Player of the Year
OK, so he didn’t exactly thrill us at the UBS Hong Kong Open this time around but with five victories – including a second career Major at the US PGA Championship – Rory McIlroy well and truly lived up to world number one billing. Not that he had everything go his way. A string of missed cuts in the first half of the season – which came after a disappointing weekend at Augusta – had the naysayers out in force, but the 23-year-old Ulsterman roared back when it mattered, claiming two of the four FedEx Cup Playoff events on the PGA Tour, the aforementioned US PGA (by a staggering eightshot margin of victory) and the DP World Tour Championship in Dubai.
McIlroy won the money list titles in both Europe and America and played a significant role in Europe’s epic Ryder Cup win. He also beat his childhood hero Tiger Woods in an exhibition match in China, the so-called ‘Duel at Jinsha Lake’. Ten years ago they were all chasing Woods; now McIlroy is the man to beat.
Winner: Rory McIlroy
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