Tiger, Zinger and Clark win PGA awards

In votes by their peers, Tiger Woods, Michael Clark II and Paul Azinger have won the PGA TOUR's top awards for 2000.

Woods, named PGA TOUR Player of the Year for the third time in four seasons (also 1997 and 1999), authored one of the greatest
years in golf history in 2000.

He won nine times, including three major championships, while setting scoring average and money-winning
records. Woods’ season has been compared to great years by Bobby Jones (1930), Byron Nelson (1945) and Ben Hogan (1953).

By being named recipient of the Jack Nicklaus Trophy, Woods is the first three-time winner of the PGA Tour Player of the Year
Award. Fred Couples and Nick Price are two-time winners of the
award, which was created in 1990.

“The fact that I was able to work on a lot of things I haven’t
been able to work on in the past few years all came together in the
biggest events,” Woods said recently.

“The fact that I was able to
play as well as I did in the big events, in the major championships,
our Players Championship, Tour Championship, the World
Golf Championships. . .that’s ultimately what you want to have
happen.”

Ernie Els and Phil Mickelson were the other finalists.

Clark was the only first-year player to win on the 2000 PGA
Tour, at the John Deere Classic, and earned Rookie of the Year
honors for his efforts. He finished 56th on the money list with
$854,822. The over finalists were Edward Fryatt and Matt Gogel.
Clark, 31, birdied the fourth
playoff hole to win the John Deere Classic, one of six top-25
finishes he had in 2000.

Azinger earned the Tour’s Comeback Player of the Year
Award after winning the Sony Open in Hawaii in January. It was the
40-year-old Azinger's first victory since his successful battle against
lymphoma in late 1993.

Azinger ended the year with a career-best $1,597,539 and
capped his comeback season with a position on the United States
Presidents Cup Team.

Steve Lowery, Blaine McCallister, Scott Verplank and Grant
Waite were the other nominees for the award.