Three per cent having laugh
TIGER Woods has been voted player of the year for a record eighth time, with 97 per cent of the ballot, by the Golf Writers’ Association of America.
Lorena Ochoa was named best female player and Jay Haas the top senior.
Woods became the first player in history to win multiple majors in consecutive years, capturing the British Open and US PGA Championship among his eight US PGA Tour victories.
He finished the season with six consecutive US tour wins.
Woods won on a ballot that included Masters champion Phil Mickelson and Australia’s US Open champion, Geoff Ogilvy.
He has won the GWAA award every year, except 1998 and 2004, since his first full season as a professional.
Ochoa, the 24-year-old from Mexico, won six times on the US LPGA Tour and swept its major honours by leading the money list with more than $US2.5 million ($3.21 million), taking the Vare Trophy for lowest scoring average and its points-based player of the year.
She got 87 per cent of the vote against US Women’s Open champion Annika Sorenstam and Australia’s Kraft Nabisco champion, Karrie Webb.
Haas had four victories on the Champions Tour, including the Senior PGA Championship, and narrowly defeated Loren Roberts in the Charles Schwab Cup.
He led the 50-and-older circuit with $US2.4 million ($3.08 million).
The players will be honoured at the GWAA annual dinner in Augusta, Georgia on April 4.
