Michael Bannon nominated for top award

Michael Bannon has been nominated for a top coaching award in the UKRory McIlroy’s coach Michael Bannon has been named as a finalist in the High-Performance Coach of the Year category of the UK Coaching Awards.

According to the PGA Bulletin:

PGA professional Bannon has enjoyed roles at a number of golf clubs in Northern Ireland, most recently at Bangor Golf Club. Over the past 15 years, he combined his role of coaching golf to club members and the surrounding local community, with the task of nurturing the up and coming McIlroy since he was seven-years-old.

This summer, Bannon took the difficult decision to leave his position at Bangor and become McIlroy’s full-time coach.

Since then, Bannon has travelled with McIlroy across the world, primarily on the USPGA Tour, and has been part of an incredible year for the young Northern Irishman who won the US PGA Championship by a record eight shots, became the first golfer to win back-to-back tournaments on the USPGA Tour since Tiger Woods in 2009, and has become only the second player in history to top the money lists on both sides of the Atlantic.

Also shortlisted for the High-Performance Coach of the Year Award are David Weir’s coach Jenny Archer, Hannah Cockroft’s coach Peter Erikkson, Ben Ainslie’s coach David Howlett, Women’s team Pursuit and Omnium cycling coach Paul Manning, Jessica Ennis’ coach Toni Minichiello, Greg Rutherford and Johnnie Peacock’s coach Dan Pfaff, and Ellie Simmonds coach Billy Pye.

The Gillette sponsored awards take place at the Lancaster, London, “in a glittering ceremony” on November 20.