16 December 2011 14:43
GMT
Open Championship Silver Medallist Tom Lewis has been named The Sir Henry Cotton Rookie of the Year for 2011 by the European Tour.
Lewis made history in October by winning the Portugal Masters on only his third professional start on The European Tour — the quickest ever victory by an Affiliate Member.
The 20-year-old Englishman rose to prominence at Royal St George’s in Julyby becoming the first amateur in more than 40 years to lead The Open after an opening round of 65 and finished his amateur career as part of the victorious GB&I Walker Cup side at Royal Aberdeen.
This latest accolade sees him follow in the footsteps of his home club’s most famous figure, Sir Nick Faldo, by being named as Rookie of the Year for 2011.
Speaking from the island of Mauritius ahead of the Mauritius Open, he said: “I appreciate this honour very much. It certainly tops off what has been an amazing year.
“I think my Dad is more excited about me winning this award than my first Tour victory in October. I am very proud to be named The Sir Henry Cotton Rookie of the Year and I feel very fortunate as there were some strong contenders for this title who played consistently well all season.”
The Welwyn Garden City-based pro claimed the prestigious award 34 years after six-time Major Champion Faldo also received the accolade before going on to become the most successful English golfer of all time.
To put his victory at the Portugal Masters in perspective, Tiger Woods required five tournaments to land his first professional title, while Rory McIlroy did not taste success until his 38th European Tour event.
Lewis added: “It’s been a rollercoaster year. I didn’t perform very well in the first half then had the honour of playing with Tom Watson in the first two rounds of The Open and managing to share the first round lead. It was wonderful to win the Silver Medal and shoot 65 in the first round, but I think people will remember the 65 in Portugal because it secured my first professional win.
“It only really hit me when I arrived at the airport to fly home and everybody was saying ‘well done’. It was something I could scarcely have believed at the start of the season. It was a great year and a privilege to be part of the winning Walker Cup team in my final amateur event. But now I have a two year exemption on The European Tour and can’t wait to get started in 2012.”
Lewis was the choice of a panel comprising The R&A, The European Tour and the Association of Golf Writers, ahead of several strong candidates from the 2010 Challenge Tour including Denmark’s Thorbjørn Olesen and Scott Jamieson of Scotland.
Olesen enjoyed three joint second place finishes in accumulating €637,703 to finish 48th in The Race to Dubai, while Jamieson shared third place on three occasions to finish the year with earnings of €523,754 and 59th place in The Race to Dubai.
Lewis is the 47th recipient of the award, stretching back to 1960, and the 22nd Englishman, following several illustrious fellow countrymen including the aforementioned Faldo, Tony Jacklin, Peter Oosterhuis, Mark James, Ian Poulter and Paul Casey. Chris Wood was the last English winner in 2009 while Lewis succeeds 2010 winner, Italian teenager Matteo Manassero.