Every European Tour Rookie Of The Year Since 1960
The outstanding rookie of the DP World Tour season wins the Sir Henry Cotton Rookie of the Year award, which predates the inception of the circuit
The European Tour, which is currently named the DP World Tour, was established in 1972, and every year since then, it has awarded the Sir Henry Cotton Rookie of the Year award to the most outstanding rookie of the season.
However, the award actually predates the Tour’s inception. Sir Henry Cotton was a three-time Open champion and, before it evolved into the European Tour, he chose the winner of the award for the best rookie on the British PGA circuit.
The first winner was Tommy Goodwin in 1960 following a season that included a scoring average of 73 in his 10 tournaments, while he also reached the last eight of the PGA Match Play at Turnberry.
Goodwin received £100 from Cotton, who told him: “I hope this check will help you on your way.”
Eventually, the winner was chosen by a panel featuring representatives from the European Tour, the Royal and Ancient Golf Club of St Andrews and the Association of Golf Writers. Nowadays, it is given to the rookie who is highest in the Race to Dubai rankings at the end of the season.
There have been many more notable recipients of the award over the years, including Tony Jacklin in 1963, seven years before his first Major title at the US Open.
Further on, Nick Faldo, who would eventually win six Major titles, claimed the award in 1977, with other winners of the award who would eventually become household names including Sandy Lyle, Jose Maria Olazabal and Colin Montgomerie.
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In recent years, winners who have gone on to forge impressive careers have included Brooks Koepka, in 2014, Jon Rahm three years later and Robert MacIntyre in 2019.
Below is every winner of the Sir Henry Cotton Rookie of the Year award.
Every Winner Of The Sir Henry Cotton Rookie Of The Year Award
Year | Winner |
---|---|
1960 | Tommy Goodwin |
1961 | Alex Caygill |
1962 | N/A |
1963 | Tony Jacklin |
1964 | N/A |
1965 | N/A |
1966 | Robin Liddle |
1967 | N/A |
1968 | Bernard Gallacher |
1969 | Peter Oosterhuis |
1970 | Stuart Brown |
1971 | David Llewellyn |
1972 | Sam Torrance |
1973 | Philip Elson |
1974 | Carl Mason |
1975 | N/A |
1976 | Mark James |
1977 | Nick Faldo |
1978 | Sandy Lyle |
1979 | Mike Miller |
1980 | Paul Hoad |
1981 | Jeremy Bennett |
1982 | Gordon Brand Jr. |
1983 | Grant Turner |
1984 | Philip Parkin |
1985 | Paul Thomas |
1986 | Jose María Olazabal |
1987 | Peter Baker |
1988 | Colin Montgomerie |
1989 | Paul Broadhurst |
1990 | Russell Claydon |
1991 | Per-Ulrik Johansson |
1992 | Jim Payne |
1993 | Gary Orr |
1994 | Jonathan Lomas |
1995 | Jarmo Sandelin |
1996 | Thomas Bjorn |
1997 | Scott Henderson |
1998 | Olivier Edmond |
1999 | Sergio Garcia |
2000 | Ian Poulter |
2001 | Paul Casey |
2002 | Nick Dougherty |
2003 | Peter Lawrie |
2004 | Scott Drummond |
2005 | Gonzalo Fernandez-Castano |
2006 | Marc Warren |
2007 | Martin Kaymer |
2008 | Pablo Larrazabal |
2009 | Chris Wood |
2010 | Matteo Manassero |
2011 | Tom Lewis |
2012 | Ricardo Santos |
2013 | Peter Uihlein |
2014 | Brooks Koepka |
2015 | Byeong Hun An |
2016 | Wang Jeung-hun |
2017 | Jon Rahm |
2018 | Shubhankar Sharma |
2019 | Robert MacIntyre |
2020 | Sami Valimaki |
2021 | Matti Schmid |
2022 | Thriston Lawrence |
2023 | Ryo Hisatsune |
Mike has over 25 years of experience in journalism, including writing on a range of sports throughout that time, such as golf, football and cricket. Now a freelance staff writer for Golf Monthly, he is dedicated to covering the game's most newsworthy stories.
He has written hundreds of articles on the game, from features offering insights into how members of the public can play some of the world's most revered courses, to breaking news stories affecting everything from the PGA Tour and LIV Golf to developmental Tours and the amateur game.
Mike grew up in East Yorkshire and began his career in journalism in 1997. He then moved to London in 2003 as his career flourished, and nowadays resides in New Brunswick, Canada, where he and his wife raise their young family less than a mile from his local course.
Kevin Cook’s acclaimed 2007 biography, Tommy’s Honour, about golf’s founding father and son, remains one of his all-time favourite sports books.
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