Gonzalo Fernandez-Castano of Spain has been named Sir Henry Cotton Rookie of the Year for 2005 after a season that saw him win The KLM Open. The 25 year old from Madrid became the third Spaniard to receive the accolade since its inception in 1960, following in the footsteps of José Maria Olazábal (1986) and Sergio Garcia (1999).
Fernandez-Castano succeeded Scotland’’s Scott Drummond as the winner of the prestigious award, which is presented to the European golfer judged to have produced the most outstanding performance in his first year as a Member of The European Tour. He was unanimously selected by a panel comprising The European Tour, The R&A and the Association of Golf Writers.
After turning professional in September 2004, Fernandez-Castano served notice of his ability by finishing tied seventh in the Mallorca Classic that year. Encouraged, he headed to the Qualifying School and made it to the Final Stage where he claimed the eighth Tour card available.
It took the 25 year old just nine events before making an impact on The 2005 European Tour International Schedule with a tied sixth place in the Telecom Italia Open. However, it was his two shot victory over an experienced field in The KLM Open at Hilversumsche Golf Club in The Netherlands, on only his 13th start in 2005, which played a key role in him being named the Sir Henry Cotton Rookie of the Year after finishing 57th on the Order of Merit with €423,945 (£286,544).
Every maiden victory is memorable but for Fernandez-Castano there was the added satisfaction of following the same route as one of his golfing idols, Seve Ballesteros, who also captured his first European Tour title in The Netherlands in 1976.
Fernandez-Castano’’s main rivals for the Award were Peter Gustafsson of Sweden, who finished runner-up in both the Jazztel Open de España en Andalucia and the Omega European Masters, and England’’s Richard Finch, whose 2005 highlight was a share of second place in the Telecom Italia Open.
Finch finished 60th on the Order of Merit with €406,245 (£274,580) while Gustafsson actually finished higher on the Order of Merit than Fernandez-Castano, in 46th place with earnings of €491,637 (£332,297). But the judging panel opted for the Spaniard on the strength of his maiden victory.
“I am very proud to follow in the footsteps of José Maria Olazábal and Sergio Garcia as Sir Henry Cotton Rookie of the Year,” he said. “I am very surprised to win as my one and only objective at the start of the year was to keep my card.
“But winning The KLM Open was a big moment in my first season on The European Tour. I now have a two year exemption which is important in helping me plan my schedule, but even more important is that I continue to work hard and improve so that I can try to reach the same level as Seve, José Maria and Sergio.
“I feel honoured to win this Award after such a close contest with Peter and Richard. I don’’t think there was much to choose between the three of us.”
