Rory McIlroy becomes The 2012 Race to Dubai European Tour Golfer of the Year
Rory McIlroy capped off his sparkling 2012 campaign last night after being named The 2012 Race to Dubai European Tour Golfer of the Year.
McIlroy also became the youngest winner of the European Tour Golfer of the Year award, since its inception in 1985.
The Northern Irishman followed Luke Donald, who won the coveted award last year. The 23-year-old also succeeded Donald as the winner of both the money list titles on the European Tour and the PGA Tour earlier this year.
McIlroy started his 2012 European Tour campaign on a high note, by recording top-five finishes in each of the first four tournaments that he played.
The highlights of his performances include second-place finishes in each of the Abu Dhabi HSBC Golf Championship and the World Golf Championships – Accenture Match Play Championship.
After finishing third at the World Golf Championships – Cadillac Championship, he lost control over his game and struggled in his next five starts on the tour.
Thereafter, he made a strong comeback by recording top-five finishes in five of the last six tournaments, including victories in the US PGA Championship and the season-ending DP World Tour Championship.
The US PGA Championship witnessed him secure an eight-stroke victory, which was the highest winning margin, in the history of the event.
Apart from his success on the European Tour, he also won three times on the US PGA Tour – he won The Honda Classic, the Deutsche Bank Championship and the BMW Championship. He was then voted as the PGA Tour Player of the Year and the PGA Player of the Year.
He can now add The Race to Dubai European Tour Golfer of the Year award to his shelf that already features a number of awards.
“Everyone who knows me knows how special the 2012 season was,” said McIlroy. “A couple of wins, including a Major, and consistent performances in big events all helped me win The Race to Dubai for the first time”.
He added, “Now, to have been named as The European Tour Golfer of the Year puts the icing on the cake. It is a very special honour indeed and you only need to look down the list of players who have preceded me as the winner of this award... I’m delighted
to now be a part of that in the history books”.
Bill Elliott, Golf Monthly contributor and Chairman of the Association of Golf Writers, stated that it was a straight forward decision to name McIlroy as the Golfer of the Year, courtesy of his outstanding performances during the season.
According to him, the world number one not only showed his class with his clubs, but also, with the way he conducted himself off the course.
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