Sweden’s Magnus P Atlevi has been awarded the title of European Senior Tour Rookie of the Year after a stunning full debut season on the over-50s circuit.
Atlevi, winner of the Paris Legends Championship at Le Golf National, host venue of The 2018 Ryder Cup and a European Tour Destination, finished second on the European Senior Tour Order of Merit with earnings of €211,556.
The 51 year old secured his card for 2016 at Qualifying School in February, finishing tied for third at Pestana Golf Resort. Although he made his Senior Tour bow in 2015, his appearance at the French Riviera Masters took place after that year’s Senior Open Championship Presented by Rolex, making him eligible for the award of Rookie of the Year.
He soared up the Order of Merit after consecutive third-place finishes in July. First, at the WINSTONgolf Senior Open in Germany and then at the Senior Open Championship, played at Carnoustie, where he finished joint third with 21-time European Tour winner Miguel Angel Jiménez.
His September victory in Paris came in the unlikeliest of circumstances as he had withdrawn from the Travis Perkins Masters at Woburn with a back injury the previous week. Atlevi went in to the final day one shot behind Mark Mouland, finishing with a par on the 18th and final hole to secure his maiden Senior Tour title by two strokes.
He followed this win with another tie for third at the Senior Italian Open presented by Villaverde Resort to cap an outstanding year and seal his well-deserved award.
“I hadn’t thought about my position in the rankings too much,” said Atlevi. “My focus for this year was to secure my playing rights for 2017, meaning I had to finish in the top 20 or win a tournament.
“That would allow me to focus on the smaller things, allowing the bigger things to take care of themselves. Just getting through Qualifying School and joining the Tour was great.
“When you get through to the final, and you know there are only five spots, that’s nothing, especially compared to 25 cards on the European Tour Qualifying School. For me, that was the biggest victory of the year.
“This is the direction I wanted to take my career, and everything is going according to plan. This project has been my passion for so many years.”
As the Senior Tour season drew to a close with the completion of the MCB Tour Championship, Ireland’s Des Smyth secured the Laurence Batley Trophy for finishing on the Order of Merit as the highest-ranking over-60s player.
