Wood of England captures Rookie of Year honors on European Tour

VIRGINIA WATER, England -- England's Chris Wood has capped a tremendous debut season on the European Tour by being named the Sir Henry Cotton Rookie of the Year.

Wood, who turns 22 on Thursday, finished 44th in the Race to Dubai with earnings of $1.015 million to secure the title over Northern Ireland's Gareth Maybin (53rd), England's Danny Willett (58th), Sweden's Oskar Henningsson (68th) and England's David Horsey (76th).

Wood's remarkable performance in the British Open effectively sealed the award, which is judged by the R&A, the Association of Golf Writers and European Tour.

A year after finishing tied fifth at Royal Birkdale as an amateur, Wood went even better at Turnberry in July, missing out on a playoff by just one shot and finished in third place.

That was one of five top-10 finishes for the Bristol professional, who was also the top scorer in the Vivendi Trophy with Seve Ballesteros, claiming 4 ½ points out of a possible 5.

"It is brilliant to win this award," said Wood, who joins the likes of Tony Jacklin, Sir Nick Faldo, Sandy Lyle, Jose Maria Olazabal, Colin Montgomerie and Sergio Garcia in winning the award. "Looking at the list of names who have won this title makes me appreciate that I am in good company, alongside people like Sir Nick Faldo, who is probably the greatest English golfer to play the game.

"I've had my eyes on winning the rookie crown all season, because it's something you only ever get one chance to win," he explained. "Fortunately, I've been lucky enough to do it thanks to some good results like the Open and some pretty consistent finishes.

"I feel I've been able to step into the professional ranks quite easily," he said. "The experiences of Birkdale and Turnberry have helped and also getting my card at the Tour School at PGA Golf de Catalunya. Now I am closing in on the top 50 in the world and that must be a big goal in 2010. It opens a lot of doors to the majors and the other top events where the best players are playing."

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