There are 27 rookies on the PGA TOUR in 2021-22. This page provides a subjective ranking updated weekly. The Arnold Palmer Award winner is determined in a vote by PGA TOUR members who make at least 15 starts. The Ryder Cup, the Presidents Cup and the Olympic Games count as one of the 15.

Every member of the latest rookie class already feels good about what he's accomplished, but now each can draw a direct line between earning a PGA TOUR card for the first time and an ultimate perk for consistently strong performances with it.

One-eighth of the 24 participants in last week's Ryder Cup emerged from the last two full rookie contingents on TOUR.

Collin Morikawa immediately qualified as a rookie when he prevailed at the Barracuda Championship late in the 2018-19 season, and then Scottie Scheffler and Viktor Hovland paced the 2019-20 class. Hovland was the only rookie to win in his season, but Scheffler was voted Rookie of the Year.

Morikawa and Scheffler now are Ryder Cup champions after the United States dominated on all three phases of the game - Foursomes, Four-ball and Singles - en route to a 19-9 victory.

The very early leader in the 2021-22 Rookie of the Year race, Mito Pereira, is ineligible for the Ryder Cup because he represents Chile, so he targets the Presidents Cup. For his most recent example, 2018-19 Rookie of the Year Sungjae Im competed in the Presidents Cup just four months after accepting the Arnold Palmer Award. However, given that the next Presidents Cup is in 2022, Pereira's pal and fellow countryman, Joaquin Niemann, is an even better comp because Niemann was a PGA TOUR rookie in 2017-18 (via Special Temporary Membership), and then competed for the Internationals (with Im)in the 2019 Presidents Cup.

The next opportunity for this season's rookie class to take a big step forward toward every goal is at this week's Sanderson Farms Championship. After a three-week stretch during which the Fortinet Championship served as the only official competition, the SFC launches an eight-week sprint into the holiday break.

As of Sunday night, all rookies are committed to competing, but Austin Smotherman (third alternate) and Justin Lower (fourth alternate) hadn't yet cracked the field proper. Matthias Schwab was the only rookie who didn't tee it up at Silverado, so he'll be making his rookie debut this week. After securing his card with a 3-for-3 slate that included a pair of top 10s at the KFT Finals, the Austrian kept his pedal down to finish T12 at the BMW PGA Championship, so he's the most-rested for having the last two weeks off.

* - In the field at the Sanderson Farms Championship as of Sept. 26.
# - Top-10 alternate at the Sanderson Farms Championship as of Sept. 26.

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