The 20 year old Englishman from Welwyn Garden City in Hertfordshire claimed the prestigious award 34 years after six-time Major Champion Faldo also received the accolade before going on to become the most successful English golfer of all time.

“I appreciate this honour very much. It certainly tops off what has been an amazing year,” said Lewis, speaking from the sunshine island of Mauritius where he took  part in the Mauritius Open.

“I think my dad is more excited about me winning this award than my first Tour victory in October! I am very proud to be named The Sir Henry Cotton Rookie of the Year and I feel very fortunate as there were some strong contenders for this title who played consistently well all season.”

Lewis, who shot to prominence with his opening 65 in this year’s Open Championship at Royal St. George’s – the lowest round by an amateur in The Open’s history and one which gave him a share of the lead – produced the same score in the final round of the Portugal Masters three months later to win on his third professional outing, the quickest victory by an Affiliate Member in Tour history.

In between those historic rounds, Lewis played his part of the Great Britain & Ireland Walker Cup side’s victory over the United States at Royal Aberdeen before joining the professional ranks and producing a top-ten finish in his first event, the Austrian GolfOpen presented by Lyoness.

He then finished 70^th in the Alfred Dunhill Links Championship before going on to record his maiden success in Portugal which set up the platform for a final placing of 66^th in The Race to Dubai with earnings of €459,266.

To put the achievement in perspective, Tiger Woods required five tournaments to land his first professional title, while Rory McIlroy did not taste success until his 38th European Tour event.

Lewis paid tribute to his father and coach, Brian, a former Tour professional, who has been an influential presence during his son’s rise through the amateur game into the professional ranks.

“I might not even have been a golfer if it wasn’t for dad, but he has definitely made me into the golfer I’ve become. He is really the person who made this possible.

“It’s been a rollercoaster year. I didn’t perform very well in the first half then had the honour of playing with Tom Watson in the first two rounds of The Open, managing to share the first round lead. It was wonderful to win the Silver Medal and shoot 65 in the first round, but I think people will remember the 65 in Portugal because it secured my first professional win.

“It only really hit me when I arrived at the airport to fly home when everybody was saying ‘well done’. It was something I could scarcely have believed at the start of the season. It was a great year and a privilege to be part of the winning Walker Cup team in my final amateur event. But now I have a two year exemption on The European Tour and can’t wait to get started in 2012.”

Lewis was the choice of a panel comprising The R&A, The European Tour and the Association of Golf Writers, ahead of several strong candidates from the 2010 Challenge Tour including Denmark’s Thorbjørn Olesen and Scott Jamieson of Scotland, who both finished ahead of Lewis in The Race to Dubai having qualified for the season-ending Dubai World Championship presented by DP World.

Olesen enjoyed three joint second place finishes in accumulating €637,703 to finish 48^th in The Race to Dubai, while Jamieson shared third place on three occasions to finish the year with earnings of €523,754 and 59^th place in The Race to Dubai.

Lewis is the 47^th recipient of The Sir Henry Cotton Rookie of the Year Award, stretching back to 1960, and the 22^ndEnglishman, following several illustrious fellow countrymen including the aforementioned Faldo, Tony Jacklin, Peter Oosterhuis, Mark James, Ian Poulter and Paul Casey. Chris Wood was the last English winner in 2009 while Lewis succeeds 2010 winner, Italian teenager Matteo Manassero.

With three recent major championship winners in Darren Clarke, Graeme McDowell and Rory McIlory, golf in Northern Ireland is on the crest of a wave and Hoey more than looked capable of joining that exclusive club as he shot 68 for a 22-under-par total and two shot victory.

Even more impressively, Hoey had to take on and beat McDowell and McIlory in the final round to establish his supremacy. US Open champion McIlroy eventually finished runner-up after his faultless seven-under-par 65, which included five birdies and an eagle, while 2010 US Open champion McDowell’s 69 gave him a share of third place, one shot further back, with Scotland’s leading player George Murray, who had a creditable five-u nder-par 67.

The tournament, conceived as a celebration of links golf, is played over three of the world’s best known and respected links courses – the Old Course at St Andrews, the Championship Course at Carnoustie and the highly regarded Kingsbarns Golf Links.

An emotional Hoey said: “I came over to watch the Dunhill Cup in 1993, 1996, and 1997.  I watched Phil Mickelson, John Daly, Nick Faldo, all of the guys. I just thought ‘oh, the way they strike the ball, how good do they hit it, I would love to play here’.  And now I’m playing here and winning the Alfred Dunhill Links as well.  It doesn’t get much better.”

Hoey, who won the US$800,000 first prize, had started the day with a three shot lead, but that had disappeared by the 7th hole as he was overtaken by McIlroy, who had opened up with three birdies and an eagle over that stretch of holes. A lesser man might have buckled, but Hoey showed his fighting sp irit with birdies on the 8th and 9th and then finished off any opposition with birdies on three of the last four holes, plus a respectable par on the 17th Road Hole.

He said: “Everything had gone my way going into today and I thought, you’re playing with major champions, so you just have to play the same game again.  But I struggled at the start. I couldn’t find my rhythm, but I slowed down a bit and it came. I particularly wanted to birdie the last.  I wanted to hole that putt.  I was shaking over it.  My caddie said ‘just roll it to the hole’ but I wanted to hole that and finish it off.”

Hoey, who had won his second European Tour event, the Madeira Islands Open, in May, said: “I’ve watched all these events over the years on TV and now I’m finally playing in them.  I’m ecstatic. It’s taken a long time, but, in a weird way, you enjoy it more because of the struggling. Six years of qualifying school is not nice , when you’re running out of money and you’re confused about your golf swing and you’re away every week travelling, no family life. So there’s points there where you think ‘do I want to do this’. But I love the game and this is a dream come true.”

Rory McIlroy felt he missed chances that could have put more pressure on Hoey, but he was delighted about the 1-2-3 Northern Irish finish, the first time it has ever happened on the European Tour. He said: “It’s good to see all of us boys up there.  Just obviously disappointed it wasn’t me that’s lifting the trophy.

“I had it going early on and I birdied the 11th to get to 20 under par. I thought I had a couple of decent chances coming with the 12th, 14th  and 18th, but I didn’t capitalise. It was still a very good round of golf and considering that I was three-over-par after 11 holes in this tournament, I’ve come back and played some really good golf.”

Victory means a return to the Masters Tournament in April for Matsuyama, where he made history last year by becoming the first Asian golfer to win the Silver Cup for low amateur.

He was never behind after the first hole but faced competition from Lee Soo-min who signed for the lowest score of the week after a birdie on the 18^th hole secured a round of 64.

Overnight leader Ben Campbell also stayed in touch after recovering from a difficult start to shoot 70 and finish in third place at 16-under thanks to late birdies on holes 16 and 17. However, Matsuyama continued to hit fairways and greens and secured back-to-back wins with a tap-in par on the 605-yard 18^th.

Admitting to feeling some nerves at the start of the back nine, he said: “To be honest my feet started shaking, I was really nervous but I was happy that I was able to play my game even under that tremendous pressure. If you look at today and yesterday, I didn’t shoot any bogeys so that was very encouraging for me.”

His final total of 270 consisted of rounds of 67-71-65-67 over The SICC’s New Course and sets the record for the lowest 72-hole score in Asian Amateur Championship history. It means that he has recorded a sub-par score in every round he has played in the competition.

The Tohoku Fukushi University Student continued his great form from yesterday with birdies on holes 1, 8, 9, 12 and 16. A rare missed green on the 15th provided hope for his opponents but a deft chip making full use of the green saw him make a comfortable par and stay one-shot ahead of the field before going a further shot up at the next hole.

Matsuyama – who finished T-27 at last year’s Masters to record the third best finish ever by an international amateur – admitted to feeling added pressure coming into the tournament as defending champion but that the thought of a return to Augusta National kept him motivated.

He added: “At last year’s Asian Amateur Championship, I was able to enjoy the tournament because it was my first time and I did not have a lot of pressure. But this time, since I knew that I had to win to play Augusta again, it was extra pressure for me and it is something I’ve never been through before.

“I think it was because I wanted so badly to go back to play Augusta again. That is why the pressure was there but I am happy that I managed to get over it.”

An exciting climax to the tournament was provided by South Korea’s Lee Soo-min who followed a three-under par front nine with birdies on holes 10, 11 and 12 to get to 16-under par. He looked to have blown his chance when an errant tee shot on the 16th forced him to lay up only to produce a wonderful chip to within inches of the cup to secure an unlikely birdie.

On the short 305-yard, par-four, 17^th he again looked to have blown his chance after a sliced drive bounced onto a road narrowly avoiding going out-of-bounds. The 17-year-old then almost holed a chip after a recovery shot went through would have put him in a tie for the lead. His 64 ties the record low round in AAC history.

Lee said: “I played really well today. I was really good with the short wedge shots, from like 40 or 50 yards. I wasn’t hitting the ball any better today but any time I made a bad shot I recovered well. I was really satisfied with how I played this week.

“All I want to do now is play well and I look forward to next year’s tournament.”

Although Lee missed out on the title, as runner-up he will join Matsuyama in International Final Qualifying for The Open Championship 2012.

The champion revealed he was fully aware that the South Korean was making a charge for the title. “I tried to focus on my game and not worry too much about him as there’s not much I could do,” he explained.

“So I focused on my game and kept building my scores. That’s the only point I tried to focus on.

“Obviously Campbell played great. He was leading the tournament but I knew that most players were very good players, so I tried to keep up with them and that helped me to keep motivated as well.”

It was a frustrating day for Campbell as the New Zealander double-bogeyed the 2^nd hole to see his overnight lead turn into a two shot deficit to his playing partner. The 20-year-old recovered well with birdies at holes 3, 7 and 8 that kept him in contention. Further birdies at 16 and 17 kept him in touch but Matsuyama’s tap in par meant there would be no shock finish.

Campbell – who underwent surgery on his foot just seven weeks ago – said: “I didn’t find it easy. I couldn’t seem to putt it in a line, where I wanted it to. I made a bit of a run coming in and had a good putt on 16, but overall it wasn’t too bad.

“If someone said I’d finish third at the start of the week I’d be pretty happy but it was a bit of a disappointment I suppose. Not where I wanted to finish after a good run over the last few days but that’s the way these things go.”

Australia’s Cameron Smith recorded his lowest round of the week of 67 to finish fifth at 15-under par. Playing in the final group, the 18-year-old scored back-to-back birdies on holes 8 and 9 to put him within touching distance of the leaders.

The host country should be proud of their players, with nine out of the starting ten Singaporeans making the cut after day two. Twenty-four year old Huang Tze Choo managed to pull back in today’s round finishing an impressive joint ninth on the leader board, with a final score of 281, seven-under par.

The strongest field ever in the event’s history saw  23 players finish under par and a top ten made up of five different nationalities, with Japan, South Korea, New Zealand, Australia and Malaysia represented. A total of 120 players from 35 countries began the week with television coverage broadcast in 150 countries.

The fourth Asian Amateur Championship will be staged at Amata Spring Country Club in Chonburi, southeast of Thailand’s capital city of Bangkok, from November 1 – 4, 2012.

'What do you mean I've got a monkey's chance of winning?'

'BOOM!'

'Somebody phone Georgia and tell them I'm coming!'

The Welshman’s steady finish, after following up his opening round of 70 with a 69, was enough to seal a one shot victory on nine under par after as many as five potential winners fell by the wayside in the challenging final stretch at Belas Clube de Campo, outside Lisbon.

In a thrilling finale, Gordon Brand Jnr, Jerry Bruner, Doug Johnson and Gary Wolstenholme all shared the lead as the final groups reached the turn.

But they all struggled on the closing holes as every one of them suffered at least a double bogey on the back nine, with Bruner double bogeying the 14^th, Wolstenholme dropping two shots on the 17^th, Johnson suffering an eight on the par four 12th while Brand Jnr found the water for a triple bogey at the 18^th on the way to a one over par round of 73.

Overnight leader Mike Cunning, who was four shots clear of Mouland going into the final round, also struggled to get going after a bogey on the third hole before three bogeys on the back nine contributed to a one over par final round of 73 that left him in second place.

Mouland, meanwhile, was coolness personified as he came down the stretch, birdieing the 10^th, 11^th, 13^th and 15^th in a round which didn’t feature a single blemish.

'Obrigado'

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The 40 year old Dane, who receives an engraved alms dish and a jeroboam of Moët & Chandon champagne for winning Golfer of the Month, claimed his 12th European Tour victory in thrilling fashion as he collected his second trophy of the season following the Commercialbank Qatar Masters presented by Dolphin Energy.

Björn overcame Bernd Wiesberger, Pablo Larrazabal, Mark Foster and then, finally, George Coetzee with scores of par-par-birdie-birdie-birdie at the formidable par five 18^th hole of the PGA Centenary Course at Gleneagles to claim an unforgettable victory.

Björn’s third win of the season at the Omega European Masters – just seven days after his play-off epic in Scotland – will make him a serious contender for September’s Golfer of the Month competition, but it was that stunning play-off win at Gleneagles alone that secured him the August  award.

“The Race to Dubai Golfer of the Month Award is a very nice to way to have your level of performance recognised. It is a reward for all the hard work that I put in to get back to winning ways again.

“It’s been a long time since I won one of these awards and it’s nice to be chosen by the judging panel. Sometimes it’s a struggle to stay focussed the week after winning, and in my first round at Crans I was two over par after the first four holes. However, I finished the day strongly and improved with each round. Not many people win back-to-back so it was a really enjoyable experience.”

Give us a visual clue as to how you feel Thomas?

"Have I ever done what with devil in the pale moon.. what??!!"

"Have I ever danced with the devil where??!!"

VALDERRAMA MEETS MR IAN POULTER

Hello everybody, it’s Valderrama here and I’ve been joined by my very special friend Mr. Ian Poulter. How ya doing mate?

Poults: I’m very well Valdy, how are you?

Valdy: I’m lovely Mr. Ian, and as you can see I’m wearing my special pink outfit because I’ve been looking at your new collection and I have to say it looks ghetto fabulous…. You know, some people think I look like you…

Poults: Really, well, you’ve got the same kind of hairdo that’s for sure.

Valdy: Ahh, thank you very much, now I’m gonna ask you a couple of questions here… do you think the pros should be allowed to wear shorts on tour?

Poults: Yes I do, I think they should be allowed to wear shorts, I think we should be allowed to wear kilts. I don’t think there should be any limitations to what we can and can’t wear on the golf course.

Valdy; You’re right there Mr Ian… now then, what would you say, beer or wine?

Poults: I’d say champagne…

Valdy: Yeah, I love a bit of champagne, especially when it goes up your nose and makes you go all tingly… what’s on your iPod these days?

Poults: I have a very eclectic taste. I’ve got everything from Bob Marley to 50 Cent, Eminem, Jamiroqui, and The Fray, a bit of garage music. What are you listening to these days?

Valdy: Actually, I just got the new Hard Fi album ‘Killer Sounds’ it’s ghetto fabulous. Do you read the papers? And if so, which ones?

Poults: Yes I do I read the Financial Times, The Daily Telegraph, The Daily Mail, The Guardian – all the intellectual papers because, as you know, I am very intelligent…

Tell me, what’s the worst thing about golf?

Poults: Worst thing?  Hhhmmm, I don’t think there is a bad thing about golf, I think it’s all great.

Valdy: What about when you’ve had a bad round?

Poults: Yes, well that’s going to be pretty tricky if you’ve had a bad round but at the end of the day golf is quite simply great.

Valderrama: When was the last time you cried?

Ian Poulter: I’m not sure though my eyes were watering last year when I had them lasered if that counts.

Valdy: I bet that was painful? Is it all right now? Can you see me?

Poults: I’m fine thanks, Valdy, and yes I can see you and you’re looking very sexy I have to say.

Valdy: Tell, me Mr Ian, Who is the funniest person in the world?

Poults: I think you are actually.

Valdy: Well that’s very nice of you to say so cos we had that Sam Torrance in here last week and he almost throttled me. I thought I was going to have to get the dog to come in and see him off but it was all right in the end.

Valdy: Wax, shave or pluck?

Poults: Wax, shave or pluck? I think it’s all good to be honest with you!

Valdy: That’s right, you’ve got to keep yourself nice these days haven’t you.

Poults: That’s right, have you seen my chest, I have to do that often…

Valdy: Let’s have a look…. Blimey, cor… you’ve got a rain forest down there!

Poults: I’ll have you know that’s been recently trimmed.

Valdy: Indeed, it’s very nice, thank you. Now, here’s a good one for ya… have you ever danced with the devil in the pale moonlight?

Poults: Have I ever done what?!

Valdy: I said, have you ever danced with the devil in the pale moonlight?

Poults: No I haven’t actually, have you?

Valdy: Well, he came round the other night but fortunately I was out dancing with someone else in the pale moonlight thank you.

Well, that’s it from Mr. Ian and me, thanks Ian.

Poults: No, thank you, Valdy, and it’s nice to see your tufty little face again.

Valdy: Ian Poulter, yeeeeaaaah!

Melissa Reid gears up for the Solheim Cup