The 2005 European Tour was the 34th golf season since the European Tour officially began in 1972. The Order of Merit race came down to the final tournament, and was won by Colin Montgomerie for a record eighth time, and the first since 1999. The Player of the Year award was given to Order of Merit runner up and U.S. Open champion Michael Campbell of New Zealand. The Sir Henry Cotton Rookie of the Year was Gonzalo Fernández-Castaño of Spain, who won his first title, the KLM Open during his début season.