the American atop the money-list. Bottom-line? Donald needs at least a tie for second to have any chance of moving from second to first.

OK, decision time. While it is clear that Donald has an edge in almost every relevant category bar “total money won” on the PGA Tour, I feel that, should Simpson stay ahead on the money-list, he will have done enough to clinch the Player of the Year title. Not renowned for their ability to pay much attention to happenings outside their own borders – Presidents Cup captain Fred Couples this week stated that Australian Robert Allenby (who has seven victories in the last decade although none on the PGA Tour) “hasn’t won a tournament in ten years” – the American majority will almost certainly vote for one of their own. It’s happened before. Only 12 months ago, Rickie Fowler was outrageously named PGA Tour “Rookie of the Year” over the far more deserving Rory McIlroy. It may not be right, but it was ever thus