Thomas Björn has been named as Denmark’’s Sportsman of the Year, the first time a golfer has won the prestigious award. Björn, who won the Dubai Desert Classic on The European Tour in 2001, finished ahead of motor racing driver, Tom Kristenson and the Danish national soccer team which qualified for the World Cup.
The awards were organised by the National Olympic Committee and the Sports Confederation of Denmark in association with Jyllandsposten, the country’’s biggest daily newspaper.
Björn received the award in a ceremony at the Parken Stadium in Copenhagen. The award of Sportsman of the Year is highly valued in Denmark and Björn’’s victory ahead of Tiger Woods and Padraig Harrington in Dubai captured the imagination of the Danish public, with record television figures during the four days in which Björn was paired with Woods.
Björn's victory in Dubai helped him finish seventh on the Volvo Order of Merit, while he ended the season reaching a play-off with partner Soren Hansen in the World Golf Championships - EMC2 World Cup in Japan.
