On the course, it was a year of breakthroughs, comebacks, major surprises and major disappointments. Off the course, it was a year when the TOUR — and the golf world, period — supported their own — Amy Mickelson’s battle with breast cancer, Ken Green’s horrific accident and Chris Smith’s tragic loss of his wife.
In a year of compelling moments, we offer you a look at our top 10:
1. Tiger Woods wins his 71st at the BMW Championship. A course-record 62 in the third round. An eight-shot win. His sixth of the year if you weren’t counting. Another step closer to tying Jack Nicklaus for second on the all-time win list at 73. We almost went with win No. 70 instead because, well, it would be hard to top his 8-iron to 8 inches at the 16th to beat Padraig Harrington at the World Golf Championships-Bridgestone Invitational. But it was that kind of year. He rebounded from major knee reconstruction last June to dominate once again and the BMW Championship simply reminded us how good this guy really is. No, we haven’t forgotten the three seconds or the major disappointments. We’re just waiting for No. 72 — and a chance at another Slam — in 2010.
2. THE TOUR Championship presented by Coca-Cola. Phil Mickelson won the showdown on the course. Tiger walked off with the FedExCup. Does it get much better than this? In a season of major surprises, the game’s top two players shared the spotlight as Mickelson came from behind to clip Tiger by three at the wire. They shared it again on the 18th green, each with trophy in hand. A marketing dream. Could it also be a preview of 2010? After years of trying to force a rivalry, maybe it’s time we sit back and let it happen.
3. The Pink Out. Phil and Amy Mickelson called it a humbling day. We’d go with inspiring. If the sea of pink during the third round of the Crowne Plaza Invitational at Colonial didn’t touch your heart, it should have. Players, caddies, wives, spectators, volunteers and the media were decked out in pink — some head-to-toe — to support Amy and her mother-in-law Mary’s fight against breast cancer. The day — complete with CBS’ David Feherty sporting pink stripes in his goatee, an all-pink ensemble from Ian Poulter and a reminder that real men do wear pink — brought tears to the Mickelsons and awareness for the disease. It reminded a lot of women — myself included — to stop procrastinating and get their mammogram. That goes way beyond support. That’s making an impact.
4. Major surprises. No way around it. This was the year of the surprise winner at every major. Just when we thought we knew what was going to happen, four players jumped up and said, uh, my turn. Angel Cabrera started it off when he upended Kenny Perry’s day at the Masters, beating Perry and Chad Campbell in a playoff. Then it was on to soggy Bethpage where Lucas Glover stepped up big time. Turnberry had a major twist at the end when a steady, solid Stewart Cink grabbed a sixth Open away from the 59-year-old Tom Watson and Y.E. Yang put an exclamation point on the majors — and a dagger in Tiger’s heart — at the PGA Championship.
5. Tom Watson. We remember the pain on his face. The shot that flew the green; the putt that we had a feeling wouldn’t fall. The playoff that wasn’t close. But honestly, what we took away from Turnberry was an absolutely marvelous senior moment that lasted all week. Watson wasn’t just shy of 60 that week, he was thirtysomething. He played the course he loves the way he did 32 years earlier when he battled Jack Nicklaus there in what became known as the “Duel in the Sun.” That he came short? It was hard to watch, but when we look back, we remember how well he played the first 71 holes. And that makes us smile.
6. Major Disappointments. Watson wasn’t the only one. Perry was poised to win the major he didn’t get back in 1996 when Mark Brooks beat him in a playoff at the PGA. The PGA was supposed to belong to Tiger in a heads-up final round against Yang. And the U.S. Open? Didn’t that belong to Mickelson, who’d been there not done that three previous times? Or David Duval, who had resurrected his career? Or even up-and-comer Ricky Barnes? They didn’t finish it off. Glover did. And the best line? It went to Mickelson. The USGA had just one silver medal at the presentation for the runner-up but three tied for second. They looked at each other and Mickelson shook his head, ‘I’ve got four, I’m plenty good,’
7. Ryo and Rory. Ryo Ishikawa — Japan’s Bashful Prince — and Rory McIlroy, whose mop of curls channels Shirley Temple or Harpo Marx, got our attention this year and made us wonder about the future. Ishikawa took the States by storm at the Northern Trust Open when he debuted his powerful swing — and a media entourage to rival Woods. The 18-year-old went on to win four times in Japan, but his best finish in the U.S. was a tie for 56th at the PGA. He missed the cut at the Masters and British Open, but wowed us at The Presidents Cup, going 3-2-0. McIlroy, now 20, won once on the European Tour, was a top-25 fixture over there and had two top-10s in majors — a tie for third at the PGA and a tie for 10th at the U.S. Open.
8. Golf in the Olympics. The championship course where the world will play in 2016 hasn’t been built yet. Heck, it hasn’t even gotten to the drawing board. But no worries. There’s plenty of time to build one and hammer out a few more details. The bottom line? Golf threw out a great argument and put some of the biggest faces in the game in front of the Olympic committee to help make the pitch and pulled it off. Golf is back where it belongs on the world stage.
Hot Argument Over 2010 LPGA Tour Schedule
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