Rookie Niall Kearney has joined former Ireland team mate Shane Lowry in the Horizon Sports Management stable.

The Dubliner, 21, signed with the Dublin-based management group this week and hopes to make his tour debut in Africa in January.

Horizon's Conor Ridge, said: "Niall is a great talent and very serious about his golf and what he is doing. He has no other distractions. Hopefully we can get him into the two African events on the main tour in January.

"He was unlucky not to get through the Q-School but he has a full Challenge Tour schedule ahead and we'd be disappointed if we didn't get him invites for some European Tour events during the season, especially the 3 Irish Open in Killarney."

Horizon Sports had a stellar year with Ross Fisher winning the Volvo World Match Play in Spain and finishing the year ranked 18th in the world. He also scored the lowest of the 12 players to make the cut at all four majors.

Graeme McDowell was one of those 12 but looked likely to end the season a frustrated man before taking full advantage of a late invitation to replace Tiger Woods in the Chevron World Challenge in California.

He was second with Rory McIlroy behind Italy in the Mission Hills World Cup the previous week, but his runner up finish to Jim Furyk at Sherwood Country Club meant that he ended the season ranked 38th in the world and secured an early invitation into the Masters Tournament at Augusta.

Gareth Maybin was the other star in the Horizon stable, finishing 53rd in the Race to Dubai in his rookie season with six top tens and earnings of €625,876.