Lee Westwood has held off the challenge of the European Solheim Cup team to win the Golf Writers' Trophy for 2000.
In what developed as a straight fight between the two - only two other first-place votes were cast by members of the Association of Golf Writers in their annual poll - Westwood emerged as a clear winner following a season in which he took the European number one crown held by Colin Montgomerie for the previous seven years.
Although Montgomerie took the award only once during his long reign Westwood has now captured it for the second time in three years. Victories in the US and Japan helped him to the trophy in 1998.
"I'm very proud to have won again," said the 27-year-old from Worksop in England, currently on a two-month break from the game. "It rounds off my season wonderfully and I will be doing my best to retain it.
He becomes only the seventh player to win the Golf Writers' Trophy more than once, following Tony Jacklin in 1969 and 1970 (plus twice as European Ryder Cup captain); Peter Oosterhuis in 1973 and 74; Seve Ballesteros in 1979, 84 and 91; Sandy Lyle in 1980 and 88; Nick Faldo in 1983 and 90 and Bernhard Langer in 1981 and 1993.
PA