Latest honor for the amazing Lee Westwood came this week from media types in the U.K. Westy has been named the European Tour’s Golfer Of The Year for 2020.
Westwood captured the Race To Dubai title with his victory in the season-ending event two weeks ago so the latest honor comes as no surprise.
What is surprising is the resurgence of Westwood’s playing career at the age of 47. He’s now ranked 36th in the Official World Golf Rankings, four spots better than Tiger Woods (40th) who turns 46 at the end of the month.
Lee just finished his 27th year as a professional and began 2020 with a win in the Abu Dhabi Championship. He’s now been the European Tour’s top guy three times. It was 20 years ago when he first won the Order Of Merit, the title that was used for so long.
”I am very honored and extremely flattered to have been named European Tour’s golfer of the year as I know the competition for the award this year would have been extremely high,” said Westwood, who also won the title in 1998, 2000 and 2009.
Westwood was the host of this past year’s British Masters in July, the event that marked the return of the European Tour after it shut down during the pandemic.
”His performances and his professionalism are matched by his longevity and his commitment to European golf,” said Keith Pelley, boss of the European Tour. “For Lee to call shortly before our resumption and ask what he could do to help the tour is testament to the person and the player he is. To then go on to become the European Tour’s No. 1 player for a third time, 20 years after he first achieved that accolade, was a storybook way to end this most challenging of years.”
