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

Keith Pelley hands Jon Rahm the Sir Henry Cotton Rookie of the Year award in 2017
Jon Rahm was the 2017 Rookie of the Year
(Image credit: Getty Images)

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.

Brooks Koepka with the 2014 Rookie of the Year award

Brooks Koepka was the 2014 Rookie of the Year

(Image credit: Getty Images)

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

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YearWinner
1960Tommy Goodwin
1961Alex Caygill
1962N/A
1963Tony Jacklin
1964N/A
1965N/A
1966Robin Liddle
1967N/A
1968Bernard Gallacher
1969Peter Oosterhuis
1970Stuart Brown
1971David Llewellyn
1972Sam Torrance
1973Philip Elson
1974Carl Mason
1975N/A
1976Mark James
1977Nick Faldo
1978Sandy Lyle
1979Mike Miller
1980Paul Hoad
1981Jeremy Bennett
1982Gordon Brand Jr.
1983Grant Turner
1984Philip Parkin
1985Paul Thomas
1986Jose María Olazabal
1987Peter Baker
1988Colin Montgomerie
1989Paul Broadhurst
1990Russell Claydon
1991Per-Ulrik Johansson
1992Jim Payne
1993Gary Orr
1994Jonathan Lomas
1995Jarmo Sandelin
1996Thomas Bjorn
1997Scott Henderson
1998Olivier Edmond
1999Sergio Garcia
2000Ian Poulter
2001Paul Casey
2002Nick Dougherty
2003Peter Lawrie
2004Scott Drummond
2005Gonzalo Fernandez-Castano
2006Marc Warren
2007Martin Kaymer
2008Pablo Larrazabal
2009Chris Wood
2010Matteo Manassero
2011Tom Lewis
2012Ricardo Santos
2013Peter Uihlein
2014Brooks Koepka
2015Byeong Hun An
2016Wang Jeung-hun
2017Jon Rahm
2018Shubhankar Sharma
2019Robert MacIntyre
2020Sami Valimaki
2021Matti Schmid
2022Thriston Lawrence
2023Ryo Hisatsune
Mike Hall
News Writer

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.