Byron Nelson Award

Byron Nelson Award Trophy
This trophy is presented to the Byron Nelson Award winners on both the PGA Tour and Champions Tour. Sam Greenwood / Getty Images
By
Brent Kelley
    Brent Kelley is an award-winning sports journalist and golf expert with over 30 years in print and online journalism.
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    Brent Kelley
    Updated August 28, 2019

    The Byron Nelson Award is what the PGA Tour presents to the tour's lowest scorer at the end of each season. And the Champions Tour does the same.

    The PGA of America also presents an award for lowest scoring average, called the Vardon Trophy. Beginning in 1980, the PGA Tour introduced its own such award, and that is the Byron Nelson Award. The biggest difference between the two is that the Vardon Trophy requires golfers to play a minimum of 60 PGA Tour rounds to qualify; the Byron Nelson Award requires a minimum of 50 rounds. So the two awards do, occasionally, go to different golfers.

    The Byron Nelson Award was originally based on actual scoring average (number of strokes played divided by number of rounds played). Since 1988, the PGA Tour's version of the award is based on adjusted scoring average. (The Champions Tour continues to use actual scoring average.) Adjusted scoring average is a metric that takes into account the difficulty of the golf courses played (using field scoring average as a measure of degree of difficulty).

    Winners of the PGA Tour Byron Nelson Award

    2019 - Rory McIlroy, 69.057
    2018 - Dustin Johnson, 68.69
    2017 - Jordan Spieth, 68.85
    2016 - Dustin Johnson, 69.17
    2015 - Jordan Spieth, 68.91
    2014 - Rory McIlroy, 68.83
    2013 - Steve Stricker, 68.95
    2012 - Rory McIlroy, 68.87
    2011 - Luke Donald, 68.86
    2010 - Matt Kuchar, 69.61
    2009 - Tiger Woods, 68.05
    2008 - Sergio Garcia, 69.12
    2007 - Tiger Woods, 67.79
    2006 - Tiger Woods, 68.11
    2005 - Tiger Woods, 68.66
    2004 - Vijay Singh, 68.84
    2003 - Tiger Woods, 68.41
    2002 - Tiger Woods, 68.56
    2001 - Tiger Woods, 68.81
    2000 - Tiger Woods, 67.79
    1999 - Tiger Woods, 68.43
    1998 - David Duval, 69.13
    1997 - Nick Price, 68.98
    1996 - Tom Lehman, 69.32
    1995 - Greg Norman, 69.06
    1994 - Greg Norman, 68.81
    1993 - Greg Norman, 68.90
    1992 - Fred Couples, 69.38
    1990 - Greg Norman, 69.10
    1991 - Fred Couples, 69.59
    1989 - Payne Stewart, 69.485
    1988 - Greg Norman, 69.38
    1987 - David Frost, 70.09
    1986 - Scott Hoch, 70.08
    1985 - Don Pooley, 70.36
    1984 - Calvin Peete, 70.56
    1983 - Raymond Floyd, 70.61
    1982 - Tom Kite, 70.21
    1981 - Tom Kite, 69.80
    1980 - Lee Trevino, 69.73