Golf Round-up: Annika Sorenstam's historic season has been recognised with her winning the 2003 Golf Writers' Trophy.

The Swede's incredible list of achievements during the year helped the 33-year-old to top the annual Association of Golf Writers poll in front of Britain and Ireland's Walker Cup team, the European Solheim Cup side - of which she was a member - and European Tour number one Ernie Els.

"I am deeply honoured," said Sorenstam, who completed a career Grand Slam in the majors and became the first woman to play on the US men's tour since 1945.

"I am proud of all that I have accomplished and I am truly thankful to the members of the European press for recognising my achievements. It means a lot to me to join the prestigious list of past recipients of the Golf Writers' Trophy."

The trophy is awarded to the player, born or resident in Europe, or team who have made the "most outstanding contribution to golf during the preceding 12 months".

Sorenstam is the first woman to win the award since Alison Nicholas in 1997 and the first from outside Britain and Ireland, apart from the Solheim Cup team in 1992.

She joins Seve Ballesteros, Bernhard Langer and Sergio Garcia as continental Europeans to have won the award on their own.

Ian Randell, chief executive of the Ladies European Tour, said: "Annika's performances fully justify the award and I'm delighted for her. Her achievements and the way she conducts herself on and off the course are something of which we can be very proud. She was an inspiration to the Solheim Cup team and really led from the front.

"She continues to set new standards and has raised the expectations of others by showing them the dedication required to perform at a level previously unmatched. Everything she has done has had a very positive impact for the women's game."

Sorenstam brought unprecedented attention to her sport by appearing in the Colonial tournament in May. She did miss the cut, but used the experience to achieve even greater heights in the women's game by capturing two major championships and becoming only the sixth player to win a career Grand Slam.

The women's world number one beat Grace Park in a play-off at the LPGA Championship and won the British Open for the first time after beating Se Ri Pak by one stroke in a thrilling final-round duel at Royal Lytham.

With four points from five games, Sorenstam helped Europe regain the Solheim Cup in front of a home gallery at Barseback.

She had seven worldwide victories, set or tied 22 LPGA records, won the money list for a third successive year and was the LPGA Player of the Year for the sixth time.

Sorenstam was also inducted into the World Golf Hall of Fame and ended the season by finishing second to Freddie Couples in the Skins Game.

Catrin Nilsmark's Solheim Cup team were edged out of second place by only one vote by Garth McGimpsey's Walker Cup team, which won for an unprecedented third successive time.

Darren Clarke and Gary Wolstenholme, the British amateur champion, also featured in the poll.

Meanwhile, Colin Montgomerie is wasting no time re-launching his 2004 Ryder Cup campaign, joining Lee Westwood in the field for the South African Airways Open at Erinvale on January 15th-18th.

Montgomerie has decided against a repeat of this year when he tried his luck on the US Tour up to the Masters in April and missed a string of halfway cuts, including Augusta.

"We're always learning and I won't go again, not for that length of time without a break," he said.

The 40-year-old failed to win a European Tour title for the first time since 1992 and finds himself outside the top 20 in the Ryder Cup standings after the first three months of the race.

Westwood, in contrast, heads the points list after ending three barren years with sparkling victories in the BMW International Open in Germany in August and the Dunhill Links championship in Scotland a month later.

The opposition in Somerset West will include defending champion Trevor Immelman, Paul McGinley, Ian Poulter, Justin Rose and Paul Lawrie.