Hokie ClubFormer Virginia Tech golfer Brendon de Jonge has been named the Nationwide Tour Player of the Year, as announced by PGA TOUR Commissioner Tim Finchem.
He joins Padraig Harrington of the PGA Tour and Bernhard Langer of the Champions Tour as fellow recipients of the award on their respective tours.
“I know this award means so much to all three players because it is bestowed upon them by their peers,†said Finchem. “Congratulations to Padraig Harrington, Bernhard Langer and Brendon de Jonge for their outstanding accomplishments this season. They each provided memorable moments to our fans around the world, and I’m sure 2008 is a year they’ll never forget.â€
Harrington, Langer and de Jonge will each receive the Jack Nicklaus Trophy, symbolic of their selections as Players of the Year.
De Jonge, a native of Harare, Zimbabwe, earned Nationwide Tour Player of the Year honors after finishing second on the money list, thanks to one win, a runner-up and three third-place finishes. The 28-year-old competed in 28 of the Tour’s 30 events and finished in the top-25 nearly 60 percent of the time. He was No. 1 on the money list for seven weeks in a row until Matt Betterncourt overtook him by winning the Nationwide Tour Championship at TPC Craig Ranch.
A graduate of Virginia Tech who now resides in Charlotte, N.C., de Jonge becomes the second international player in the 19-year history of the Nationwide Tour to earn top honors, following Nick Flanagan of Australia (2007). He was selected over nominees Jeff Klauk, Jarrod Lyle and Bettencourt.
De Jonge earned his PGA Tour card by virtue of his second-place finish on the Nationwide Tour money list. He previously played on the PGA Tour in the 2007 season.