2026 Florida Swing Awards

This year’s Florida Swing brought a little bit of everything: an epic meltdown, a statement win from a future star, a gutsy finish at the Players Championship, pace-of-play angst, and more. In commemoration, I’m handing out awards to the most deserving candidates from an eventful stretch down in the unofficial capital of professional golf.

Most Valuable Player

Cameron Young

Two players posted at least two top-10 finishes — including a win — during the four-event Florida swing: Young and Matt Fitzpatrick. Young’s victory at the Players Championship gives him the clear edge over Fitzpatrick’s Valspar Championship win.

Rarely does a drive stand out as one of the best shots of a given season, but Young’s bomb on the 18th at TPC Sawgrass is one of the best tee shots in recent memory. A 375-yard drive threaded through trouble while tied for the lead and hunting down the biggest win of his career. It doesn’t get more clutch, especially on the heels of another great shot at the island green 17th.

In two starts in Florida, Young earned a win at the Players and a T-3 at the Arnold Palmer Invitational. That’s an efficient, MVP-worthy display.

Honorable Mention: Matt Fitzpatrick

{{inline-article}}

The Bachelor Award

Alejandro Tosti

When one door closes, another one opens. On Thursday, ABC canceled the upcoming season of “The Bachelorette” after a 2023 video surfaced of the star attacking her ex-boyfriend. Also on Thursday, Alejandro Tosti unveiled a caddie bib at the Valspar Championship that read: “Need a Wife.”

If you can’t connect those dots, I just don’t know what to tell you. Should Mr. Tosti and Ms. Taylor Frankie Paul get connected? No, that’s not where I was going with that. That would be an extremely volatile duo. But should ABC scramble to build a season of “The Bachelor” around Tosti? Absolutely.

You want to grow the game? Drop Tosti on an island with a set of golf clubs, an airplane, and a group of lovely potential matches, and you have a smash hit. First date: the Myrtle Beach Classic. Who says no?

Best Surprise

Brooks Koepka

The former Smash GC captain’s return to form shouldn’t come as a complete shock. He is, after all, a five-time major champion. Still, it has been impressive to watch Koepka steadily improve ahead of major season. In three Florida swing appearances, Koepka didn’t finish outside of the top 20. Notably, he ranked third in the field in Strokes Gained: Approach at the Valspar and fourth at the Players. If you’re searching for reasons to be optimistic about his chances at Augusta, look no further than the iron play. Eye-catching numbers.

Biggest Disappointment

J.J. Spaun

I expected much more from the reigning U.S. Open champion in 2026. Spaun has yet to record a top-20 finish this year and finished five shots from making the cut in his most recent start at the Valspar. Form comes and goes, but Spaun’s rise to becoming one of the best 10 players in the world last year didn’t seem fluky. Right now, he’s a long way from that level.

Honorable Mention: Ben Griffin

The Jon Sumrall Award

Brian Rolapp

At his first State of the Tour address, the new PGA Tour CEO spoke eloquently about the media landscape, changes he hopes to implement, and the Tour’s future. For the first time in a decade, the Tour’s leader didn’t look like he was actively receiving a wedgie when asked an unscripted question.  

It’s far too early to evaluate the tenure of Rolapp. I am ready, however, to conclude that he is an upgrade over his predecessor, almost by default. A downgrade was virtually impossible. After years of dysfunction and disappointment, he inspires cautious optimism. For that reason, he wins this year’s Jon Sumrall Award.

Most Tired Social Media Bit

“Spieth is Spiething!”

Whenever Jordan Spieth hits one off the planet and makes par, be prepared for an inundation of the world’s most recycled golf joke. We get it: he blocked a drive 30 yards right and finished T-23. This isn’t a knock on Jordan. It’s a call to action for people to find a new joke.

“Can you believe what Jordan Spieth just did???” Yes!

The Cinderella Award

Jupiter Links

I’m old enough to remember when upsets used to happen in the NCAA Tournament. Nowadays, “March Madness” is merely a tagline, a vestige of the past, at least on the basketball court.

In indoor simulator golf with questionable technology, though, March still delivers Cinderella stories. Last week, Jupiter Links — frequently referred to as “Jupiter Stinks” — took down top-seeded Boston Common in a 9-5 drubbing. It was just one match, but it could mark the beginning of one of the most inspiring runs in team sports history.  It also won’t quiet the noise that Rory McIlroy is a one-trick pony, and that one trick is outdoor golf.

The Paul Azinger Award

Shane Lowry

Nobody believes in the power of pressure more than Paul Azinger. Until now. Perhaps Shane Lowry shares Azinger’s fervor. Down the closing stretch at PGA National, Lowry unraveled in spectacular fashion, doubling both the 16th and 17th after splashing a pair of the worst iron shots you’ll see a pro golfer hit in two quintessential Florida ponds.

In a sport dominated by right-handed players who prefer a left-to-right shot shape, holes with water down the right side may continue to prove effective tests of nerve. Ludvig Aberg concurs after his own experience on No. 11 at TPC Sawgrass.

Honorable Mentions: Ludvig Aberg, Daniel Berger

The Human Glacier Award

Adrien Dumont de Chassart

Dumont de Chassart played so slowly on Sunday at the Valspar that Fitzpatrick resorted to playing out of turn before eventually asking a rules official to monitor the situation. Dumont de Chassart did ultimately receive an official warning.

“That was really frustrating. It was slow today…When you're not ready to play a golf shot, it gets frustrating after a while,” Fitzpatrick said after the tournament. “I was kind of chasing my tail, because I'm trying to speed up and trying to keep us or get back in position, and at the same time you're obviously trying to win a golf tournament. At that point in the week, it's kind of a hard balance.”

Yell it from the rooftops, Fitzy! Unfortunately, there are plenty of worthy candidates for this award, but it appears that shame may be the only effective disinfectant. So here at Fried Egg Golf, we’re just trying to do our part.

Honorable Mentions: Xander Schauffele, Daniel Berger

The Shooters Shoot Award

Sudarshan Yellamaraju

Yellamaraju took some big swings en route to a T-5 finish at the Players Championship, but his biggest swing came after the tournament ended. Roger Steele asked the Canadian if he had any celebrity crushes, to which Yellamaraju replied, “Sydney Sweeney,” one of the most popular actors in the world.

You don’t work your way through Canadian mini-tours and up to the PGA Tour without self-belief. That same confidence has him sitting 30th in the FedEx Cup Standings, currently inside the cutline to make the Tour Championship. If Yellamaraju makes it to East Lake, you’d have to think Sweeney at least takes the phone call.

The Keegan Bradley Award

Brandt Snedeker

Sneds played his way into the final pairing at the Valspar on Sunday, a remarkable feat for a 45-year-old who entered the Valspar 0-for-4 on made cuts this season and with just three top-10 finishes since the start of 2022. Sunday didn’t go very well — he shot 5-over 76 to finish T-18 — but he did hold a share of the lead on the front nine.

Is it realistic to expect Snedeker to become a regular presence atop leaderboards the rest of the season? No, absolutely not. We’re unlikely to hear his name again on a PGA Tour Sunday.

But if Snedeker, who will captain the U.S. Presidents Cup team this upcoming September, somehow strings together another high finish or two, I’d be very interested in chumming the waters about a potential playing-captain situation. What could go wrong?