PGA Tour Rookie of the Year: Justin Thomas or Tony Finau?

The 2014-2015 PGA Tour year is winding down as we only have the BMW Championship and the Tour Championship left in the season. With the week off in the PGA Tour schedule now has been a good time to reflect and just get a look at the landscape.

With the year coming to a close some hardware will be given out. Some of them are statistics based and some have pretty much been wrapped up already. One award that is still up for grabs, however, is the PGA Tour Rookie of the Year.

This has been an interesting race from the start as we have had a really talented class. As the season has progressed it has become a two horse race between Justin Thomas and Tony Finau.

Both are worthy enough to be recipients of the 2014-2015 PGA Tour Rookie of the Year, but who has the inside track with two events left?

It’s an interesting question and when you take a look at their respective resumes, as of the Deutsche Bank Championship, there is no wrong answer. It is a razor thin race.

Tony Finau is 80th in the Official World Golf Rankings and 41st in the FedEx Cup standings. Finau has played in 30 events; has made the cut in 21 of them with sixteen top 25’s and five top 10’s.

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Justin Thomas is 72nd in the Official World Golf Rankings and 35th in the FedEx Cup standings. Thomas has played in 29 events; has made the cut in 22 of them with fourteen top 25’s and seven top 10’s.

Like I say, it is razor thin close and based on the stats you might lean towards Thomas. However, the difference might be the majors. Finau has played in two of the four majors this year, while Thomas only played at the PGA Championship.

Thomas was T-18 at the PGA Championship while Finau was in contention on Saturday and ended up finishing in a tie for 10th. Also, Finau was apart of the story at the U.S. Open and ended up finishing in a tie for 14th.

It has been an interesting back and forth battle all year long. Coming into the season Thomas was the most decorated rookie of the entire class considering his collegiate success at Alabama. But, he started on the wrong foot missing cuts at the Frys.com Open and the Shriners Open.

Conversely, Finau got off to a quick start with a T-12 at Frys, T-7 at Shriners, and a T-14 at The McGladrey Classic.

Then the wheels got loose in the middle of the season for Finau as at one point he missed three straight cuts and missed the cut in five of seven tournaments. Thomas, meanwhile, had a strong January and had a strong April.

Coming down the stretch, both have been about the same. Week in and week out they have been consistently good.

Jul 9, 2015; Silvis, IL, USA; Early leader Justin Thomas acknowledges the crowd at the ninth green in the first round of the John Deere Classic at TPC Deere Run. Thomas shot an opening round 63. Mandatory Credit: Jeffrey Becker-USA TODAY Sports

Thomas has made the cut in eight of his last ten tournaments posting two top fives and four top eighteens.

Finau has made the cut in eight of his last ten tournaments, as well. He has posted two top tens and has finished in the top twenty-five in seven of those tournaments.

When you factor in everything, if I had a vote, I’d probably lean for Finau. But, I wouldn’t argue with you if you went with Thomas. It is that close of a race.

It has been an interesting and exciting race and I’m willing to wager that whoever makes it to the Tour Championship in Atlanta may end up winning the PGA Tour Rookie of the Year.

If they both don’t qualify for the Tour Championship, well, nothing really changes. It’ll add to the intrigue as to who will end up with the PGA Tour Rookie of the Year on their trophy case.

Next: Haas Misses the Mark on Presidents Cup Captain's Picks

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