- Sep 1, 2004
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Italy's Matteo Manassero has been named the Sir Henry Cotton Rookie of the Year for 2010 following an amazing start to his professional career highlighted by him becoming the youngest player to win in the history of the European Tour.
Manassero won the Castello Masters at the age of 17 years and 188 days and finished 31st in the 2010 Race to Dubai.
Manassero is the first Italian to win the award which is judged by The R&A, the Association of Golf Writers and the European Tour. He is also the tenth golfer from continental Europe and 46th recipient in total of the Sir Henry Cotton Rookie of the Year Award which was launched in 1960.
Other winners include Nick Faldo, Tony Jacklin, Sandy Lyle, José Maria Olazábal, Colin
Montgomerie, Sergio Garcia, Ian Poulter, Paul Casey and Martin Kaymer.
To achieve what he has after turning professional in May is astonishing. To do so while coming across as a polite, decent and intelligent teenager is reassuring for those of us who care about such things. If he matures as we all hope he will, then the European Tour has another genuine global star.
Manassero won the Castello Masters at the age of 17 years and 188 days and finished 31st in the 2010 Race to Dubai.
Manassero is the first Italian to win the award which is judged by The R&A, the Association of Golf Writers and the European Tour. He is also the tenth golfer from continental Europe and 46th recipient in total of the Sir Henry Cotton Rookie of the Year Award which was launched in 1960.
Other winners include Nick Faldo, Tony Jacklin, Sandy Lyle, José Maria Olazábal, Colin
Montgomerie, Sergio Garcia, Ian Poulter, Paul Casey and Martin Kaymer.
To achieve what he has after turning professional in May is astonishing. To do so while coming across as a polite, decent and intelligent teenager is reassuring for those of us who care about such things. If he matures as we all hope he will, then the European Tour has another genuine global star.