After returning to No. 1 in the world and on the back of his five big wins, Tiger Woods has once again been named PGA Player of the Year for the 11th time in his career.
Woods took home the Jack Nicklaus award without winning a major by coming out on top at two World Golf Championships and the Players Championship while also winning the Vardon Trophy for the lowest scoring average and the PGA Tour money title.
Woods was honored to have such a promising year.
"It's been an incredible year to have won five times, two of those World Golf championships and one Players," Woods told ESPN via a conference call Friday. "It's been just a fantastic year all around. It's also an incredible feeling to be voted by your peers, and to have that type of respect is something that's very humbling."
Woods had plenty of competition on the ballot as British Open champion Phil Mickelson, Masters champion Adam Scott, Fed-Ex Cup champion Henrik Stenson and Matt Kuchar also appeared, but ESPN reports that the runner-up and the amount of votes Woods received will not be revealed.
Despite having more wins (42) and more majors (five) than any player besides Woods, Mickelson has never won PGA Player of the Year, the PGA Tour money title or No. 1 in the world ranking.
ESPN reports that even though Woods won the Jack Nicklaus award without winning a major, it's the fourth time in five years that the award was handed to a non-major winner. Woods joins Fred Couples (1991, 1992) and Nick Price (1993, 1994) as the only person to win multiple Jack Nicklaus awards since its inception in 1990. While those two have won it twice, Woods has made history by capturing it for the 11th time.
This year marks the first time that Woods has won these coveted awards since the struggles of his personal life became front-page news in 2009, but Woods, 37, said the feeling doesn't ever get old to him.
"I know how hard it is," Woods said per ESPN. "I've had to work my way back from injuries on numerous occasions throughout the years. These last couple years is no exception to that. There were a lot of people saying I could never win again, and two years later I've got eight wins on our tour. I'm very proud of where I've come from, from being ranked outside the top 50 to being ranked where I am now, and to have had the success that I've had this year just makes it all the more rewarding."
Woods said winning the Players Championship meant a lot to him because the golf course has given him much frustration through the years.
"You start playing golf courses that you like and that suit your game," Woods told ESPN. "Guys generally play that schedule and give themselves the best opportunity to win tournaments and to have a nice living out on tour. For me, The Players Championship is the big event and against probably the strongest field we play all year. I haven't had a lot of success since 2001."
Woods added: "To finally put myself there with the chance and the way I was hitting it to get it done on that Sunday, boy, it sure felt good."
After everything that happened in 2009 and through all of his injuries, getting the accolades this year could only feel good for the golfer.
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