A closer look: The 2018-19 PGA Tour awards

Though we know Brooks Koepka has already been honored as the PGA of America Player of the Year and Rory McIlroy took home both the Vardon Trophy and Byron Nelson Award for scoring in 2018-19, the two biggest honors on the PGA Tour still need to be decided.

The finalists for both the PGA Tour Rookie of the Year (Arnold Palmer Award) and Player of the Year (Jack Nicklaus Award) have been announced. We've broke them all down in order leading up to our predicted winner.

PGA Tour Rookie of the Year (Arnold Palmer Award)

Collin Morikawa

Talk about making a name yourself right out of the gate. The 22-year-old Morikawa, who debuted at the Canadian Open, made the cut in each of the nine tournaments he played in this season. Even more impressive: He finished inside the top 10 at three of them and won the Barracuda Championship in late July. Though Morikawa is a rightful finalist, the sample size is probably too small for him to win.

Matthew Wolff

Like Morikawa, Wolff made a splash late in the season after turning pro in June. In fact, Wolff edged out Morikawa to win July's 3M Open — in just his fourth tournament as a professional. Wolff entered eight tournaments and missed the cut in only one while notching three finishes inside the top 25. Like Morikawa, he probably did not put enough time in to earn this particular honor.

Cameron Champ

One of the Tour's biggest hitters, Champ was a popular preseason favorite to win this award. It can be argued he actually underachieved after winning the Sanderson Farms Championship last fall. He posted just three top-10 finishes while making the cut in 14 of the 26 events he started. Champ did make almost $1.7 million this season, so apparently that's enough to put him in contention for Rookie of the Year.

Adam Long

It's good to see guys in their 30s finally making the most of a big break. At almost 32, Long is the oldest of the five finalists and might have had the most dramatic victory of the season. That came at January's Desert Classic when he sank a bending, 13-foot birdie putt on the final hole to pull off the upset. Long totaled five top-25 finishes of the 27 tournaments he entered, but that stunning victory is enough to put him near the top of our list.

Sungjae Im

Im did not win a tournament in 2018-29, but he was arguably the most consistent rookie on tour. He finished inside the top 25 in 16 of the 26 cuts he made (over 35 starts), had seven top 10s and placed 19th in the FedEx Cup. When it was all said and done, the 21-year-old South Korean walked away with more than $2.8 million in earnings this season. He should be rewarded for that overall effort by being named Rookie of the Year.

PGA Tour Player of the Year (Jack Nicklaus Award)

Matt Kuchar

The 41-year-old came to play this season and was among the most consistent golfers in the world. Kuchar won his first Tour event since 2014 with victories at the Mayakoba Golf Classic and the Sony Open. He made the cut in 20 of the 22 tournaments he started and was 16th in the FedEx Cup. Though some have questioned his tipping tendencies involving caddies, Kuchar cleared more than $6 million to finish third in the money standings. However, it's still not good enough to win Player of the Year.

Xander Schauffele

One has to believe Schauffele is on the cusp of true greatness. In 2018-19, he won twice, tied for second at the Masters and also earned a T3 at the U.S. Open. He also finished second at the TOUR Championship, thus leaving him second in the FedEx Cup. It's quite impressive the progress the 25-year old continues to make. However, this probably will not be the year Schauffele is honored as the Tour's best player, but it seems only a matter of time before he will.

Rory McIlroy

McIlroy won three tournaments in 2018-19, including the TOUR Championship, to win the FedEx Cup, yet it's fair to say that missing the cut at the Open Championship on his home turf overshadowed all the success he enjoyed — at least from a personal standpoint. In the end, McIlroy grinded his way to a strong finish, was the best scorer on Tour (69.057 average) and proved he's rightfully among the best in the world. Although, his Open disappointment might be the stain that keeps him from winning this award.

Brooks Koepka

He's still the best golfer in the world, even though he's not atop the FedEx Cup standings. Koepka won three tournaments this season, including a second consecutive PGA Championship, and he finished at the top of the money list with more than $9.8 million in earnings. Of the 21 Tour events Koepka started, he finished inside the top 10 in nine. We still believe Koepka is a threat to win every tournament he enters and will be the 2019 PGA Tour Player of the Year for a second straight season.