McIlroy PGA Tour Player of the Year

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Rory McIlroy has been voted PGA Tour player of the year for the second time in three seasons.

McIlroy won the British Open Championship, WGC-Bridgestone Invitational and US PGA Championship in consecutive appearances and did not finish outside the top 25 in any of his 17 PGA Tour events in 2014.

The 25-year-old had already claimed the Arnold Palmer Award as the tour’s leading official money winner $8,280,096 (€6.5 million) and won the Byron Nelson Award for adjusted scoring average (68.83).

“It means a lot to win it for the second time in three years,” McIlroy said. “Being voted player of the year by your peers is something that’s very important.

“They are the guys you are trying to beat week in, week out and if they appreciate what you have done over the year, see the hard work that you’ve put in and the golf that you’ve played and think that’s been the best of the season that means a lot to me.

“I would like to win a lot more in my career and it gives me even more motivation to go on and work harder and try to win more tournaments, more Majors and be involved in more Ryder Cups like last week.”

PGA Tour members who played in at least 15 official money events were eligible to vote for the award and that of rookie of the year, which went to American Chesson Hadley.

Hadley, 27, won the Puerto Rico Open and was the only rookie to advance to the BMW Championship, the third of the four FedEx Cup play-off events.

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McGinley Returns to Course at Dunhill

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Paul McGinley is keeping his expectations low as he prepares to resume his playing career at this week's Alfred Dunhill Links Championship.

The 47-year-old is still basking in the glory of guiding Europe to a third successive Ryder Cup victory at the weekend, with McGinley earning worldwide plaudits for his decision-making and attention to detail.

The Irishman has limited his playing schedule since being appointed captain in January last year, and he has played only one competitive tournament since July after suffering a shoulder injury.

But McGinley is looking forward to teeing up in the pro-am event over the Old Course at St Andrews, Carnoustie and Kingsbarns, although he has no idea what state his game is in.

"I'm not tired and I don't feel like I want to pull away," McGinley said after Europe's five-point win over the United States on Sunday. "I think it's been great. I've really enjoyed the ride the last 18 months. It's been an absolute thrill and privilege and an honour.

"The Dunhill is a tournament I've always enjoyed playing, I love playing on those golf courses. God knows where my golf game is. I feel like there's been no work gone into my golf game the last six months.

"Everything the previous captains have told me about your golf game struggling has been proved correct. The first year was not so bad. I played quite well last year to be honest. This year it's really tailed off.

"When I've been on the golf course and on the practice ground, my mind has been drifting. It's not been there and I've not had the intensity and concentration you need to practice and play."

World No 1 Rory McIlroy, US Open champion and 2010 winner Martin Kaymer, France's Victor Dubuisson and 2004 winner Stephen Gallacher are the other members of Europe's winning team teeing up this week

Vice-captain Padraig Harrington, who won the event in 2002 is also competing, as is last year's winner David Howell, who beat American Peter Uihlein on the second hole of a play-off.

"It will be lovely to come back as defending champion. It's a real privilege and I shall enjoy every moment of it," Howell said. "The win last year was a long time coming, seven years after my previous win and I could not have wished for a better place to do it than St Andrews."

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Darrren Clarke Gets Monty Support

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Colin Montgomerie says Darren Clarke is the favourite to be the next Ryder Cup captain but admits there are several candidates for the role.

After Paul McGinley led Europe to a superb 16½-11½ victory over the USA in this year’s competition at Gleneagles, attention has already turned to who will lead the team in America in two years’ time.

Clarke was vice-captain at Medinah two years ago and is the most popular choice for the role, but Montgomerie – who was a pundit for Sky Sports during this year’s tournament – says the Northern-Irishman has to be sure he will not want to feature as a player. 

“I think he’s the bookies’ favourite, if there is one,” the 2010 captain told Sky Sports News. “Provided he feels he isn’t capable of playing and adding to the team in a playing performance.

“This is the problem with Thomas Bjorn, with Lee Westwood, with Padraig Harrington as well – are they ready to say they’re not going to play again? Because after you’ve captained it’s very rare to come back as a player.

“Darren’s favourite right now but we will have a think after the next few months and come up with the best candidate.”

The Scot will choose the captain for Hazeltine in 2016 along with McGinley and fellow former captain Jose Maria Olazabal – something he believes is a good system.

“There’s a number of great candidates we have in Europe,” he added. “There’s Lee Westwood, Thomas Bjorn, Padraig Harrington, Darren Clarke, Miguel Angel Jimenez. There’s a load of candidates we have and we’ll discuss it.

“The last three Ryder Cup captains select this now, which I do like. It saves the social media playing it out beforehand and I think it’s very good that Paul McGinley, Jose Maria Olazabal and myself will select the captain and then it will be announced. It’s as simple as that.

“We will analyse it, we will think about it, we will talk between ourselves and we will come up with the best candidate for the job in two years’ time.”

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Westwood Backs Captain Clarke

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Lee Westwood has added his voice to those backing Darren Clarke to be Europe’s next Ryder Cup captain.

World number one Rory McIlroy has already said he feels Clarke would be an ideal captain in the United States in two years’ time, and the former Open champion’s friend and long-time stablemate Westwood agrees.

“It’s about the right time in Darren’s career to take up the captaincy,” Westwood said on Sky Sports News. “He is very popular in the United States and I think he would make a good captain.”

Clarke is odds-on favourite to lead the European side at Hazeltine in 2016, although his strained relationship with victorious skipper Paul McGinley may have a bearing on the selection process.

The 46-year-old sent McGinley a letter in 2011 supporting his bid to become captain in 2014, but later changed his mind and also put himself forward for the role.

And when Tom Watson was named US captain in December 2012, Clarke suggested 2010 captain Colin Montgomerie should also be considered as ”whoever it is standing on that stage opposite Tom Watson needs a huge presence”.

With the public backing of players such as McIlroy, Luke Donald and Ian Poulter, McGinley subsequently won the day but admitted recently that his conversations with Clarke were now ”short and sweet” and amounted to little more than passing pleasantries.

Graeme McDowell has urged Clarke and McGinley to put their differences aside and McGinley insisted on Monday that his relationship with Clarke would not unduly influence his role in the new selection process.

Since 1999, the captain was selected by the European Tour’s 15-strong tournament committee, but changes announced in August last year mean the responsibility now falls to the previous three captains (McGinley, Jose Maria Olazabal and Montgomerie), the Tour’s chief executive and a tournament committee representative.

Westwood would also like to be captain “somewhere down the line,” but for now wants to concentrate on playing and becoming Europe’s record points scorer in the event.

Two wins alongside Jamie Donaldson in the foursomes at Gleneagles took the 41-year-old’s tally to 23, half a point more than the late Seve Ballesteros and two behind Nick Faldo’s record.

“You like to set records and I set one by being on seven winning teams, so I would like to set the record points tally,” added Westwood.

Speaking about his partnership with Donaldson, the former world number one added: “It’s part of the responsibility of being one of the veteran players. I did it with Martin Kaymer at Celtic Manor and with Soren Hansen before (in 2008).

“But it did not feel like I was playing with a rookie with Jamie. He has a similar game to me and he settled into it nicely. He did not seem to feel the pressure.”

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