The sporting awards season is fast approaching and European golf is entitled to expect plenty of recognition for what has been an extraordinary year of success.
However, there are some achievements that are in danger of being ignored - certainly if the Sunday Times Sportswoman of the Year nominees are anything to go by.
The six finalists were published on page 14 of the paper's sports section on 14 November and I'm sure heptathlete Jessica Ennis, gymnast Beth Tweddle, cyclist Emma Pooley, swimmer Fran Halsall, rugby union's Maggie Alphonsi and skeleton Olympic gold medallist Amy Williams are all well worth their place on the short-list.
But no room for Laura Davies?
Turn over the page and there was the same paper detailing yet another victory for Davies - this one in the Indian Open. It was her fifth win of the year, the 80th of her professional career and put the 47-year-old into second place on the Ladies European Tour's 2010 money list.
These are stellar achievements and they are going largely unrecognised. Women's golf doesn't command the column inches it once did and, hands up it's a fair cop, this blog has been as guilty as any in this regard.
The LET and LPGA find themselves at the low end of the media cycle and have been eclipsed by a constant supply of compelling story lines from the men's game.
Davies has fallen victim to this fallow period for the lack of publicity she has received but that should not detract from the wins she has claimed this year in New Zealand, Germany, Austria, Spain and now India.
It is a shame these successes have not been recognised by the Sunday Times adjudicators but the greater pity is the way that golf has ignored the sustained excellence of Davies's career.
The fact that she has yet to be inducted by the game's Hall of Fame is nothing short of scandalous. Apparently, she needs two more LPGA wins or a major title to add to the four she has already won to be eligible for admission.
How can anyone argue that Davies has not done enough already? She remains the most recognisable female golfer in the United Kingdom and just three years short of senior status she continues to rack up the wins with her no-nonsense approach to the game.
These are precisely the sort of credentials a Hall of Fame should recognise in their Florida headquarters.
As for the men's game, it will be fascinating to see how the likes of Graeme McDowell, Lee Westwood and the European Ryder Cup team fare when the seasonal gongs are handed out.
McDowell beat the golfing world on one of its most iconic stages when he did what no other European has done for 40 years in winning the US Open at Pebble Beach. He did it with Tiger Woods, Phil Mickelson and Ernie Els all challenging.
He also did it in the middle of football's World Cup and on the eve of Wimbledon, which meant his victory was somewhat overshadowed at the time. Good job he secured the Ryder Cup for Europe three months later, not that any kind of validation should have been needed.
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From my somewhat biased stand point, I cannot think of any UK sports star who can claim to have achieved such glory against the very best in the world in 2010. If Andy Murray won a major in tennis, he would be a shoo-in for every award going. The man they call 'GMac' did the golfing equivalent.
McDowell was coached by Pete Cowen, who has also overseen Lee Westwood's elevation to the top of the rankings and Louis Oosthuizen's stunning victory at the Open Championship.
On the global stage, can any other British coach claim more success this year? Possibly, but Cowen is most certainly right up there.
This has been a vintage year for the sport in the UK and Europe. Golf - the men's game at least - has not been as prominent on the sports news agenda for many years.
It is to be hoped those who have given us so much excitement and the people behind those successes are duly recognised when the gongs are handed out. It would be nice if the ever prolific Davies is remembered, too.
Source: http://www.bbc.co.uk/blogs/iaincarter/2010/11/anyone_noticed_lauras_won_agai.html
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