Pablo Larrazabal says Jon Rahm ‘deserved’ the 2023 Player of the Year instead of Scottie Scheffler - “Well… is not because I am Spanish”

Scottie Scheffler was named the PGA Tour Player of the Year for 2023 on Wednesday (3 January). The decision didn’t sit well with many fans and players, including European star Pablo Larrazabal. The Spanish golfer has now come forward to state that Jon Rahm was more ‘deserving’ of the Jack Nicklaus trophy.

According to Larrazabal, The Masters champion deserved to win the 2023 Player of the Year title. However, he was skipped from the voting due to his recent association with LIV Golf. It is pertinent to note that Jon Rahm arguably had the best year of his professional career, winning four events and helping the European Ryder Cup team to victory.

Commenting on the PGA Tour’s post on Scottie Scheffler winning the 2023 Player of the Year award, Pablo Larrazabal wrote on X (formerly Twitter):

“Well… is not because I am Spanish but @TheMasters champion @JonRahmOfficial really deserves the 2023 player of the year on the @PGATOUR”

Jon Rahm snubbed as Scottie Scheffler wins the PGA Tour Player of the Year title

Jon Rahm currently sits at No.3 in the Official World Golf Rankings (OWGR). The Spaniard recorded victories at the Augusta Masters, the Sentry, the American Express, and the Los Angeles Open in 2023. He reportedly earned around $21 million.

Here are the PGA Tour results and earnings of Jon Rahm in 2023:

Sentry Tournament of Champions

Result:1
Score: 64-71-67-63
Prize money: $2,700,000.00

The American Express

Result: 1
Score: 64-64-65-68
Prize money: $1,440,000.00

Farmers Insurance Open

Result: T7
Score: 73-67-66-74
Prize money: $282,750.00

WM Phoenix Open

Result: 3
Score: 68-66-68-68
Prize money: $1,380,000.00

The Genesis Invitational

Result: 1
Score: 65-68-65-69
Prize money: $3,600,000.00

Arnold Palmer Invitational, presented by Mastercard

Result: T39
Score: 65-76-76-72
Prize money: $70,028.57

THE PLAYERS Championship

Result: W/D

World Golf Championships-Dell Technologies Match Play

Result: T31
Prize money: $113,761.91

Masters Tournament

Result: 1
Score: 65-69-73-69
Prize money: $3,240,000.00

RBC Heritage

Result: T15
Score: 72-64-69-68
Prize money: $335,000.00

Mexico Open at Vidanta

Result: 2
Score: 67-68-61-67
Prize money: $839,300.00

PGA Championship

Result: T50
Score: 76-68-72-71
Prize money: $37,625.00

The Memorial Tournament presented by Workday

Result: T16
Score: 70-70-74-74
Prize money: $275,500.00

U.S. Open

Result: T10
Score: 69-73-70-65
Prize money: $435,018.00

Travelers Championship

Result: CUT
Score: 67-71

The Open Championship

Result: T2
Score: 74-70-63-70
Prize money: $1,084,625.00

FedEx St. Jude Championship

Result: T37
Score: 73-67-67-68
Prize money: $88,000.00

BMW Championship

Result: T31
Score: 68-74-71-67
Prize money: $139,000.00

TOUR Championship

Result: T18
Score: 69-65-71-74
Prize money: $670,000

However, the vote for the Player of the Year title went to World No.1 Scottie Scheffler. The Texas native, who won only the Phoenix Open this season, received 38 per cent votes from players including Viktor Hovland and Rory McIlroy. The golfer was deemed the most consistent player, finishing 13 times in the top 5s and 17 times in the top 10s.

The American golfer beat Jon Rahm to win the trophy back-to-back. With the achievement, Scheffler joined Fred Couples, Nick Price and Tiger Woods in the elite club of consecutive winners.

Meanwhile, 35-year-old Eric Cole was voted best rookie, beating Ludvig Aberg, Nico Echavarria and Vincent Norrman. Lilia Vu was voted LPGA’s best player and Steve Stricker was crowned the best player on the Champions Tour.