Lee Westwood polled 53% of the votes of Association of Golf Writers’ members to secure the 2020 ‘Golfer of the Year’ title ahead of AIG Women’s Open champion Sophia Popov and world No 2 Jon Rahm.
Wednesday 6 January 2021 13:19, UK
Race to Dubai champion Lee Westwood has become the first golfer to win the Associations of Golf Writers’ (AGW) trophy on four occasions.
The 47-year-old beat off competition from AIG Women's Open champion Sophia Popov and world No 2 Jon Rahm to secure the 'Golfer of the Year' title, voted for by AGW members.
Westwood registered a 25th European Tour title at the Abu Dhabi HSBC Championship in January and went on a run of six consecutive top-20 finishes over the summer, before a runner-up finish at the DP World Tour Championship last month saw him win the Race to Dubai for a third time.
"I'm again honoured to be voted AGW Golfer of the Year and even more so to now win the award for a fourth time," said Westwood. "I feel very fortunate and honoured to have won.
"It's always a special award because it is voted by the dedicated golfing press who are out there reporting on the various tournaments. We all know 2020 was a very different year but they are the ones who continually keep a close eye on what has been going on in the golf world."
Westwood received 53 per cent of the votes ahead of Popov (20 per cent) and Rahm (13 per cent), while Justin Rose was given seven per cent of votes after setting up the Rose Ladies Series - alongside his wife, Kate - over the summer.
AGW Chairman Martin Dempster said: "I feel that Lee Westwood is a deserved winner of the 2020 AGW Golfer of the Year Award and not just on the strength of his latest European Tour Race to Dubai title, brilliant as though that achievement may have been.
"Lee led by example after the European Tour came out of the first Covid-19 lockdown, admitting he found the environment at events totally different to what he had been used to during his glittering career but getting on with it in a professional manner.
"As well as hosting the Betfred British Masters at Close House, he supported other events on a new UK Swing and, both on and off the golf course, showed why so many of his peers regard him as 'the definition of the European Tour'."
The prestigious AGW Golfer Writers Trophy, and initially awarded in 1951, recognises the team, person or persons, resident or born in Europe, who in the opinion of the majority of Association members, made the most outstanding contribution to golf during the preceding 12 months.
