At the end of every year, pundits both in
and out of sports make lists concerning that year's major events.
(Including my colleague Gerard Gallagher.)
Golf is no different.
Tiger Woods' season-ending leg surgery, coupled with his remarkable playoff
with Rocco Mediate at the U.S. Open, was the biggest thing to happen this year
in golf.
It was the best tournament, and the best player ever won it...on one leg. He
beat the loveable Rocco Mediate and eight days later had his torn ACL
surgically repaired.
Woods has had knee issues before, but nothing like this. Can he be back in
time for 2009, let alone the Masters? Yeah, Woods was the story in '08 as he
is just about every year.
But upon further reflection, 2008 saw quite a few spectacular stories. Some
you'll remember rather easily, some you won't. Here are the 10 biggest, non-
Tiger stories of the year that was.
10.) The FedEx Cup needs tweaking...again.
Last year, it was the fact that Woods' regular season prowess meant too much.
This year, Singh won the first two Playoff events and tied for 44th at the BMW
Championship. That meant all he had to do was start and finish the Tour
Championship and he'd win the FedEx Cup. One year, the regular season means
too much and the next year, it's not enough. Commissioner Tim Finchem
acknowledges the problem and has to find a balance that makes the Tour
Championship more meaningful.
9.) Padraig Harrington seems to have this major thing down.
It does seem silly to have the only two-time major champion this season at No.
9 on this list, but we admit that Harrington had an amazing two months. He
came from behind on the back nine to win both the British Open (a successful
title defense) and then the PGA Championship. Sure, Harrington was bad in the
Playoffs and at the Ryder Cup, but two majors are a remarkable accomplishment
and might have gotten Harrington into the Hall of Fame.
8.) John Daly is a sad man.
He was found drunk and unconscious in the parking lot of a Hooters, and that's
not even a cool story for a frat pledge. Then Daly destroyed a spectator's
camera in Australia. He has no playing status and this ending is appearing
worse and worse.
7.) Drug testing is loved by all.
With drug testing in full swing now, the jury is still out. The LPGA started
and stopped testing, then got Annika Sorenstam after the final round of her
final event. That looked foolish. Frank Lickliter basically threatened anyone
that showed up on his doorstep to test with a shotgun. Drug testing still has
some kinks to work out, but is a positive (pun intended) in the big picture.
6.) Kelly Tilghman says something stupid.
Remember this one? During the Mercedes-Benz Championship, Tilghman and Nick
Faldo were talking about Tiger Woods' dominance. She then said players would
like to "lynch him in a back alley." A dumb thing to say for sure, but
Tilghman immediately apologized and to Tiger the very next day. He said it was
a non-issue, but Rev. Al Sharpton called for her termination. The Golf Channel
suspended her for two weeks. It was a bad situation, but one that was not as
earth-shattering as others made it out to be. What was really appalling was
that Golfweek ran a photo of a noose on its cover when it covered the story.
The editor/idiot of that beautiful piece of journalism rightfully lost his
job.
5.) The economy hits the golf world.
Everyone is taking it on the proverbial chin due to the poor state of the
economy, and professional golf is not immune. Most sponsors on the PGA Tour
are locked in for a few more years, but the AT&T event in Georgia is gone,
replaced by the Texas Open on the schedule. The Fall Finish is a bit of a mess
still. The LPGA Tour lost events, prize money and then most lost confidence in
Commissioner Carolyn Bivens. The European Tour is doing quite well, however.
It expands constantly and now offers the Race to Dubai, its version of the
FedEx Cup. PGA Tour stars like Anthony Kim, Rory Sabbatini and Camilo Villegas
are going to participate. Phil Mickelson even made statements suggesting he
will be involved in future years.
4.) The Ryder Cup.
Some said the Ryder Cup would be in jeopardy if the U.S. lost again. That
certainly did not happen. Paul Azinger was lauded as the biggest genius since
Edison and did a great job. He got the system fixed, was allowed four
captain's picks and broke his players in smaller groups to ensure better
bonding. Didn't hurt that Anthony Kim and Hunter Mahan were breakout stars on
the course. Off the course, the Americans showed up at night-before pep
rallies and whipped the crowd into a frenzy. J.B. Holmes and Kenny Perry were
local boys and the lasting image was that of Boo Weekley pulling a "Happy
Gilmore" and riding his driver down the first fairway like a race horse. Just
as Bobby Jones did years before, in his own way.
3.) Seve Ballesteros in the fight of his life.
Anyone that has ever seen Seve Ballesteros play golf knows he is a wizard. He
could get out of any situation, no matter the degree of difficulty. In later
years, Ballesteros' back was in terrible shape and he retired. Toward the end
of 2008, Ballesteros battled brain cancer. He underwent four operations and
has a long road ahead.
2.) Greg Norman is back in the limelight.
When The Shark couldn't catch Jay Haas at the insanely difficult Senior PGA
Championship, he was asked if a strong finish like the one he just enjoyed
would bring him back to the sport.
"It might get me to go the other way," Norman said that afternoon of Memorial
Day weekend. "It reminds me too much of what you have to go through with the
game of golf. To go through all this to play golf again? Who knows."
Fast-forward to July and the leader of the British Open Championship with nine
holes to play is the 53-year-old Norman.
He had been the story all week, taking control of the tournament. Norman lost
on the back nine to Harrington, but suddenly, everyone wondered if Norman
still had it in him to become the oldest major champion in history.
By virtue of his tie for third at Royal Birkdale, Norman got an invite to next
year's Masters. Augusta National owes him one to say the least, so who knows
if Norman can channel some more magic?
Norman had never left the news, but for all of the wrong reasons. His divorce
was fodder for papers down in Florida. Then it got worse when it was revealed
that Norman was engaged to former tennis star Chris Evert.
But there was Evert at the British Open. She was there every day, cheering for
her man and Norman would routinely acknowledge her presence as a huge boost
for him.
Whatever the case, Norman vaulted back into the golf stratosphere and could be
in for one more historic run.
1.) Annika bids farewell.
She was careful not to use the word "retirement."
But Annika Sorenstam did say she was done.
Whatever her reasons, Sorenstam has left the LPGA Tour still in her prime.
Yes, Lorena Ochoa has surpassed her as the game's dominant force, but
Sorenstam left as a winner and perhaps the best female golfer in history.
She announced her walking away a few days after her last victory at Kingsmill
Resort. Sorenstam left with 72 wins, which is good for third on the all-time
list.
She handled Hall of Famers like Juli Inkster, Karrie Webb, Se Ri Pak and
future members of that elite club such as Ochoa, Paula Creamer and a slew of
youngsters.
With Tiger (her friend and friendly rival) headlining the news in 2008,
Sorenstam bowed out exactly the way she'd want. It was graceful and quiet.
Now, let's see what happens if Sorenstam decides that she wants back into the
mix.
RANDOM THOUGHTS
- Since this was a long one, here are a few stories that just missed - Stevie
Williams calling Mickelson a bad word, golf in the Olympics, Kenny Perry's
spectacular season and that the women's long-drive champion used to be a man.
- Which one was I kidding about? You got it, Kenny Perry's season.
- Non-golf thought - New Year's Eve is the most overrated holiday and night
out. I can't get on board a night of celebration that is dictated by where you
live. It's been called "Amateur Night." That sounds about right.
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