Wednesday 17 January 2018 14:34, UK
Tommy Fleetwood had an "emotional" start to the week ahead of his defence of the Abu Dhabi HSBC Championship as he was presented with the Seve Ballesteros Award.
The award was formerly known as the Players' Player Award before being renamed in honour of the late, great Spaniard, and it is voted for annually by all members of the European Tour.
Fleetwood joins an illustrious list of recipients including the likes of multiple winners Rory McIlroy and Henrik Stenson having been recognised for his outstanding 2017, winning twice and clinching the Race to Dubai crown after a thrilling duel with Justin Rose over the final month of the season.
The Englishman was presented with the award by European Tour chief executive Keith Pelley and tournament committee chairman David Howell at his pre-tournament press conference, and he could not contain his pride at being recognised by his fellow pros on the European circuit.
"Winning the Seve Ballesteros award has actually made me the most emotional out of all the things I've won," said Fleetwood. "It is voted for by the players and for me, there's still so many guys that when I come out, I was looking up to and you watch people on the range and you try to learn from them.
"I've made a lot of friends, and I think for people to vote for me as Players' Player of the Year is just something else. It's different to anything I've achieved before. It's a very flattering and very humbling."
Pelley added: "Tommy had a remarkable season on the European Tour and is a truly deserving winner of The Seve Ballesteros Award. He has always been a popular figure among his peers and we have all enjoyed watching his rise through the golfing ranks over the past 18 months."
Ballesteros' eldest son, Javier, said: "It is great to see Tommy Fleetwood receiving the Players' Player of the Year Award, now the Seve Ballesteros Award, in honour to our father. He's had a sensational year, not just because he has won twice but mainly for his consistency and the way he has played all season.
"My brothers, Miguel and Carmen, and I are delighted, we think he is a great competitor who has also achieved the recognition of his fellow professionals".
Fleetwood now turns his attention to defending his Abu Dhabi title against a star-studded field, including world No 1 Dustin Johnson as well as McIlroy and Rose, and he admitted his victory last year came out of the blue.
"I am starting the year in a very different place to last year, said Fleetwood, who is currently ranked 18th in the world after starting 2017 as the world No 99. "I've said it a few times, but it was kind of a clean slate for me.
"I had worked really hard half of the year before, and then by the time I got to this event, the goals for the year were just, I wanted to win a tournament again and pretty much anything other than that was kind of a bonus.
"I won last year and it kind of came out of nowhere. I haven't done much before over the winter, and it was a course where I had not had much success on and found myself up there on the last day. It just kind of took us all a little bit by surprise, and it was a massive accumulation of so much hard work and coming back and getting my game back together.
"I have so many great memories from that week, and it clearly started a great run for me throughout the year. I think I owe a lot to the tournament and the way I played. Dustin Johnson was coming down the stretch, as well last year, but I think it gave me a lot of confidence to move on in the year and then for whatever else I achieved."
