Brandt Snedeker was formally announced as the PGA Tour’s Rookie of the Year earlier today.

Snedeker’s rookie year was one of the best in recent memory. After earning his Tour Card by finishing ninth on the Nationwide Tour’s money list in 2006, Snedeker had a fabulous year in which he earned his first PGA Tour victory at the Wyndham Championship and only missed the cut in six of the 29 events he played in. Snedeker also played in all the FedEx Cup Tournaments including the Tour Championship. When it was all said and done, Sendeker totaled $2,836,643 placing him 17th on the money list. His total is also the third highest rookie total ever. The award is voted on by his peers on the PGA Tour, Snedeker beat out Anthony Kim and George McNeil to win the award. Snedeker said, "This has been a wonderful season for me and to finish it by being voted by my peers as the Rookie of the Year is tremendous."

If you need proof that statistics can often lie, take a look at Snedeker’s 2007 numbers. He did not excel at any of the typically lauded categories such as driving distance where his 285 yard average placed him just 127th and a driving accuracy percentage of just under 60% also placed him 153rd. His putting statistics however, were much better. His 28.58 putts per round (15th) and 1.766 putting average (33rd) were clearly a major part of his stellar year. Senedeker was also one of the best when it came to three putt avoidance where his paltry 1.75% placed him 3rd on the list.

A very strong third place finish at the Buick Open in February earned Snedeker over $350,000 and a successful West Coast Swing in which he made four cuts took some pressure off the rest of his season. "I wanted to keep my card and learn as much as possible about life on this TOUR and find a comfort level out here. Thankfully, I got off to a good start on the west coast swing and my confidence grew," said Snedeker. Four more top ten finishes throughout the rest of the season including his win allowed him to achieve his goal and set new ones. Snedeker said, "My 2007 year has already opened a lot of doors for me," Snedeker said. "I was able to spend some time in November and December in Japan and Australia and it has been a great experience."