Westwood gets major honour from European Tour

Lee Westwood has joined an elite group of golfers by being awarded honorary life membership of the European Tour.

“I have always loved the Tour and the people surrounding it – it has played a huge part in my life and I will cherish this honour for the rest of my life,” said the world number one in Dubai, where the Omega Desert Classic starts on Thursday.

Westwood and Nick Faldo are the only English players to head the world rankings since they were introduced in 1986 and he has done so after slumping from fourth to outside the top 250 a decade ago.

The 37-year-old dethroned Tiger Woods in October and followed that by announcing that he saw no need to join the PGA Tour in America this season.

George O’Grady, Europe’s chief executive, commented: “It is a great privilege to honour Lee in this very special way with the highest award we as a Tour can give him.

“He is a devoted family man, but also devoted to the Tour on which he cut his teeth in professional golf.

“He has shown unswerving loyalty to the European Tour for the best part of 20 years and is fully deserving of being recognised with honorary life membership.

“For the past 15 weeks Lee has sat on top of the world in a golfing sense and the fact that only 12 other players have claimed the position of number one over a 25-year period speaks volumes for the enormity of his achievement.

“He has done this through the quality of his golf and sheer force of personality – and is undoubtedly one of our greatest champions.”

Westwood’s position is under threat from German Martin Kaymer again this week and Woods is also in the field at the Emirates Club.

He is third in the circuit’s all-time career money list behind Ernie Els and Colin Montgomerie with tournament winnings of £20,250,000 (€24m) and has played in the last seven Ryder Cup matches.