Greg Norman
World Golf Hall of Famer, Australian Greg Norman, poses with the newly-announced Greg Norman Medal in Sydney, September 14, 2015. Australian golf for the first time will honour the best male or female Australian golfer based on international success in the annual prize determined by a five-member panel of current and former professional golfers. The inaugural winner will be announced in December. Reuters/Jason Reed

The PGA of Australia has launched its first ever Greg Norman Medal award, which will be presented to the best male or female professional golfer on the world stage of 2015 at a gala awards night in December. PGA Tour championship winner Jason Day is the favourite to become the first winner of the individual award, after a remarkable season in the world of golf.

World No. 3 Day, who won four US tournaments this year, is having the best year of his golfing career, and it would be hard to see the 27-year-old Aussie missing out on becoming the Australian golfer of the year. The Greg Norman Medal, a joint initiative of the PGA of Australia, and Australian Ladies Professional Golf Tour, will be awarded to the best Australian male or female golfer on the world stage, which will be voted on by an independent panel of judges excluding Norman.

PGA of Australia Chief Executive Brian Thorburn said the award would finally provide Australian golf with a chance to celebrate its key players’ success on the world stage. Thorburn also added that Norman was the obvious stand out choice to name the award after because of his status as a World Golf Hall of Famer.

"Greg Norman was the obvious stand out choice to name this award after,” Thorburn told PGA’s official website. “A World Golf Hall of Famer, a life member of the PGA and a recipient of the Order of Australia, Greg Norman is synonymous with the highest levels of golfing achievement."

Norman had spent 331 weeks as world No. 1 in a career that included 90 tournament wins, which is highlighted by two British Open championships. The 60-year-old Norman also recognises Day’s achievements, and praised the Aussie’s approach to golf.

"His strong belief and fighting off certain conditions that he has had, and his tenacity of getting up and finishing when he was basically recommended not to continue on … they are the innate strong characteristics that I love,” Norman said, the Sydney Morning Herald reported.

Day leads the seeding in the third leg of the FedEx Cup playoffs at Conway Farms golf club in Illinois. Day will battle out American golfer Jordan Spieth into the Tour championships for a chance to win a $10 million (AU$14 million) bonus prize.

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