McDowell Honored by Europe's Golf Writers


Graeme McDowell's 2010 season continues to be one for the ages. On Wednesday the 31-year-old from Northern Ireland was named winner of the Golf Writers' Trophy. The award is emblematic of Europe's best golf story of the year.

He is the first player from Northern Ireland and the fifth Irish golfer to win the award, which originated in 1951.

McDowell's year got off to a fantastic start after he won the U.S. Open at Pebble Beach, becoming the first European winner of America's national golf championship since Tony Jacklin 40 years ago. He then won the European Tour's Wales Open at Celtic Manor and the Andalucia Masters at Valderrama.

Capping his season later in the fall, McDowell clinched the winning point for the Europeans at the Ryder Cup in Wales. And then two weeks ago he beat host Tiger Woods in a playoff in the Chevron World Challenge at Sherwood Country Club in Thousand Oaks, Calif.

"I am hugely honored to win such a prestigious award and especially in a year when European golf as a whole has achieved such amazing things," McDowell said.

McDowell had a lot of competition in this, a banner year for golf on the Continent. The European Ryder Cup team, captained by Colin Montgomerie, finished second in the writers' voting, just ahead of Martin Kaymer, the PGA champion and European Tour Order of Merit winner.

Lee Westwood, who overtook Woods to reach the No. 1 ranking in the world, came in fourth.