Golf-Westwood completes comeback with player of the year award (Reuters)
December 8, 2009
By Norman Dabell
CROWLAND, England, Dec 8 (Reuters) – Briton Lee Westwood hasbeen named the European Tour’s golfer of the year after a seasonwhich ended with him being crowned European number one for thesecond time in his career.
The 36-year-old Englishman’s chances of becoming Europeannumber one again had looked remote when he plummeted to 246th inthe world following his order of merit win in 2000.
“It is a fantastic honour and caps a wonderful season for meand all those who have helped me get to this position,” saidWestwood, who has been European Tour golfer of the year twicebefore, in 1998 and 2000, and joins Severiano Ballesteros, ErnieEls and Nick Faldo as a three-time winner.
“This probably means more to me in recognising how I havefought my way back to the top.”
At one point, eight years ago, Westwood contemplated givingup golf.
However, he completed his return to the top in Europe byproducing a breathtaking finish to the season in which heclinched top place in the Race to Dubai (money-list) withvictory in last month’s Dubai World Championship.
Westwood, one of the most successful Ryder Cup players, wentinto the tour’s elite season-ending event trailing NorthernIrishman Rory McIlroy in the Race to Dubai, knowing that onlyvictory could ensure he again won the Harry Vardon Trophy.
With the 20-year-old McIlroy exerting pressure all week andfinishing third in the Dubai World Championship, Westwood couldnot afford to put a foot wrong.
A final-round eight-under-par 64 over the Earth Course atJumeirah Golf Estates allowed him to clinch a six-stroke victoryfor his 20th European Tour title.
Westwood also won the Portugal Masters to earn recordseasonal winnings of 4,237,762 euro and recorded 11 top-10finishes from 13 events after the June U.S. Open.
He finished joint third in the British Open Championship atTurnberry, where he was within a putt of making the play-offwith Stewart Cink and Tom Watson, and had a similar result inthe U.S. PGA Championship at Hazeltine.
(Editing by Clare Fallon; To query or comment on this storyemail sportsfeedback@thomsonreuters.com)
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