Listed below are recipients of awards for various achievements on PGA Tour Champions, a circuit operated by the U.S.-based PGA Tour for men's golfers aged 50 and over. The tour began in 1980 as the Senior PGA Tour, changed its name to the Champions Tour in 2003, and became PGA Tour Champions in 2016.
Player-elected awards
Three PGA Tour Champions year-end awards are elected by the players and announced in December. The ceremony is held at a tournament early in the following season. The Jack Nicklaus Trophy is for the player of the year. The other two are the Rookie of the Year and Comeback Player of the Year awards.
Statistical awards
The Arnold Palmer Award is given to the player who earns the most PGA Tour Champions money in a season. The Byron Nelson Award goes to the player who has the lowest scoring average (strokes per round).
Year | Arnold Palmer Award | Byron Nelson Award |
Player | Country | Earnings ($) | Player | Country | Scoring Average |
1980 | Don January | United States | 44,100 | Don January | United States | 71.00 |
1981 | Miller Barber | United States | 83,136 | Miller Barber | United States | 69.57 |
1982 | Miller Barber | United States | 106,890 | Don January | United States | 70.03 |
1983 | Don January | United States | 237,571 | Don January | United States | 69.46 |
1984 | Don January | United States | 328,597 | Don January | United States | 70.68 |
1985 | Peter Thomson | Australia | 386,724 | Don January | United States | 70.11 |
1986 | Bruce Crampton | Australia | 454,299 | Chi Chi Rodriguez | United States | 69.65 |
1987 | Chi Chi Rodriguez | United States | 509,145 | Chi Chi Rodriguez | United States | 70.07 |
1988 | Bob Charles | New Zealand | 533,929 | Bob Charles | New Zealand | 70.05 |
1989 | Bob Charles | New Zealand | 725,887 | Bob Charles | New Zealand | 69.78 |
1990 | Lee Trevino | United States | 1,190,518 | Lee Trevino | United States | 68.89 |
1991 | Mike Hill | United States | 1,065,657 | Lee Trevino | United States | 69.50 |
1992 | Lee Trevino | United States | 1,027,002 | Lee Trevino | United States | 69.46 |
1993 | Dave Stockton | United States | 1,175,944 | Bob Charles | New Zealand | 69.59 |
1994 | Dave Stockton | United States | 1,402,519 | Raymond Floyd | United States | 69.08 |
1995 | Jim Colbert | United States | 1,444,386 | Raymond Floyd | United States | 69.47 |
1996 | Jim Colbert | United States | 1,627,890 | Hale Irwin | United States | 69.47 |
1997 | Hale Irwin | United States | 2,343,364 | Hale Irwin | United States | 68.92 |
1998 | Hale Irwin | United States | 2,861,945 | Hale Irwin | United States | 68.59 |
1999 | Bruce Fleisher | United States | 2,515,705 | Bruce Fleisher | United States | 69.19 |
2000 | Larry Nelson | United States | 2,708,005 | Gil Morgan | United States | 68.83 |
2001 | Allen Doyle | United States | 2,553,582 | Gil Morgan | United States | 69.20 |
2002 | Hale Irwin | United States | 3,028,304 | Hale Irwin | United States | 68.93 |
2003 | Tom Watson | United States | 1,853,108 | Tom Watson | United States | 68.81 |
2004 | Craig Stadler | United States | 2,306,066 | Craig Stadler | United States | 69.30 |
2005 | Dana Quigley | United States | 2,170,258 | Mark McNulty | Zimbabwe Ireland | 69.41 |
2006 | Jay Haas | United States | 2,420,227 | Loren Roberts | United States | 69.01 |
2007 | Jay Haas | United States | 2,581,001 | Loren Roberts | United States | 69.31 |
2008 | Bernhard Langer | Germany | 2,035,073 | Bernhard Langer | Germany | 69.65 |
2009 | Bernhard Langer | Germany | 2,139,451 | Bernhard Langer | Germany | 68.92 |
2010 | Bernhard Langer | Germany | 2,648,939 | Fred Couples | United States | 67.96 |
2011 | Tom Lehman | United States | 2,081,526 | Mark Calcavecchia | United States | 69.04 |
2012 | Bernhard Langer | Germany | 2,140,296 | Fred Couples | United States | 68.52 |
2013 | Bernhard Langer | Germany | 2,448,428 | Fred Couples | United States | 68.64 |
2014 | Bernhard Langer | Germany | 3,074,189 | Bernhard Langer | Germany | 68.03 |
2015 | Bernhard Langer | Germany | 2,340,288 | Bernhard Langer | Germany | 68.69 |
2016 | Bernhard Langer | Germany | 3,016,959 | Bernhard Langer | Germany | 68.31 |
2017 | Bernhard Langer | Germany | 3,677,359 | Bernhard Langer | Germany | 68.03 |
Charles Schwab Cup
From 2001 through 2015, points were earned for thousands of dollars earned in top-ten finishes at tournaments. From 2008 to 2015, points were doubled at majors and the Charles Schwab Cup Championship.
Since 2016, the Charles Schwab Cup has used a playoff format similar to the FedEx Cup playoffs on the regular PGA Tour, though with three total events instead of four on the regular tour. Changes to the format are:[1]
- During the regular season, points are based on dollars earned, regardless of the player's finish in a given tournament. No bonus is awarded for wins in majors.
- The top 72 players on the money list will qualify for the first playoff event. Additionally, a "wild card" playoff berth will be awarded to a golfer who finishes in the top 10 of the last regular-season event, the SAS Championship, and is not within the top 72 after the tournament. (If more than one player outside the top 72 finishes in the top 10 at the SAS Championship, the highest finisher among these players will qualify.)
- During the first two playoff events, points are earned as in the regular season, except the winner earns double points. The playoff field is cut to 54 after the first playoff event and 36 after the second, with the survivors advancing to the Charles Schwab Cup Championship.
- Prior to the Charles Schwab Cup Championship, the points totals are reset. All 36 qualifiers will have a theoretical chance to win the Charles Schwab Cup, and each golfer in the top five can win the Charles Schwab Cup by winning the final event, no matter how the rest of the field performs.
The top five win annuities. Annuities involved in ties are divided amongst the tied players.
Year | $1,000,000 | $500,000 | $300,000 | $200,000 | $100,000 |
2001 |
2,382 Allen Doyle |
2,166 Bruce Fleisher |
1,959 Hale Irwin |
1,930 Larry Nelson |
1,640 Gil Morgan |
2002 |
2,886 Hale Irwin |
2,087 Bob Gilder |
1,582 Bruce Fleisher |
1,448 Tom Watson |
1,419 Tom Kite |
2003 |
4,370 Tom Watson |
3,046 Jim Thorpe |
2,618 Tom Kite |
2,585 Bruce Lietzke |
2,328 Gil Morgan |
2004 |
3,427 Hale Irwin |
3,388 Craig Stadler |
2,981 Tom Kite |
2,471 Peter Jacobsen |
2,417 Mark McNulty |
2005 |
2,980 Tom Watson |
2,733 Dana Quigley |
2,210 Mark McNulty |
2,001 Hale Irwin |
1,846 Loren Roberts |
2006 |
3,053 Jay Haas |
3,033 Loren Roberts |
1,910 Tom Kite |
1,685 Brad Bryant |
1,546 Eduardo Romero 1,546 Jim Thorpe |
2007 |
2,716 Loren Roberts |
2,551 Jay Haas |
2,177 Denis Watson |
2,167 Brad Bryant |
2,032 Tom Watson |
2008 |
2,556 Jay Haas |
2,544 Fred Funk |
2,460 Bernhard Langer |
2,032 Eduardo Romero |
1,867 John Cook |
2009 |
2,670 Loren Roberts |
2,351 John Cook |
2,349 Fred Funk |
2,322 Bernhard Langer |
1,984 Jay Haas |
2010 |
3,597 Bernhard Langer |
2,771 Fred Couples |
2,451 John Cook |
1,846 Michael Allen |
1,813 Russ Cochran |
2011 |
2,422 Tom Lehman |
2,348 Mark Calcavecchia |
1,874 Peter Senior |
1,803 Jay Don Blake |
1,798 John Cook |
2012 |
3,082 Tom Lehman |
2,647 Bernhard Langer |
1,846 Fred Couples |
1,806 Roger Chapman |
1,677 Fred Funk |
2013 |
3,273 Kenny Perry |
2,861 Bernhard Langer |
2,425 Fred Couples |
2,089 David Frost |
1,673 Duffy Waldorf |
2014 |
4,152 Bernhard Langer |
3,307 Colin Montgomerie |
2,461 Jay Haas |
2,059 Kenny Perry |
1,892 Tom Pernice, Jr. |
2015 |
3,520 Bernhard Langer |
3,182 Colin Montgomerie |
3,143 Jeff Maggert |
1,951 Billy Andrade |
1,466 Joe Durant |
2016 |
3,200 Bernhard Langer |
2,400 Colin Montgomerie |
2,216 Paul Goydos |
2,004 Scott McCarron |
1,658 Joe Durant |
2017 |
3,280 Kevin Sutherland |
2,234 Bernhard Langer |
2,100 Scott McCarron |
1,834 Kenny Perry |
1,640 Vijay Singh |
PGA Tour Champions Players of the Month
Three members of the media form a panel which determines the recipients. The winners receive a medal.