Ricardo Gonzalez earns Rookie of the Year honors in impressive first season

KA’UPULEHU-KONA, Hawaii, and PONTE VEDRA BEACH, Fla. – Following another remarkable season on PGA TOUR Champions, Charles Schwab Cup Champion Steven Alker swept the 2024 season awards, earning the prestigious 2024 Jack Nicklaus Award as Player of the Year for the second time in three seasons, while also claiming the Arnold Palmer Award, given annually to the Tour's money leader, and the Byron Nelson Award, awarded to the player with the best scoring average on the Champions Tour.

Alker’s stellar year included capturing his second career Schwab Cup, a season-opening victory at the 2024 Mitsubishi Electric Championship, five runner-up finishes and 16 top-10 finishes across 22 starts. The honors were presented at the PGA TOUR Champions Annual Awards Dinner, held Tuesday night during the season-opening Mitsubishi Electric Championship at Hualalai. During the event, Ricardo Gonzalez was also recognized as the 2024 Hale Irwin Rookie of the Year following an excellent rookie campaign on PGA TOUR Champions.

“As I reflect on the year, I'm so proud of my consistency this year, a lot of top-10 finishes,” said Alker. “When you win the low stroke-average award, the money title, now the Schwab Cup, it all adds up to an amazing year. I can name at least three or four of the guys up here who probably deserve this as much as I do. That’s how close it was and how good these guys played. I’m very honored to win Player of the Year. It’s a huge honor, so thank you."

Alker added the 2024 Charles Schwab Cup to his esteemed Champions Tour resume, finishing runner-up to World Golf Hall of Fame member Bernhard Langer at the season-ending Charles Schwab Cup Championship to best World Golf Hall of Fame member Ernie Els for the season-long title. Alker – who claimed his first Charles Schwab Cup in 2022 – became the seventh player in PGA TOUR Champions history to win multiple Charles Schwab Cups, joining Bernhard Langer (six), Tom Lehman (two), Loren Roberts (two), Jay Haas (two), Tom Watson (two) and Hale Irwin (two). Alker also finished runner-up to Steve Stricker on the 2023 season-long race.

Alker was selected as Player of the Year by a vote from his fellow players, surpassing five other candidates: Stephen Ames, who won three times in 2024 and finished fifth in the Charles Schwab Cup standings; Paul Broadhurst, who won twice and finished 12th in the standings; World Golf Hall of Fame members Els, who won three times (including his first major title) and finished runner-up after sitting atop the Charles Schwab Cup points standings for 14 weeks; Langer, who captured his 47th victory in the season finale and finished seventh in the standings and Padraig Harrington, who won three times (including a three-time title defense) and was inducted into the World Golf Hall of Fame in June and finished fourth in the season-long race.

"On behalf of our entire organization, I would like to offer my sincere congratulations to Steven Alker and Ricardo Gonzalez for their exceptional accomplishments this season," said Miller Brady, president of PGA TOUR Champions. "Steven's consistency is extraordinary, as he is near the top of the leaderboard seemingly every week. Steven is a tremendous ambassador for our Tour and a deserving recipient of the Player of the Year honors.

“Ricardo Gonzalez had a fantastic season, ending the year in the top 10 in the Charles Schwab Cup standings,” said Brady. “From his victory in Morocco to his six top-10 finishes on the season, Ricardo made an instant impact and earned this distinction.”

Argentinian Ricardo Gonzalez earned the newly renamed Hale Irwin PGA TOUR Champions Rookie of the Year Award, which honors Irwin’s legacy as one of the preeminent players in the history of PGA TOUR Champions.

“I am also thrilled to announce that the Rookie of the Year Award will now bear the name of Hale Irwin,” said Brady. “Hale is not only one of the greatest golfers of his era, but he has also been, and continues to be, an integral part of our Tour. Renaming this prestigious award in his honor is a fitting tribute to his remarkable legacy, and PGA TOUR Champions is proud to carry this tradition forward.”

Hale Irwin – a member of the World Golf Hall of Fame and the 1995 PGA TOUR Champions Rookie of the Year – is among the most distinguished players to compete on the Champions Tour, and has served as an ambassador for this Tour for many years. His 45 wins are the second most in Tour history, while his seven senior major championships are tied with Steve Stricker for the fourth-most all-time. During his PGA TOUR career, Irwin amassed 20 PGA TOUR victories, including three U.S. Open wins. In 2019, in acknowledgment of his character, sportsmanship and commitment to charity, Irwin received the PGA TOUR's Payne Stewart Award presented by Southern Company.

“I’m very honored to have the Rookie of the Year bear my name,” said Irwin. “Golf – and particularly PGA TOUR Champions – has been so good to me. Seeing this award makes me want to go back to being a rookie, which brings excitement, it brings a freshness, like turning over a new leaf, starting a new chapter in the book. I’m grateful to be affiliated with that excitement.”

The 55-year-old Gonzlez’s rookie campaign saw him make 25 starts, with one win and two runner-up finishes among his six top-10 finishes on the year. Gonzalez earned his first win on PGA TOUR Champions at Trophy Hassan II in Morocco, after earning a spot in the field by virtue of a top-four finish in the 2023 Staysure Order of Merit on the Legends Tour. That victory gave Gonzalez fully exempt status on PGA TOUR Champions through the end of the 2025 season and earns his spot this week at the Mitsubishi Electric Championship at Hualalai for both 2025 and 2026. Gonzalez ended the year ranked 10th in the Charles Schwab Cup standings.

“I'm very happy to receive this award,” said Gonzalez. “Thank you to all the players and to the Champions Tour – the greatest tour in the world. I want to share this trophy with my son, Santiago. Thank you very much.”

Although Gonzalez celebrated his 50th birthday on Oct. 24, 2019, and competed in several PGA TOUR Champions events, he was able to retain rookie eligibility for the 2024 season. Gonzalez received the Hale Irwin Rookie of the Year honor over Stewart Cink.

Steven Alker – Player of the Year

• 2024 Charles Schwab Cup winner (second Cup in three years, first in 2022)
• 2024 Jack Nicklaus Award (Player of the Year)
• 2024 Arnold Palmer Award (season money winner)
• 2024 Byron Nelson Award (season scoring average)
• 2024 season summary: one victory, five runner-up finishes, 16 top-10 finishes in 22 starts
• 2024 wins: Mitsubishi Electric Championship at Hualalai
• 2024 scoring average: 67.78 (first)
• 2024 winnings: $2,447,588 (first)

Ricardo Gonzalez – Rookie of the Year

• 2024 Hale Irwin Rookie of the Year
• 2024 season summary: one victory, two runner-up finishes, six top-10 finishes in 25 starts
• 2024 wins: Trophy Hassan II
• 2024 winnings: $1,571,204 (10th)
• Finished 10th in the Charles Schwab Cup standings

The 2025 PGA TOUR Champions season begins on Thursday, Jan. 16, with the first round of the Mitsubishi Electric Championship at Hualalai. Alker, the defending champion at the event, is among the competitors in the 42-player field.

For more information on PGA TOUR Champions, please visit PGATOUR.com.