Philadelphia, PA (Sports Network) - The 2011 season in professional golf could
be known for a few different things.
First, Tiger Woods won again.
Granted, it was his own unofficial event with 17 other players in the field,
but a win is a win. Woods' Chevron World Challenge title was his first victory
since the 2009 car accident that derailed his personal and professional life.
Ever since Woods lost his No. 1 world ranking, no one really claimed it as his
own. Lee Westwood test-drove it. Martin Kaymer hung on for a time, but Luke
Donald made it his own.
We had Rory McIlroy blow the Masters in epic fashion, then come back and win
the U.S. Open so convincingly that the final round was less exciting than a
tepid bath.
The team international events were excellent, as always.
Most of the majors on most tours were thrilling.
With some of the stars of the game on the downswing of their careers, new
blood stepped up and performed.
But when it came to performance, the 2011 season belonged to one young lady.
PLAYER OF THE YEAR - The Year of Yani
All of 22 years old, Yani Tseng continued an old tradition on the LPGA Tour --
dominance.
First, it was Annika Sorenstam in the early '00s. Then, Lorena Ochoa owned
women's golf until her retirement.
With both gone, Tseng, who bought Sorenstam's old house and must be inhabited
with the Swede's presence, has risen to the top of the sport.
Tseng won 11 times worldwide, including seven events on the LPGA Tour, and two
of the victories were majors. When she captured the LPGA Championship (by 10
shots), Tseng became the youngest golfer -- male or female -- to win four
majors.
When she successfully defended her title at the Women's British Open, the same
record applied -- youngest to five majors.
For a point of comparison, Tiger Woods collected his fifth major title at the
age of 24. Sorenstam didn't win a tournament -- any tournament -- until she
was 24.
Tseng almost had a third major of 2011, but finished as the runner-up to Stacy
Lewis at the Kraft Nabisco Championship. Tseng squandered that title in the
season's first major and didn't do that again.
She made 21 cuts in 22 events, finishing in the top five in 12 of them and the
top 10 in two more.
She led the tour in scoring average by almost a FULL stroke and was the only
player who averaged under 70 strokes per round. Tseng had almost 60 more
birdies than anyone on tour and to top it off, she led the tour in driving
distance.
Tseng is the No. 1 player in the Rolex Rankings and the No. 1 golfer in the
world for 2011.
ROOKIE OF THE YEAR - The major rookie
This was a tough call considering two rookies won majors on the PGA Tour in
2011.
Charl Schwartzel took home the Masters in thrilling fashion, making birdie at
the final four holes to don the green jacket. But Schwartzel was an
established European Tour competitor, so this honor goes to a more
conventional rookie.
Keegan Bradley earned his PGA Tour card in 2011 thanks to his finish on the
Nationwide Tour in 2010. He first broke into the winner's circle with a
playoff victory over Ryan Palmer at the Byron Nelson Championship, but
cemented his awesome rookie campaign at the PGA Championship at Atlanta
Athletic Club.
Bradley overcame a five-stroke deficit with three to play in regulation to tie
Jason Dufner, who limped into the clubhouse with three bogeys in his last four
holes.
Bradley played the three-hole extra session in one-under par. He needed a two-
putt par at the 18th and got it to become the third player in history to win
in his major championship debut.
The nephew of Hall of Famer Pat Bradley became the first PGA Tour rookie to
win twice in his first season since Todd Hamilton seven years ago. He should
have been a pick for Fred Couples' American Presidents Cup team, but Bradley
shouldn't have any trouble making next year's U.S. Ryder Cup team for Davis
Love III.
SHOT OF THE YEAR - "I mean, he spun it. That's all you need to know."
There are few scenarios that offer more pressure than being in a playoff for
the Tour Championship.
First, the victory itself is important. PGA Tour wins don't grow on trees.
First place at the Tour Championship was worth $1.44 million and that doesn't
grow on trees, either.
But there's money and there's obscene, silly amounts of money and the latter
was the case at the Tour Championship. In addition to the $1.44 million, which
is nothing to sneeze at, the winner of sudden death on this particular Sunday
in September was going to walk off with $10 million more for winning the FedEx
Cup.
Bill Haas and Hunter Mahan parred the first playoff hole, then Haas appeared
to be in trouble at the second, the par-four 17th. Haas' approach landed in a
pond next to the green, while Mahan was safely on with 25 feet for birdie.
Haas' ball was only in the water halfway, so he elected play his third from
the edge of the lake. He blasted out, got the ball to check somehow and
stopped it two feet from the cup.
Mahan missed his birdie putt and Haas tapped in for par.
They went one more hole before Haas won the playoff, the Tour Championship and
$11.44 million.
"There was quite a bit of room there. His ball was maybe half in," Mahan said
in a televised interview after the loss. "I mean, he spun it. That's all you
need to know."
TOURNAMENT OF THE YEAR - The Masters
A beautiful spring Sunday in Augusta started with the promise of golf's best
young player winning a major pretty early in his career.
Rory McIlroy was one shot clear after the front nine of the final round, then
hit one of the worst tee shots in recent memory: At the 10th, his ball landed
near someone's day room.
McIlroy finished with an 80 and became a non-factor on the back nine -- which
is, after all, where the Masters really begins.
First came Tiger Woods' run.
He made the turn in 31 thanks to a 10-foot eagle putt at eight and found
himself tied for the lead, but came up a little too short. Woods didn't birdie
the par-five 13th and hit an amazing second to four feet at the par-five 15th,
but lipped out the eagle putt.
Woods, Luke Donald, Geoff Ogilvy, Adam Scott, Jason Day, Angel Cabrera, K.J.
Choi and Charl Schwartzel were the contenders.
Schwartzel, in the group behind Scott on Sunday, got up and down for birdie
from behind the green at 15 to match Scott in first at 11-under par. Scott hit
his tee ball to two feet at 16 and tapped in for birdie and the lead.
Schwartzel's tee ball at 16 came up 15 feet short of the stick, but he ran
home the birdie putt to once again tie Scott. The young Australian hit a
terrible drive at 17 and knocked his second into a bunker. His blast from the
trap came up 12 feet short, but he made that par putt and stayed tied.
Day birdied 17 to get within one, but Schwartzel continued his incredible run
with the putter. He sank a 10-foot birdie putt at No. 17 to move one shot
clear.
Ogilvy and Donald got into the clubhouse at 10-under, but it was clear that
the pair and Woods would come up a bit short.
It was down to Schwartzel, Scott and Day, but Day needed a birdie at 18. He
got it, and Scott two-putted for par.
Schwartzel was one ahead with one to play. He found the fairway at the last,
and his approach stopped 18 feet right of the flag. He had two putts to win
his first major and didn't need them.
Schwartzel poured in the birdie putt, his fourth in a row, and walked off to
Butler Cabin to put on his green jacket.
Needless to say, no one in the history of the Masters finished with four
birdies in a row to win the tournament. Schwartzel finished the year ninth in
the world.
GOOD YEAR
Donald - Became the world No. 1 with a great playoff victory over then No. 1
Lee Westwood at the BMW PGA Championship in late May. Is the first player in
history to win the money title on both the PGA Tour and the European Tour in
the same season.
McIlroy - Don't shed too many tears for poor Rory. After the epic collapse at
Augusta, McIlroy responded in a big way at the next major -- the U.S. Open at
Congressional. He essentially wrapped up the tournament by happy hour on
Friday and ended up with an eight-stroke victory.
Day - Runner-up in the first two majors and became a top-10 player in the
world.
Fred Couples - Won a major on the Champions Tour and his work as captain of
the U.S. Presidents Cup team has been sensational. He went out on a big limb
and tabbed Woods for the team almost a month before he needed to and Woods
delivered. For the second consecutive Presidents Cup -- and second Couples has
led the team -- Woods secured the winning point for the American side, but
Couples' decision, coupled (pun intended) with his laid-back approach has made
the U.S. team a powerhouse.
Suzann Pettersen - Two wins in 2011 propelled her to second in the world, but
her role as the leader of the European Solheim Cup team earned her a spot
here. After dozens of weather delays, even during the singles, Pettersen led a
huge rally for her side by knocking off Michelle Wie in a classic show a gutsy
putting. Caroline Hedwall, clearly inspired by Pettersen, overcame a 2-down
with two to play deficit, then Azahara Munoz won 17 in the anchor match to
give Europe the Cup. This was Pettersen's team.
BAD YEAR
Michelle Wie - Her Solheim Cup loss was understandable, but six top 10s in a
season when you're supposed to be a star is unacceptable.
Bernhard Langer - Yes, the German star battled injuries, but he was the 2010
Champions Tour Player of the Year, and, despite a victory, finished 24th on
the Charles Schwab Cup race.
Jim Furyk - He won the FedEx Cup in 2010 and fell to 50th in the world
rankings by Christmas 2011. Furyk had a great Presidents Cup, but he barely
made the team in '11 after being the best American in '10.
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