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2022, Down to the wire, WHO will be the player of the year?!?

October 03, 2022

Looking at the MPO field and who has a chance for the player of the year

With GMC just behind us and MVP Open just on the horizon it’s safe to say that the season is closing with a bang! While these 2 storied tournaments carry a lot of prestige they will also carry much importance in deciding the player of the year! With just 3 events left in the season (2 Pro Tour and USDGC) Player of the Year is most definitely still up for grabs! So let's dive into the field to see who still has a shot at this prestigious award

Ricky Wysocki - It’s hard to argue against Ricky right now. With 4 Pro Tour wins to his name this year (not including Silver Series) Ricky is leading in points heading into the final few events. He showed his grit with a 1 stroke win at Texas then a few months later had a dominant win at DDO. Three and a half months later he defended his split title at Ledgestone then promptly followed it up 1 month later with a win at GMC. Ricky leads the Pro Tour in both wins and podiums this year. If Ricky can put together podium finishes to finish out the year then nothing should stand in his way.
Paul McBeth - Remember that guy that was having “the worst season of his career”. Well the, now 6 time, world champ had something to say about that. With 2 wins to his name this year at Waco and more notably, Worlds, Paul McBeth would need to finish strong. Podiums at MVP and the Pro Tour Championship would certainly help but he will need to win USDGC to be in contention for Player of the Year.
Simon Lizotte - If you told me at the beginning of the year that Simon Lizotte would have a Pro Tour win this year I would have said you were crazy. Simon outdid himself and took home 3 Pro Tours this year, something completely unthinkable. While his 3 wins have been amazing he has been somewhat disappointing in the other events. With far too many finishes outside the top 20 Simon would need the final Major of the year to give himself a chance at Player of the Year.
Calvin Heimburg - Calvin has done this year what Calvin does. Kept himself in it. With 6 podiums and 2 wins in Elite Series events he’s been up toward the top an awful lot. Perhaps not to the extent we have seen in the past but I think this speaks more to the strength of the field as opposed to certain players getting worse. Calvin has been one of 2 players to finish in the top 10 at all 3 Majors most notably getting 3rd at the Champions cup. Now let's talk about his odds for player of the year. They are slim but still there. Calvin would need to take down MVP Open or DGPT Championship and he must win USDGC. What Calvin (and many of these other players) have in their favor is Ricky’s lack of ability to win a Major as of lately. A Major could be the deciding factor in this year's player of the year race.