Top-20 European players to watch out for in 2012: Part-4
He pulled in another three top-ten finishes in some high profile events including the Volvo World Match Play Championship, BMW PGA Championship and the US Open in congressional where he finished third. Westwood failed to make the cut in the Open Championship,
but jolted back to top form in four consecutive events where he finished for a strong top-ten. Out of the 19 events he played on the tour this season, he missed the cut in four of them, pulling in eight top-ten finishes. Westwood earned a total of € 2,439,601
on the tour and will be hoping to break his winless major streak starting next year.
Rory McIlroy
Official World Golf Rankings: 3
Race to Dubai Rankings: 2
European Tour wins in 2011: 2
A new kid on the block, young Rory McIlroy can be safely regarded as Europe’s best kept secret. The 22-year-old Northern Irishman rose to stardom with his overwhelming wire-to-wire victory at the US Open at the Congressional this year, making him one of
the most sought after players in the sporting circles.
Born in Holywood, Co. Down, Northern Ireland, McIlroy started off his professional career in 2007, finally drawing curtain over his blistering amateur career. He joined the European Team as an affiliate and finished third in the Alfred Dunhill Links Championship
in October. He went over to card another strong finish, a joint fourth at Open de Madrid Valle Romano to claim his tour card for the European Tour.
McIlroy’s first European Tour victory came at the Dubai Desert Classic after a lapse of two years where he took over the seasoned Justin Rose by one stroke. The young Irishman posted several high profile finishes in the proceeding year, but failed to land
any title in 2010. He finished third in Abu Dhabi Golf Championship but failed to defend his title at the Dubai Desert Classic.
Starting off the current season, McIlroy jolted to form, finishing runners up at Abu Dhabi HSBC Golf Championship earning a mammoth € 222,932.30. McIlroy then moved into the first major event of the year, the revered Masters at Augusta National, which turned
out to be a disaster for the young golfer.
Pulling in lead in the starting three rounds of the event, McIlroy started off his round on Sunday with a four shot lead, only to throw it away, finishing for a devastating 80. His Masters melt down in the final round proved disastrous for McIlroy who later
admitted of breaking into tears over the colossal loss. He also blamed his former sports management company and manager Chubby Chandler for giving him precious advice which might have helped him tackle the treacherous course.
McIlroy then moved over to the second major of the year, the US Open at Congressional Country Club in Washington, to bag a historic win. He led the event from day one, carding wire-to-wire victory, with a lead of eight strokes.
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