Cowen takes top coaching award

Swing coach extraordinaire rewarded at London ceremony

Wed, 1 Dec 2010
Cowen takes top coaching award

Peter Cowen has beaten off stiff competition to be named UK Coach of the Year at an ceremony in London.

Cowen, credited with helping Lee Westwood become the number one golfer in the world, also won High-performance Coach of the Year at the UK Coaching Awards, beating England cricket coach Andy Flower and GB Boxing Performance Director Rob McCracken.

The former Tour winner is regarded as one of the world’s finest coaches, having worked with the likes of Darren Clarke, Colin Montgomerie, Paul McGinley and Sergio Garcia – as well as two of this year’s Major champions, Graeme McDowell and Louis Oosthuizen.

Worksop-born Westwood won twice in the 12 months after hooking up with Cowen on his way to world number four. But the 37-year-old almost gave up on the game after in a dramatic tumble to 259 in the rankings.

Cowen turned him around and he went on to win the Race to Dubai last year, among other titles, before going on to take Tiger Woods’ crown in the rankings.

UK Coaching Awards Winners

UK Coach of the Year: Peter Cowen (Golf)
Children’s Coach of the Year: Gary Kelsall (Handball and Multi-skills)
Young Coach of the Year: Mike Bohndiek (Cricket)
Participation Coach of the Year: Brian Wright (Cycling)
Performance-development Coach of the Year: Jan Crabtree (Netball)
High-performance Coach of the Year: Peter Cowen (Golf)
Lifetime Achievement Award: Jack Birkenshaw (Cricket)