( CNN ) -- Rory McIlroy capped off a remarkable year by being named as the PGA Tour Player of the Year . The 23-year-old is the youngest player to win the trophy , named after 18-time major winner Jack Nicklaus , since Tiger Woods triumphed back in 1998 . McIlroy enjoyed a stellar 2012 , winning four times on the PGA Tour , topping both the PGA and European money lists , as well as helping Europe to a stunning Ryder Cup success against the United States . McIlroy targeting major assault in 2013 . The Northern Irishman claimed victory at The Honda Classic , PGA Championship , Deutsche Bank Championship and BMW Championship , pocketing a cool $ 8,047,952 on the U.S.-based circuit . McIlroy has been top of the rankings for 17 consecutive weeks and has held top spot for 24 weeks in total . He becomes the third European to win the award after England 's Luke Donald ( 2011 ) and Ireland 's Padraig Harrington ( 2008 ) . Rookie of the Year . Meanwhile , John Huh was named as PGA Tour Rookie of the Year . The 22-year-old was the only rookie to qualify for the Tour Championship and the youngest since Sergio Garcia made it through at the age of 21 in 2001 . Huh claimed his first win at the Mayakoba Golf Classic in February , finished 29th in the FedEx Cup and 28th on the money list with $ 2,692,113 . Huh , who was born in New York but currently lives in Dallas , is the first player of Korean descent to win the award . `` On behalf of the PGA TOUR , my congratulations to Rory and John for their outstanding accomplishments this season , '' said PGA TOUR Commissioner Tim Finchem . `` These awards are significant to these players as they are bestowed upon them by their peers , one of highest compliments a player can receive . ''
Rory McIlroy named 2012 PGA Tour Player of the Year . The year - old is youngest to win title since Tiger Woods in 2005 . Becomes third European to win title after Luke Donald and Padraig Harrington . He won three times on PGA Tour in 2012 .