It will be interesting to see who wins Golfer of the Year on the 2024 PGA Tour.

Bill Kennedy, Golf Columnist

There are two highly qualified candidates — Xander Schauffele and Scottie Scheffler. Both are extremely deserving of this award. If it could be shared as co-winners, that would be justified.

Schauffele has won two majors: the PGA and the British Open. In a normal year that would do it for this award. Two major championships in a season are generally all that is necessary to be player of the year.

This, however, is not a normal year.

Scheffler has won six PGA Tour events: a major at the Masters, the prestigious Players plus the Travelers, Memorial, RBC Heritage and Arnold Palmer Invitational. Adding to that, Scheffler fired a fourth-round 62 to capture the gold medal at the Olympic Games on Aug. 4.

Then there are the words of Rory McElroy, who basically said that the Ryder Cup and Olympic Games golf are more significant than any of the PGA Tour events. They pay golfers very little by comparison to PGA Tour tournaments, but their importance, at least to McElroy, is that players at the Ryder Cup and Olympics are representing their countries.

McElroy does have a point, particularly about the Olympics. Ask any athlete in any sport about the importance of medaling at the Olympic Games and the answer will be that it stokes their pride and patriotism immensely. Also, many athletes are proud just to make their nation’s Olympic squad.

The Olympics, more than the Ryder Cup, are competitions for teams. Most sports are founded on team play. And when an athlete can represent his or her country in team play, it is the ultimate honor.

Summed up: If there had to be a vote coming from Par For the Course, it would go to Scheffler. But clearly, both Scottie and Xander have had seasons worthy of this citation.

*****

In the Maine Golf Match-Play invitational Aug. 5-7 at Riverside, Joe Baker of Norway was defeated in the championship round, 3&2, by Dave Glashen of Waterville.

Andrew Slattery of Portland, formerly of Martindale, went to the third round before being eliminated, as did Jace Pearson of Martindale. Craig Chapman and Jordan Jones, both of Fox Ridge, were ousted in the second round. Losers in the first round were Alan Fifield of Martindale along with Curtis Jordan of Portland, formerly of Martindale.

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Maine Golf play days for men and women are Aug. 13. The men will be at Rockland, and the women will play Cape Neddick and the Highlands.

Bill Kennedy, a retired New Jersey golf writer and editor now residing on Thompson Lake in Otisfield, is in his 12th season as Sun Journal golf columnist.