Erik van Rooyen has become the 2018 European Tour Graduate of the Year after an outstanding breakthrough campaign which saw him finish 38th in the Race to Dubai, 11 places ahead of his nearest rival Marcus Kinhult.
We put Van Rooyen on our October cover!
The South African follows Nacho Elvira, Byeong Hun An, Brooks Koepka and compatriots Dylan Frittelli and Justin Walters as a recipient of the distinguished prize, after an excellent season which included a top-five finish in a Rolex Series event and more than one million points earned in the Race to Dubai.
READ: Frittelli asks Erik to join him at World Cup
The Graduate of the Year trophy is awarded to the top-ranked player to have graduated from the European Challenge Tour the previous year, and Van Rooyen has been the front-runner for the title for the the duration of the season.
Carrying on his fine form from the 2017 NBO Golf Classic Grand Final where he finished in tied third, Van Rooyen made four cuts in his opening five tournaments, including solo second on home soil at the Joburg Open where a final round of 66 saw him jump up the leaderboard.
Another top ten quickly followed, once again in front of his home fans when he finished tenth at the Tshwane Open, before claiming a share of seventh at the Trophee Hassan II one month later.
In the first two Rolex Series events of the season – the BMW PGA Championship and the Italian Open – Van Rooyen rose up the Race to Dubai Rankings with tied 20th and tied 42nd finishes.
Soon after that, the South African found himself competing at the very highest level. After carding rounds of 71-65-66 at Ballyliffin Golf Club, Van Rooyen claimed the 54-hole lead at the Dubai Duty Free Irish Open hosted by the Rory Foundation, ahead of the likes of Jon Rahm and Rory McIlroy.
Despite finishing the week in a share of fourth place, Van Rooyen’s reputation was growing. After firing his way to the top of the leaderboard with an opening 67 at The Open Championship, the Johannesburger’s stock continued to rise as he held his own to finish the week tied 17th in his maiden Major outing.
Part of his stellar rise from the Challenge Tour saw him play the WGC-HSBC Champions last month where a share of 22nd moved him firmly into pole position for the Graduate of the Year award.
A share of 26th place in the season-ending DP World Tour Championship, Dubai, was enough for Van Rooyen to become the sixth winner of the Graduate of the Year award after finishing the season with 1,178,064 points.
His attention now turns to the 2018 ISPS Handa Melbourne World Cup of Golf, where he and close friend Frittelli (2017 Graduate of the Year) will represent South Africa in the prestigious event.
Credit: European Tour
