Christmas is traditionally the time for everyone to take stock and the good news for European Tour golf at the end of 2008 is that the picture is decidedly rosy.
Aside from the thrilling beginning to The Race to Dubai, European Tour Members have excelled on a global scale by claiming an unprecedented seven Order of Merit titles around the world.
Leading the way on home soil was Robert Karlsson, who became the first Swedish golfer to win The Harry Vardon Trophy after a supremely consistent season, topped off with victories in both the Mercedes-Benz Championship and the Alfred Dunhill Links Championship.
On the other side of the Atlantic, the US PGA Tour Money List was won by Honorary Member Vijay Singh for the third time, the Fijian being joined by Germany’s Bernhard Langer who crowned his first full season on the US Champions Tour by topping the Money List before being named Rookie of the Year.
India’s Jeev Milkha Singh became the first player to break through the US$1 million mark on his way to winning the Asian Tour Order of Merit for the second time while first time successes were garnered by New Zealand's Mark Brown on the PGA Tour of Australasia and Richard Sterne of South Africa who smashed the earnings record on the Sunshine Tour.
The 27 year old from Pretoria finished the year in style with consecutive victories in the Alfred Dunhill Championship and the South African Open Championship and will start next year looking for a hat-trick of titles with his defence of the Joburg Open.
Completing the Roll of Honour was Challenge Tour graduate Estanislao Goya, the Argentine matching Langer by not only winning the Tour de las Americas Order of Merit, but also Rookie of the Year honours.
Our congratulations go to each and every one along with best wishes to every Tour Member for 2009.
