Garrett is Rookie of the Year

Dubai: Annika Sorenstam raised her hands and acknowledged the cheers of the watching crowd as she claimed the first Dubai Ladies Masters title.

But she wasn't the only smiling face to walk off Emirates Golf Course yesterday afternoon.

Nikki Garrett, the young Australian, sealed her place as Rookie of the Year after recording a joint 10th finish at the tournament.

With earnings before the Dubai event of Euros 90,482.55, (Dh422,886), Garrett went into the competition Euros 22,039 (Dh103,000) ahead of nearest rival Tania Elosegui Mayor.

But the Spaniard's par finish in joint 19th was no match for Garrett's solid four under.

Garrett's name will now join the ranks of past winners including Laura Davies, Karrie Webb and Annika Sorenstam.

But down-to-earth Garrett, 22, is refusing to let her new title affect her attitude. "It's not going to make much of a difference to me, it's an added bonus and hopefully it might make a difference with sponsors," said the player whose only endorsement right now is Oakley.

In her first season on the Ladies European Tour (LET) over, Garrett is now focusing on her plan of attack for next year.

"This season has been great, very exciting and a good learning experience for me. Now I've got to look at my putting and chipping; that part of the game that everyone has to work on," she said with a rueful smile.

Women's golf is in a healthy state according to Garrett, who believes that more and more talented youngsters are finding their way into the game.

"The standard is getting higher and higher each year and it shows," she said. "Rookies this year earned more than rookies last year, which is going to encourage a lot more girls to turn professional."

This year, Garrett has won herself a title and a small piece of golf history, next year she plans to win a tournament and then only time will tell if she can write her name into all the record books.