2006 Golf Year In Review
Philadelphia, PA - In 2006, the golf world saw some changes, some great battles and a possible changing of the guard in the world of women’s golf. There were some classic burn outs (well, they all seemed to come at one tournament), amazing shots, but one thing stood out over everything else.
The biggest star in golf, if not all of sports, showed us another side of himself. In the wake of tragedy, a man known best for his steely resolve showed a humanity that earned him any fan he did not already have.
PLAYER OF THE YEAR - TIGER WOODS Honorable Mention - Lorena Ochoa, Jay Haas
This season seemed like it was almost split in half for Tiger Woods.
Sure, he won his first event of the season on the PGA Tour, a playoff victory at the Buick Invitational. Then Woods won again at Doral, but the week of the Players Championship he got a hard dose of reality.
Woods left Florida mid-week to be with his ailing father, Earl, who had health issues for years, but seemed to be taking a turn for the worse. Woods, now the son trying to show a steely resolve, returned to the Players Championship, tied for 22nd place and shifted focus to Augusta.
He tied for third that week at the Masters in what would be Earl’s final tournament. The elder Woods passed away in April and Tiger disappeared. He did not resurface again until the U.S. Open, almost two months later, and the rust of grieving showed. He missed the cut, but vowed to return with a new vigor — and boy did he do that.
After another break, although considerably shorter, Woods tied for second at the Western Open. Next up was perhaps the moment most will remember from the 2006 campaign. Woods dominated the field, hitting driver once in 72 holes, and claimed another British Open title. It was his first since Earl’s passing and who could forget the image of the fiercest competitor in sports crying in his caddy’s arms?
What few realized was how that would spark yet another one of Tiger’s runs. He won another PGA Championship, took a pair of World Golf Championships events, claimed his own tournament, the Deutsche Bank Championship, and even played admirably as the U.S. got routed at the Ryder Cup.
His win streak is six and counting for official PGA Tour events.
Statistically, Woods was once again dominant. He led the PGA Tour in greens in regulation, scoring average and, of course, the money list. Woods’ mantle must be giving out on him because he took another PGA Tour Player of the Year award, his eighth in 10 years.
On the course, Woods reclaimed his status as an intimidator and dominator. However, it was his brave play in the face of horrible personal loss that made 2006 Woods’ best year in some time.
ROOKIE OF THE YEAR - TREVOR IMMELMAN Honorable Mention - Julieta Granada, Seon-Hwa Lee
Major League Baseball goes through a difficult decision in some years with the same award. With the influx of Japanese players, sometimes this Rookie of the Year honor goes to someone in his 30s who has played professionally for close to 10 years.
Same scenario here as Trevor Immelman is a veteran of both the European Tour and South African Tour. In fact, before he became a member of the PGA Tour this year, the South African appeared in a President Cup for the International side.
Immelman’s rise to one of the PGA Tour’s most solid players began this summer when he lost a playoff to Jim Furyk at the Wachovia Championship. The following week resulted in another runner-up finish and, before you knew it, Immelman was a regular fixture near the top of leaderboards.
His breakthrough came in mid-July at the Western Open as he tamed one of the toughest fields of the year to win. Immelman continued to post top-10s, did not miss a cut after April and finished seventh in scoring average and money.
TOURNAMENT OF THE YEAR - U.S. OPEN Honorable Mention - Kraft Nabisco Championship, Bay Hill Invitational, Charles Schwab Cup Championship
A case could be made for all three honorable mention candidates. The Nabisco saw Karrie Webb hole out on the 72nd hole for an eagle (more on that later), and the Bay Hill featured the crazy putting of Greg Owen (missed a few inside two feet).
But the U.S. Open featured one of the craziest endings to a major tournament in recent memory. Let’s quickly run through the cast of characters who could have won.
Padraig Harrington - bogey on the last cost him a shot at posting six-over in the clubhouse.
Jim Furyk - bogey on the last ends his chance at getting a second U.S. Open title.
Colin Montgomerie - a double-bogey at the 18th ruins his bid for finally getting a major title.
Phil Mickelson - remember this brain cramp? Horrible drive, horrible decision and a double-bogey. Could have won the first two majors and with his 2005 PGA Championship, could have held all four major titles with a win at the British.
So, in swoops a steady Australian named Geoff Ogilvy. He was not without his problems down the stretch as he tallied two back-nine bogeys, but he made four amazing pars to finish and off he walked with his first major trophy.
STORY OF THE YEAR - The LPGA Tour’s odd season. Honorable Mention - Tiger Woods’ year, FedEx Cup, the downfall of Phil Mickelson
Truthfully, this is really about Tiger’s year, but since I detailed that already, I chose something else.
Not to say Annika did not have a great year with three wins, including a playoff victory over Pat Hurst at most prestigious event on tour, the U.S. Women’s Open.
But Lorena Ochoa blew past her in the race for Player of the Year. While Ochoa has yet to capture that elusive major trophy, she did win six times, posted 18 top-fives and claimed the money title.
Perhaps Ochoa did not seal the Player of the Year award until she toppled Sorenstam at the Samsung World Championship. But it was not just Ochoa who overtook Sorenstam.
The veterans came back in full force and primarily it was Sorenstam’s two biggest rivals from years past. Karrie Webb had a career renaissance with the Kraft Nabisco title and four other trips to the winner’s circle.
Se Ri Pak appeared to be going down the David Duval slope into a punch line, but a stunning playoff win over Webb at the LPGA Championship brought this Hall of Famer out of a long slumber.
On the course, there were ample changes, but behind the scenes, a bigger story was unfolding. Carolyn Bivens assumed the duties of LPGA Commissioner and immediately saw a backlash.
Three prominent higher-ups on the LPGA Tour quit almost instantly. Players seemed fine with her for a while, then an ugly situation brewed with members of the media when she tried to trim access.
Then, the ShopRite LPGA Classic, a tour staple near Atlantic City, seemed to be unceremoniously bounced from next year’s schedule. Bivens also got into a fairly public dispute with former star and current commentator, Dottie Pepper.
Bivens is trying to put her stamp on this tour and, in time, might make things better for the LPGA. For now, she’s enduring quite a few growing pains en route to establishing her leadership.
GOOD YEARS
Jay Haas - Player of the Year on the Champions Tour with money title, year- long Charles Schwab Cup points title and four wins, including the Senior PGA Championship.
Loren Roberts - Missed a six-foot putt on the 72nd hole of the last event, which cost him the $1 million annuity for the Charles Schwab Cup title. Also won four titles, including the Senior British Open title.
Jim Furyk - Aside from squandering the U.S. Open, Furyk captured two PGA Tour titles and finished second on the money list. Ascended to No. 2 in World Rankings.
Ken Duke - Only won once on the Nationwide Tour, but captured the money title and will be returning to the PGA Tour.
Cristie Kerr - Once again, failed to win a major, but got lost in the mix with Ochoa, Webb, Sorenstam and Pak. Won three times and finished fifth on the money list.
Paul Casey - The European Tour Player of the Year was one of two players to win three times on that circuit (Johan Edfors). Was one of the best players in the Ryder Cup for Europe after winning the HSBC World Match Play Championship the week before.
BAD YEARS
Michelle Wie - The teen darling did not win on the LPGA Tour and struggled so badly in the various men’s events, she finished last several times. The experiment of playing with men should end because she did not even dazzle against the females.
Sergio Garcia - Went winless on both tours this year and once again showed he does not hold up well against Tiger in majors when Woods waxed him to the tune of 67-73 in the final pairing of the British Open. Did play amazing in the two team days at the Ryder Cup before Stewart Cink dusted him on Sunday.
Kenny Perry - In 2005, he won twice and finished sixth on the money list. In 2006, he underwent arthroscopic surgery on his right knee and did not record a single top-10 in 22 starts.
Hale Irwin - For the first time since joining the Champions Tour in 1995, Irwin did not register a win. Did not win a $1 million in a season for the first time in 10 years.
Notah Begay III - This three-time former winner on the PGA Tour could not get any status in the United States so he will be playing a full schedule in Europe in 2007.
United States golf - Despite having the top three players in the world, the U.S. got creamed in the Ryder Cup, losing the second consecutive time by a record margin.
© 2006 The Sports Network