Notebook: Kaymer named European Tour's final 2011 Golfer of Month

Martin Kaymer’s victory in the WGC-HSBC Champions has earned him the Race to Dubai European Tour Golfer of the Month Award for November/December, tour officials have announced.

Kaymer started the final day of the World Golf Championship event five shots adrift of leader Fredrik Jacobson before producing a sensational back nine of 29 to cut through the field and take the title by three shots. The 2010 PGA Champion’s faultless 9-under 63 was the lowest final round by a winner in any WGC stroke-play event, and helped elevate the German to fourth place in the Official Golf World Ranking.

Rory McIlroy was a strong contender for the monthly award after an impressive victory at the UBS Hong Kong Open, while Luke Donald’s third-place finish at the Dubai World Championship meant he held off McIlroy and made history as the first player to top the money lists on both sides of the Atlantic in the same season.

Kaymer’s monthly award was his second of 2011, as he also took the January honor for his successful defense of the Abu Dhabi HSBC Golf Championship.

The other Golfer of the Month winners in 2011 were Donald (February and May), Paul Lawrie (March), Charl Schwartzel (April), McIlroy (June), Darren Clarke (July), Thomas Bjorn (August), Michael Hoey (September) and Sergio Garcia (October).

OZAKI GETS ANOTHER TERM: Naomichi "Joe" Ozaki will continue as Asia’s captain for next year's Royal Trophy match against Europe.

The 55-year-old from Japan has led the team for the last four editions of the match-play tournament after his compatriot Masahiro Kuramoto took charge for the inaugural event in 2006.

The next edition of the event will take place Dec. 14-16 in Brunei, and will be played in honor of Seve Ballesteros, Europe's captain for the first two years, who died in May after a lengthy battle against cancer.

"I am certain that the eight members of the Asian Team will play their hearts out in honor of Seve's career and life," said Ozaki, whose only success as captain came in 2009. "I have great memories of Seve during my years playing full-time internationally, of the times he played in our tour in Japan and of captaining against him at the Royal Trophy in 2007."

Spaniard Jose Maria Olazabal will lead the European team, taking over the captaincy from Colin Montgomerie, who skippered the side to a 9-7 victory earlier this year.

DONALD SCOOPS ANOTHER AWARD: Luke Donald can add another accolade to his long list after winning the Golf Writers Trophy for 2011 ahead of runners-up Darren Clarke and Rory McIlroy.

"Any award you win gives you a great amount of pleasure and for the golf writers to consider me as their player of the year means a lot, it really does," Donald said. "These are the people who really understand golf and appreciate all that I have achieved this year.

"All the people in the running -- Rory, Darren, the Solheim Cup team and the Walker Cup team -- would have been worthy winners and therefore it is very gratifying to get the vote ahead of all of them."

Donald reached world No. 1 in May, won the final event of the PGA Tour season in America to be its leading money-winner and then completed an unprecedented double by taking the European Tour money title as well despite competing in only 13 counting tournaments.

"What Luke Donald has achieved this year is unbelievable," said Clarke, who won the British Open 20 years after his first appearance in it. "I'm full of admiration for him."

McIlroy shot a record score in becoming the youngest U.S. Open champion since 1923 and did so only two months after blowing the Masters with a closing round of 80.

The Solheim Cup team came fourth in the vote, and Captain Alison Nicholas said: "It proves the strength of men's and women's professional golf in Europe at present and highlights the young and fearless talent that is coming through."

That was underlined by the unexpected Walker Cup victory over the United States at Royal Aberdeen, with that side finishing fifth in the poll by accredited European golf writers.

Donald will receive the trophy -- first awarded in 1951 -- at a dinner during the British Open at Royal Lytham in July.