European Tour Notebook: McIlroy sets world ranking age record

VIRGINIA WATER, England -- Rory McIlroy has reached a higher position in the world rankings than any other 20-year-old before him.

Even though he didn't play last week, the Northern Ireland youngster moved up from 11th to ninth.

Tiger Woods holds a 6.66 points lead over Phil Mickelson three days after he announced he was taking an indefinite break from golf to tackle his personal problems.

When he started his eight-month layoff after knee surgery last year, Woods' lead was over 11 points. He was never caught then, but it could be different is his new hiatus proves another lengthy one.

TROPHY TIME: Lee Westwood has won the Golf Writers Trophy for the third time.

A week after being named the European Tour's Golfer of the Year for the third time, the world No. 4 and Order of Merit winner has now joined Seve Ballesteros as the only three-time recipients of the Golf Writers Trophy.

Catriona Matthew, who won the Ricoh Women's British Open just 11 weeks after giving birth to her second daughter Sophie, was the clear runner-up, while Northern Ireland's emerging star Rory McIlroy finished third.

"I am delighted to receive the award once again," said Westwood, who also claimed the trophy in 1998 and 2000. "It is a particular honor to have been chosen for the third time and to become one of only two players, alongside Seve, to have won it three times. That means an awful lot to me, especially when I consider the great players we have had on the European Tour.

Westwood, who will receive the trophy at the Association's annual dinner prior to the Open Championship at St. Andrews in July, added: "It will be good to pick up the trophy on the week of the Open. "Hopefully that will be a good omen, especially as it is at the home of golf.

"My priorities next year will once again be to challenge strongly for the majors. I came close this year and hope to do well in all four in 2010. Hopefully, this time I'll win one.

LIFETIME ACHIEVEMENT AWARD Seve Ballesteros, the most charismatic figure in European golf history, was honored at the BBC's Sports Personality of the Year ceremony on Sunday.

The 51-year-old Spanish great, who has been battling a brain tumor since October 2008, received the Lifetime Achievement award. The award celebrates those who have made a significant contribution to sport and demonstrable success in their relevant sport throughout their careers.

Ballesteros was the youngest-ever winner of the European Order of Merit title that season, and the winner of three Open Championships and two Masters titles. No European had triumphed at Augusta National until Ballesteros did it in 1980 and it opened the floodgates -- Nick Faldo won three times, Bernhard Langer and Jose Maria Olazabal twice and Sandy Lyle and Ian Woosnam once each.

His influence on the Ryder Cup was just as great. Nobody displayed more passion for the event and Ballesteros formed a truly formidable partnership with Jose Maria Olazabal, winning 11 matches, losing two and drawing two others.

Ballesteros reigned as world No. 1 for 61 weeks between 1986 -- the year the rankings were introduced -- and 1989, and he was an obvious choice as Ryder Cup captain when the match was taken to Spain for the first time in 1997.

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