GolfPlus- Dec19 Digital Edition (Dec 19) | Page 19

Feature ROLEX TESTIMONEE JON RAHM CROWNED AS 2019 RACE TO DUBAI CHAMPION Rolex Testimonee Jon Rahm celebrates his double victory at the DP World Tour Championship and Race to Dubai Trophies, 2019 olex Testimonee Jon Rahm has won the prestigious 2019 Race to Dubai crown following a season of sustained excellence on the European Tour. Culminating at the DP World Tour Championship, Dubai, the ¿ nal Rolex Series event of the year, the Spaniard ¿ nished atop the Race to Dubai Rankings presented by Rolex after a phenomenal ¿ rst place ¿ nish in the elite top 50 ¿ eld at Jumeirah Golf Estates. With highlights elsewhere during the season including his second time winning the Irish Open, another Rolex Series event, and a succesful title defence of the Open de España, Rahm becomes the fourth Rolex Testimonee to win the Race to Dubai, joining Luke Donald (2010), Martin Kaymer (2011) and Francesco Molinari (2018). Rahm’s sixth European Tour victory also marks his fourth Rolex Series win. ReÀ ecting on his win, Rahm said: “It’s incredible. So much has been accomplished in just one week - it’s the second time I’ve won the DP World [Tour Championship], my fourth Rolex Series win, the second of this year, and then Race to Dubai champion. There are so many great things; I can’t really put them into perspective yet. “It’s an unbelievable feeling. It’s great that Rolex is partnering with the European Tour to create this event and to create this highlight in the season.” Rahm secured the double victory with rounds of 66, 69, 66 and an epic ¿ nal round of 68 including eight birdies, marking the second occasion the 25-year-old has won the DP World Tour Championship, having done so in 2017, when he was also named European Tour Rookie of the Year Rahm’s fellow Testimonee and another past winner of the DP World Tour Championship, Matthew Fitzpatrick, completed his tournament in style with an eagle on his 72nd hole, helping him to an eighth top 10 of the European Tour season. MARVELLOUS MACINTYRE SEALS AWARDS DOUBLE cotland’s Robert MacIntyre capped a superb debut season on the European Tour by ¿ nishing tied 14th in the DP World Tour Championship, Dubai to seal two prestigious awards. The 23-year-old was named the Sir Henry Cotton Rookie of the Year award and also picked up the Challenge Tour Graduate of the Year accolade after ¿ nishing 11th on the 2019 Race to Dubai. He emerged top of the class from a strong crop of rookies which included two multiple winners – American Kurt Kitayama (14th on the Race to Dubai) and Italian Guido Migliozzi (40th), both of whom came through Qualifying School – and fellow Challenge Tour graduate Spaniard Adri Arnaus, who ¿ nished 41st. MacIntyre recorded seven top ten ¿ nishes in 30 appearances on the European Tour in 2019, including runner up on three occasions in Made in Denmark, the Betfred British Masters and the Porsche European Open. He also impressed in his Major Championship debut, ¿ nishing tied sixth in The Open at Royal Portrush. European Tour CEO Keith Pelley and Robert MacIntyre GolfPlus DECEMBER 2019 23