NEW YORK — Northern Ireland's Rory McIlroy was named as the PGA Tour Player of the Year Tuesday, capping an outstanding season for the world No. 1. As expected, the 23-year-old was the popular choice for the annual Jack Nicklaus Award, decided by a vote from eligible tour players, becoming the youngest recipient since Tiger Woods in 1998. McIlroy won four PGA Tour titles this year, including the PGA Championship by a record eight strokes. Nicklaus held the previous record margin for the last major on the golfing calendar, winning the 1980 PGA Championship by seven shots. “It's always nice to get recognition from your peers, the guys that you're trying to beat week in, week out,” McIlroy said on a conference call. McIlroy also won the Honda Classic, Deutsche Bank Championship and BMW Championship and the Vardon Trophy for the lowest scoring average. He also won the money lists for the PGA and European Tours, making his selection a virtual formality on a final ballot that included Jason Dufner, Brandt Snedeker, Bubba Watson and Woods. John Huh won the Rookie of the Year award after becoming the youngest player in more than a decade to qualify for the Tour Championship. Huh, 22, broke through for his first win at the Mayakoba Golf Classic in February, enduring an eight-hole playoff with Robert Allenby. The youngest player before him to reach the end-of-season championship was Spain's Sergio Garcia, who was 21 in 2001. Thompson eyes Dubai crown American teenager Alexis Thompson will attempt to defend her Dubai Ladies Masters crown this week as the season-ending tournament of the Ladies European Tour (LET) begins on the Majlis course of the Emirates Golf Club. Thompson created history last year by becoming the youngest professional player to win on both the LPGA Tour and the LET, winning the Navistar LPGA Classic aged just 16 years, seven months and eight days, then in Dubai. Still two months short of her 18th birthday, Thompson faces a field comprising major stars such as tournament regular Michelle Wie and world No.6 Shanshan Feng, world No.30 Seo Hee-kyung of South Korea and British veteran Laura Davies. Feng became the only player from mainland China to win a Major this year at the LPGA Championship. Also in the spotlight is young Spanish star Carlota Ciganda, who is on the verge of becoming the first player after Davies in 1985 to win the Order of Merit crown as a rookie on the tour. The 22-year-old from Pamplona turned professional this year after a brilliant amateur career and having won twice this year, she tops the Order of Merit with 242,790 euros ($316,000). The winner's check in the tournament is 75,000 euros, with the runner-up getting 50,000 euros and the third-place worth 35,000 euros. — Agencies
