I was proud enough when 12 of our players finished in the top 60 and qualified for the final test in the Race To Dubai.   So imagine how I felt when the first three past the post all came from the ISM stable.

Take a bow Lee Westwood, Ross McGowan and Rory McIlroy for filling the top three positions at the inaugural Dubai World Championship over Greg Norman’s Earth Course.

For Lee, who I have never seen look or play any better on a golf course, finishing at the top of the money list for a second time was the reward for working unbelievably hard on his game and fitness over the last three years.

And he was back in the gym on Tuesday morning already setting his sights on numbers three and two in the world now he is on their shoulders again.

Congratulations too to his caddie Billy Foster with whom Lee has struck a perfect relationship.   The fact that it didn’t work out for Billy with Sergio Garcia was all to Lee’s benefit and I can see these two enjoying more and more success over the next decade.

For Ross, the confidence he gained from his debut win in Madrid certainly helped him have a fantastic end to the season and I believe that he too will become a major force in the game.  He and Lee were very comfortable in one another’s company over the last two rounds and that was reflected in the scores they both shot.

For Rory, who went into the event leading the money list, he couldn’t have done much more than he did, but finishing third was no disgrace.  In fact, his rise to No.10 in the world has been nothing less than remarkable.  He is learning all the time, but he is a fast learner and very soon he will become one of the best in the world.

In all, our players filled six of the top 13 places with Thomas Aiken, Louis Oosthuizen and Jeev Milkha Singh all distinguishing themselves in the desert.

Jumeirah did us all proud by organising the post-event beach party and a good time was had by all as Andrew Flintoff, going through re-hab, joined our golfers for a shandy or two.

Get well soon to Paul McGinley who this week had his sixth, yes sixth, operation on his left knee and good luck to all our players who made it through to European Tour School final qualifying which starts this week who are Andrew Coltart, Darren Fichardt, Branden Grace, Anton Haig, James Kamte, Mike Lorenzo-Vera, Joost Luiten, Iain Pyman and Steven Tiley.

Hopefully you will all be joining Lee Westwood next season.