European Tour names its ‘Golfer of the Year’

Jon Rahm, the reigning Race to Dubai champion, has been named the 2019 Hilton European Tour ‘Golfer of the Year’.

Rahm
was selected by a panel comprising members of the media as the
winner of the award after a superb season in which he
won two Rolex Series events, defended his national Open title and
became the first Spaniard since Seve Ballesteros to finish the year
as European No.1.

The
25-year-old finished tied ninth at the Masters, tied third in the US Open and was runner-up at the Estrella Damm N.A. Andalucia Valderrama
Masters before securing his first European Tour title of the year at the
Dubai Duty Free Irish Open – his third Rolex Series victory in the
space of three years.

He
came close to claiming another in September,
finishing runner-up to Danny Willett at the BMW PGA Championship at
Wentworth Club.

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On
home soil, at Club de Campo Villa de Madrid, Rahm defended a title for
the first time in his career as he won the Mutuactivos Open de España in
the Spanish capital.

His
remarkable consistency throughout 2019 gave him the opportunity to win
the Race to Dubai for the first time in his career at the final event of
the season, the DP World Tour Championship, Dubai – an event he
previously won in 2017.

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“It
is a huge honour for me to be named the Hilton European Tour Golfer of
the Year,” said Rahm, announced as the winner at a lunch at The
Biltmore Mayfair Hotel in London. “To emulate another of Seve’s
achievements in winning this award is very humbling, and I’m so proud of
what I have achieved this year.

“To
win both the Dubai Duty Free Irish Open and DP World Tour Championship
for a second time, as well as defend the Open de España, were all
incredible moments.

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“But
to finish the year as winner of the Race to Dubai is something I’m
incredibly proud of achieving at this early stage in my career.”

Keith
Pelley, the European Tour CEO, added: “The 2019
European Tour season had so many stand-out moments, not least the
dramatic finale at the DP World Tour Championship, when Jon earned
his place in European Tour history.

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“For
Jon to win the Race to Dubai in the manner that he did, with so much
pressure on that final hole, simply underlines what an incredible
competitor he is.

“However, this award also recognises the hugely
impressive standard of his performances across the year and it
demonstrates the strength we have on the European Tour that there were a
number of worthy contenders for this award, including Shane Lowry who
narrowly missed out despite winning the Open and a Rolex Series event.”