American Peter Uihlein has been named the European Tour's rookie of the year.
Uihlein's first season on the tour saw him win his maiden title at the Madeira Islands Open and finish 14th in the season-long Race To Dubai.
The 24-year-old is the first American to win the Sir Henry Cotton Rookie of the Year award. He joins the likes of Nick Faldo, José María Olazábal, Colin Montgomerie and Martin Kaymer as a recipient.
He said: "It's an honour to win the Sir Henry Cotton Rookie of the Year award.
"I wasn't expecting it, but it's been a great year and I'm very pleased. I think I'm the first non-European to win it, so that's a great honour. Any time you're the first of anything, it's neat.
"The win in Madeira was great and I had a lot of top-10s. I played well all week in Madeira and handled myself well in the wind, and it was nice to get the job done. The win opened a few doors for me and I was able to play at Wentworth (the BMW PGA Championship) the following week.
"I was supposed to start the year on the Challenge Tour, but instead I was 11th in the Race to Dubai heading into the final event, so it wasn't what I'd planned on but obviously it's fantastic the way it has worked out."
Uihlein's season also saw him finish runner-up at the ISPS Handa Wales Open and the Alfred Dunhill Links Championship, coming within a whisker of the tour's first round of 59 at the latter event.
George O'Grady, chief executive of the European Tour, said: "We heartily congratulate Peter on an outstanding season, during which he has thrilled golf fans and challenged for several titles. He is a worthy winner of the Sir Henry Cotton Rookie of the Year.
"His incredible 60 at Kingsbarns, which ended with his eagle putt for a 59 missing by a fraction, will go down as one of the finest displays on the European Tour."
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