Reinforced his standing as one of the best players in the game with another hugely successful season in 2011. Won the Abu Dhabi HSBC Golf Championship for the third time in four years, then reached the final of the WGC-Accenture Match Play Championship. Lost to Luke Donald, but the consolation prize was reaching World Number One, a position he held for six weeks. By the end of the season, however, had bagged his first WGC title, scorching through the field with a stunning final round of 63 to capture the WGC-HSBC Champions in Shanghai. Was European Number One in 2010 after winning four times, including his first Major at the US PGA Championship, and earned nearly €4.5million in prize money over the season, beating the record Lee Westwood set the previous year. Only the second German after Bernhard Langer to be European Number One, he has fulfilled the potential he showed early in his career, when he finished fourth in the 2006 Challenge Tour Rankings after playing just eight events, winning two, including on his professional debut. Was named Sir Henry Cotton Rookie of the Year in 2007 and then won the Abu Dhabi Golf Championship on his first appearance of the 2008 season. Added a win in his homeland at the BMW International Open and continued his improvement in 2009 with back to back wins at the Open de France ALSTOM and the Barclays Scottish Open. His season was halted by a broken foot sustained in a go-karting accident, and after two months out he had to settle for third place in The Race to Dubai. Once scored a 59 on the Satellite EPD Tour. Coached by Günther Kessler in his native Dusseldorf.