Jon Rahm named 2019 Hilton European Tour Golfer of the year

Race to Dubai Champion Jon Rahm has been named the 2019 Hilton European Tour Golfer of the Year.

A week after claiming the Race to Dubai with his victory at the DP World Tour Championship, World No.3 Jon Rahm has been crowned Hilton European Tour Golfer of the year for 2019. 

Rahm, who also won a second Rolex series event – the Dubai Duty Free Irish Open – and the Open de Espana, was selected for the award by a panel which is comprised of members of the golfing media. 

The panel announced Rahm as the winner during a lunch held at The Biltmore Mayfair Hotel in London.

“It is a huge honour for me to be named the Hilton European Tour Golfer of the Year,” said Rahm, who 

“To emulate another of Seve’s achievements in winning this award is very humbling, and I’m so proud of what I have achieved this year.

“To win both the Dubai Duty Free Irish Open and DP World Tour Championship for a second time, as well as defend the Open de España, were all incredible moments.

“But to finish the year as winner of the Race to Dubai is something I’m incredibly proud of achieving at this early stage in my career.”

The 25-year-old Spaniard finished tied ninth at the Masters and T3 in the U.S. Open before heading over to Europe to compete in his first event of the season. 

He ended up finishing runner up at the Estrella Damm N.A. Andalucia Valderrama Masters, before going on to win his first European Tour title in Ireland – his second victory at the event in three years.

Rahm followed that with a T11 at The Open and seventh place finish at the WGC FedEx St Jude before finishing out the FedEx Cup season in the USA before coming back over to Europe. 

He came close to winning his second event of the year at the BMW PGA Championship but was beaten out by Danny Willett on his tournament debut, and missed the cut at the Alfred Dunhill Links Championship. 

But he finished off the season in style, successfully defending the Open de Espana with a five stroke victory, before capturing the DP World Tour Championship with an up and down birdie at the last to edge out Tommy Fleetwood by a shot. 

Keith Pelley, Chief Executive Officer of the European Tour, said: “The 2019 European Tour season had so many stand-out moments, not least the dramatic finale at the DP World Tour Championship, Dubai when Jon earned his place in European Tour history, joining the legendary Seve Ballesteros as the only other Spaniard to become Europe’s Number One player. 

“For Jon to win the Race to Dubai in the manner that he did, with so much pressure on that final hole, simply underlines what an incredible competitor he is. However, this award also recognises the hugely impressive standard of his performances across the year and it demonstrates the strength we have on the European Tour that there were a number of worthy contenders for this award, including Shane Lowry who narrowly missed out despite winning The Open and a Rolex Series event. 

“Jon has a wonderful future ahead of him and he is undoubtedly a deserving winner of the 2019 Hilton European Tour Golfer of the Year award.”