British Open and PGA Championship winner Padraig Harrington was named the US PGA Tour Player of the Year, becoming the first European player to claim the award.The 37-year-old Irishman won his only two titles of 2008 at the year's last two major championships, capturing the British Open for the second year in a row and his third major crown at the PGA Championship.Since the tour began the honor in 1990, only three other non-US players have taken the award - Zimbabwe's Nick Price in 1993 and 1994, Australian Greg Norman in 1995 and Fiji's Vijay Singh in 2004.Tiger Woods, who limped through a US Open victory in June before undergoing reconstructive knee surgery and missing the remainder of the 2008 season, had won the award in nine of the prior 11 years, losing out only to Singh in 2004 and Mark O'Meara in 1998.Harrington became the first European to win consecutive majors in the same season, a feat only he and Woods have managed since 1994.International talent swept US golf's top-player honours. Germany's Bernhard Langer was named Champions Tour Player of the Year and Rookie of the Year while Zimbabwe's Brendon de Jonge was named Player of the Year on the developmental Nationwide Tour. "I know this award means so much to all three players because it is bestowed upon them by their peers," US PGA Tour commissioner Tim Finchem said. "They each provided memorable moments."Argentina's Andres Romero was named the PGA Tour's Rookie of the Year. He made the cut in all four majors, one of only 11 men to do so, and shared seventh at the PGA Championship and eighth at the Masters.The 27-year-old South American's debut season also included a victory at New Orleans. "He is one of many young, exciting players that were able to step up during Tiger Woods' absence," Finchem said. American Dudley Hart was named the US PGA Comeback Player of the Year, taking the honor over US Open runner-up Rocco Mediate and Davis Love.Hart made only 12 starts in 2007 to care for his wife, who had two-thirds of a lung removed, and their triplets. This year he managed six top-10 finishes and a career-best 2.2 million dollars.
