USPGA Tour Rookie of the Year title in the balance
BY Bruce Young | 10 Dec 2002
Peter Lonard’s recent victories at both the PGA Championship and the MasterCard Masters have elevated him to an all time high ranking in world golf of number 44 and it appears that another prize may yet come Peter’s way this season, namely the USPGA Tour Rookie of the Year title.
Voted by the Tour’s players, it now appears that it is a race in two between he and Jonathon Byrd. Byrd won late in the season when he won the Buick Challenge and that may yet be an influencing factor, but a close look at the statistics tells an interesting story.
Peter Lonard played in twenty three official events this year, missing only the one cut and finishing four times in the top ten and in fourteen of those twenty three starts he was in the top twenty five. His best finish was third at the Genuity behind Els and Woods. He played in three of the four majors (he was not eligible for the US Masters) and in those finished 11th at the US Open, 14th at the British Open and 17th at the PGA.
Peter finished the year in 41st place on the money list with $US1,413,113.
Jonathon Byrd on the other hand played in thirty-two events, was inside the top ten on four occasions, ten times inside the top twenty-five, made fifteen cuts but missed seventeen. His win at the Buick saw him finish two spots ahead of Peter in thirty ninth place with earnings of $US1,462,713. He did win but he did not play in any of the majors.
Pat Perez at 40th on the money list may also be under consideration but his thirteen missed cuts and two withdrawals in thirty starts may count against him given that he did not win. He was twice second, but his inconsistency may count against him.
The only other rookie aside from Byrd to win this year was Luke Donald who had a fine finish to the year but it seems that he may come up just short in calculations.
So the decision, which is reached in the next couple of weeks, is a close one between Peter Lonard and Jonathon Byrd it would seem. There are arguments either way but if consistency and performance in majors counts for anything then surely Lonard must be the favourite.
