There are several contenders for the 2026 PGA Tour Player of the Year, but the leading front-runners are Wyndham Clark and Scottie Scheffler. With one event left, the POY race hinges on how voters define excellence. Amid this fierce debate, Justin Thomas shared his take on X.

“I think the best way to really debate it is which season would the players themselves actually rather have. Would they rather have more top 5’s, better scoring avg, consistency, wins, etc. Who has played better?” he tweeted on August 25.

“Scottie has ‘played better’ than anybody on the planet this season. No doubt. But… I find it hard to believe he would rather have his season (right now, pre Tour Champ) than Wyndham’s which includes a major and one more W. A lot of this award also includes recency bias vs the entire season. The timing is important to be fresh in people’s minds vs remembering what may have happened early in the season.”

The World No. 1’s two wins this year (The American Express on January 25 and the St. Jude Championship on August 16) pale compared to his prior two seasons, yet his consistency is unmatched.

In 19 starts, Scheffler has missed the cut just once and posted 12 top-5 finishes, including two top-3s, five runner-ups, and two wins—a consistency no peer matches. He is also first on the PGA Tour in SG: Total, SG: Tee to Green, and Greens in Regulation Percentage.

Clark’s path diverges sharply. He has three wins under his belt (the U.S. Open, the CJ Cup Byron Nelson, and the BMW Championship) but missed five cuts in 22 starts and just six top-5 finishes, including three wins and one top-3 finish.

Indeed, it’s a fight between recent wins and consistency. Whether Scheffler would trade his season for Clark’s, only he could say, but the way he approaches golf says otherwise.

When speaking about breaking Tiger Woods’ career earnings record at the BMW Championship, Scheffler said that he is proud of his consistency.

“But I think the consistency of putting myself in contention week in week out is something ‌that I’m ⁠very proud of.”

Scheffler values consistency as the path to wins—give yourself opportunities, and wins follow. According to him, the grind is about improving himself, and winning is a byproduct of that.

Rory McIlroy said something similar about Scheffler’s consistency and dominance. Echoing Justin Thomas, the Northern Irishman gave his verdict on the Player of the Year award ahead of the 2026 BMW Championship.

“It’s a hard one because I think right now, objectively, no one stands out, but subjectively, it depends what you value. Scottie has had an unbelievably consistent year without the wins he’s had the last couple of years. Again, it all depends on what you value.”

Speaking of what the player values, Thomas had his own goal in mind. The Tour reduced JT’s schedule this year after he returned from his surgery. Therefore, he aimed to qualify for the Tour Championship despite the reduced schedule, but failed to do so.

The TOUR Championship is around the corner. Once the results of the event are out, Thomas and many others will have a clear idea of whom to pick.