Lee Westwood has held off the challenge of the European
Solheim Cup team to win the Golf Writers’ Trophy for 2000.
In a straight fight between the two - only two other first-place votes were cast
by members of the Association of Golf Writers in their annual poll - Westwood
emerged as a clear winner following a season in which he took the European No1
crown held by Colin Montgomerie for the previous seven years.
Although Montgomerie took the award only once during his long reign, Westwood
has now captured it for the second time in three years. Victories in America and
Japan helped him to the trophy in 1998.
"I’m very proud to have won again," said the 27-year-old from Worksop, currently
on a two-month break from the game. "It rounds off my season wonderfully and I
will be doing my best to retain it.
"The achievement of the Solheim Cup side should be recognised as well, though.
Beating the Americans has helped to put women’s golf back on the map."
From the depths of despair at the Benson and Hedges International Open at The
Belfry in May, Westwood went to Hamburg the very next week and came from two behind
Tiger Woods on the final day to win the Deutsche Bank-SAP Open TPC of Europe by
three with a closing 64.
He then added the Compaq European Grand Prix at Slaley Hall, the Smurfit European
Open at the K Club near Dublin, the Volvo Scandinavian Masters and the Belgacom
Open.
Still he came to the American Express world championship at Valderrama, final
event of the Order of Merit, trailing his close friend Darren Clarke.
But a brilliant last round 67 gave him second place in the tournament - ahead
of Woods again - and top spot on the money list.
Westwood also won in South Africa at the start of the year and in October took
Montgomerie’s Cisco World Match Play title, beating him at the second extra hole
of the final, to complete a year of outstanding success, spoilt only by his failure
to get into contention for a major. He hopes to put that right in 2001.
The Solheim Cup team, under the captaincy of Dale Reid, pulled off only their
second victory against the United States, winning a rain-soaked, but gripping
match at Loch Lomond.
