Golf: 2007 Year in Review (Part 5)

By Jim Brighters, Sports Network, The Sports Network

'Twas a Bad Year for

Sergio Garcia - Coughing up the British Open in his best chance to win a major is one thing. Crying afterwards about waiting for rakers and getting no break from hitting the stick in the playoff makes you sound petty and far from ready to win a major

Michelle Wie - Quickly becoming irrelevant, but maybe you can blame the slide on wrist injuries and Stanford.

Nick Price - His rookie year on the Champions Tour was nothing special. He posted only two top 10s, including a third at the Senior PGA Championship. Price was not that far off his game when his 50th birthday came up, so '07 was surprisingly bad.

Mouths - Rory Sabbatini and Woody Austin called out Tiger Woods. Dumb. Dottie Pepper essentially blows her chance to be U.S. Solheim Cup captain with a "choking freaking dogs" comment that made it onto the air. Gary Player blindly stated he was told by someone that players were on steroids. Nick Faldo bickered with Colin Montgomerie and Paul McGinley about the Ryder Cup, which was only 11 months away at the time. And there was Garcia crying about his bad breaks. Everyone shut up and play!

Annika Sorenstam - Disc problems in her neck and back caused some serious problems. However, finishing without an LPGA Tour victory and coming in 25th on the LPGA Tour money list is inexcusable. Maybe everyone built her into Super Woman (did I make that up?), but Sorenstam would like to put 2007 in her rear-view mirror.

John Daly - It's bad enough when you made the cut in just eight of 24 starts and withdrew six times due to rib injuries. Not having your tour card is equally bad. Getting stabbed my your ex-wife makes the year a real downer.

Golf: 2007 Year in Review (Part 4)

By Jim Brighters, Sports Network, The Sports Network

GOOD YEARS (other than the obvious)

Suzann Pettersen - If Lorena Ochoa never existed, Pettersen would have won the LPGA Tour Player of the Year by miles. She had a great chance for win No. 1 and major No. 1 at the Nabisco, but fell apart. Pettersen then rattled off five wins, including that elusive first major at the LPGA Championship.

Steve Stricker - Actually won the Comeback Player of the Year award for second straight year on the PGA Tour. Last year, he returned to golf's spotlight. In 2007, he shined in it. Stricker won the first FedEx Cup playoff event, the Barclays, and finished the year second in FedEx Cup Playoff points and fourth in the world rankings.

American golfers - In years past, the U.S. teams in international match-play competition have looked poor. They did not in 2008. The American Presidents Cup and Solheim Cup teams looked very strong in relatively easy wins against the Internationals and Europeans. Could bode well for Paul Azinger's Ryder Cup team, which has won once in the last six competitions.

Woody Austin - He provided the single best moment of the year when he went face first into the water trying to hit a ridiculous shot from the soup at the Presidents Cup. Formerly known for smashing a putter against his head (something he hated seeing over and over again), but won at the St. Jude Championship and took second behind Woods at the PGA. Lost some points for idiotic statements that he played better than Woods on Friday when Woods matched the best round in major history with a 63 and Austin shot a 70.

Nick Flanagan - The young Aussie's name is not on the tip of anyone's tongue, but it will be soon. He played the Nationwide Tour and earned an automatic promotion to the PGA Tour with three wins. Flanagan's promotion came at a tough time since the PGA Tour was headed to the Playoffs, but Flanagan will be tough on the big tour.

Loren Roberts - Last year, Roberts, one of the best putters in the world, missed a shortish putt that would have given him the $1 million annuity for the yearlong Charles Schwab Cup title. This year, Roberts won it and the Senior Players Championship. Jay Haas, however, was voted Player of the Year by his peers.

Check back tomorrow for the list of players who had bad years

Golf: 2007 Year in Review (Part 3)

By Jim Brighters, Sports Network, The Sports Network

STORY OF THE YEAR - FedEx Cup Runners-up - Drug testing, Annika's woes, Tiger's fatherhood

No one quite got a firm grasp of all of the nuances.

In fact, K.J. Choi really didn't get it. Choi, a devout Christian, announced he would donate the $10 million to charity if he won the FedEx Cup playoff title.

Tiger Woods told the media that would be impossible since the money goes into the player's retirement fund.

Oops.

Aside from not knowing all of the details until right before it started, the FedEx Cup by and large worked. Once the playoffs started, problems emerged. Tiger Woods, Phil Mickelson, Scott Verplank and Padraig Harrington all skipped events.

Due respect, but the tour can survive the absences of Harrington and Verplank. When the intention was to bring the top players together at the end of the year, Woods and Mickelson skipping is bad.

What made it worse is that Woods won two of the three he teed it up in before claiming the FedEx Cup title and its $10 million retirement donation. (Thank goodness.)

Mickelson groused and alluded to the fact that commissioner Tim Finchem ignored Mickelson's requests to talk about improvements for the FedEx Cup. Players squawked about waiting until retirement to get paid.

So, the tour listened.

The top 10 finishers on the FedEx Cup Playoff list will get their loot in cash next year.

Finchem will continue to tweak here and there. Some things are impossible to change, like if Woods takes a week off and still blows through the thing, but interest was up and players participated.

Golf: 2007 Year in Review (Part 2)

By Jim Brighters, Sports Network, The Sports Network

ROOKIE OF THE YEAR - Denis Watson Runner up - Angela Park, Fred Funk

If you win a major championship as a rookie, congrats, you get the nod.

Park was beyond impressive. At the ripe age of 19, Park posted eight top 10s en route to over $1 million and eighth place on the final LPGA Tour money list.

But Watson won a major.

Funk was a contemporary of Watson's on the Champions Tour and a winner on the elder circuit. Heck, Funk even won with the boys on the PGA Tour and did it battling back pain.

But Watson won a major.

At the Senior PGA Championship, Watson rallied on the back nine to overtake Eduardo Romero. It was Watson's first win of any kind in 23 years and led to Watson getting his name on the ballot for Champions Tour Player of the Year.

Don't forget he also tasted victory in a historic event. At the Boeing Classic, Watson eagled the second playoff hole to win the title. Not a big deal you say?

Consider he had to beat six other golfers in the playoff, which was the largest in tour history. A second win validated the first and made Watson an impact player on the Champions Tour.

And Watson won a major.

TOURNAMENT OF THE YEAR - British Open Championship Runners Up - Masters, Nabisco Championship, Deutsche Bank Championship.

When the British Open returned to Carnoustie, Jean van de Velde began scheduling the interviews. (He allegedly charged a fee for some.)

For it was on this piece of Scottish real estate some eight years prior, this fun Frenchman, a moderately successful journeyman, became not just golf's, but all of sports', punch line.

He made such a mess of the 18th at Carnoustie (finding the burn, then trying to hit out of it), that he ended up blowing a three-shot lead thanks to his triple-bogey.

Fast forward to 2007 and the tale of Padraig Harrington. The Irishman held a one-shot lead over Sergio Garcia and watched his drive at 18 bounce twice before falling into the burn.

After a drop, Harrington hit his third shot into water guarding the front of the green. All totaled, it was a double-bogey and now Harrington was one behind Garcia.

The Spaniard found the fairway then had to wait. And wait. He waited a lot, then found a bunker with his second. Garcia blasted out to six feet and had that putt for the claret jug.

He missed, so it was on to a playoff.

Harrington won to become the first European to win a major since? Paul Lawrie, who took the playoff at Carnoustie nine years prior.

Golf: 2007 year in review

By Jim Brighters, Sports Network, The Sports Network

What a year. Drug accusations, some mysterious Cup, bulging discs, fatherhood. It sounds like the ingredients for a bad soap opera set in a chiropractor's office, but these were some of the biggest things in the golf world this year.

PLAYER OF THE YEAR - Lorena Ochoa Runner up - Tiger Woods

Wow, how difficult was this call?

Let's go to the tale of the tape for 2007.

Ochoa: 8 tour wins, 1 major, No. 1 year-end ranking, No. 1 money list, 69.69 scoring average, 21 top-10s, 1st in greens in regulation.

Woods: 7 tour wins, 1 major, No. 1 year-end ranking, No. 1 money list, 67.79 scoring average, 12 top-10s, 1st in greens in regulation.

Whereas Woods dominates Ochoa in scoring average, how can you discount 21 top 10s in one season? That number is frightening, especially when you consider only four times in one year did Ochoa miss out on the top 10.

Woods' $10,867,052 makes for the second highest single-season performance in PGA Tour history. The difference is Ochoa's $4,364,994 for one year's earnings represents the best ever. By $1,501,090. That difference is enough to be No. 3 on this year's money list.

Ochoa was the first woman to eclipse the $3 million plateau and a short time later said bye-bye to the $4 million zone.

History is what drives the greats. To obliterate the LPGA Tour money record by such a margin is an amazing achievement.

Ochoa's major win was her first, but expected. She elevated her game this year. Not coincidentally, her chief rival, Annika Sorenstam, went down with neck and back injuries. Sorenstam was largely ineffective when she did play, but don't take that away from Ochoa's year.

Every time Ochoa put a peg in the ground, everyone, including Ochoa, expected a trip to the winner's circle. That always happens with Woods, but this year Ochoa dominated her tour more than Tiger.

This is certainly not to take away from yet another spectacular season from Woods. However, Ochoa did too much to not earn Player of the Year. History and dominance will get it done. Just ask Woods. Unfortunately for him, it was Ochoa's year this year.

More to follow - tomorrow.

Woody Austin Interview - Golf

If you remember my golf quotes of 2007 post you will have seen poor old Woody Austin falling in the water at the presidents cup tournament. Woody has become something of a cult hero so I thought I would post the great little interview with Woody regarding his new found fame.

Did you ever think that the secret to finding real fame was simply, "Just add water"?
No, obviously I didn't. I always knew I had it in me, I just didn't know the ingredient to get it out.

What exactly were you doing in that water? Couldn't you just have said to your partner, David Toms, "I'm ball in pocket. Carry me"?
Well, see, he was ball in pocket. He hit it in the water way back and then his third shot didn't even hit the green. Rory was on the (par-4 14th) green in one.

I was thinking if I could just get the ball out of the water and around the green, I could chip in for 3.

Everyone laughs at the silliness of it. Did you learn anything from the day?
I don't know if finishing birdie, birdie, birdie is silly. I was pretty serious. What it shows is that people see me react to something and think I'm lost (in anger), but I'm not. I'm quick to get my head back into it.

You've said Phil Mickelson "ripped the crap out of me" for 24 hours after you took your dive.
(Laughs) He was on me nonstop from Tuesday all the way through Sunday. What happened on Friday only made it easier for him.

Was he giving you grief before the dive?
I don't know if it was initiation, or the fact that we get along so good that he knew I could take it. The first thing that happened is he took a game off me in Ping-Pong. Well, this was my first time. I didn't realize how serious the Ping-Pong was. He kept on about it: "No competition, you aren't worth my time, blah, blah, blah." And then on Friday, he was the one who called me Aquaman.

Did you get him back at Ping-Pong?
Oh, yeah. I beat him three straight.

You've said that most of the team were serious Pongers. Who else did you beat?
Tiger never played me. He only played Phil. They have like a running tab. I think Tiger beat him. I know it was best three out of five, and it went all five. I kept wanting to play him and he said, 'No, I can't beat you so I won't play you.' We (Woods and Austin) were good partners, though. We called ourselves the Woodys.

What's the best line you heard?
Barbara Nicklaus the next morning (Saturday). She was sitting at the breakfast table and on the front of the sports page was my face in the water, and she looked up and said, "Everybody wants to know: Did you catch the salmon or not?"

You can read the rest of this golf interview here

Golf Quotes 2007

"I was using a five-iron - it should have been a six because I would have missed it."
Marc Warren, who shattered a chandelier while practicing his swing in his hotel room and suffered cuts to his head, arms and stomach.

"From what I understand, he would be the first in line to volunteer for testing. If Tiger Woods' test comes back negative, what does it matter what the rest of them are on?
European Tour chief George O'Grady comments on golf's new drug testing policy.

"He knows he is going to win. The scary thing is that maybe he knows that you know he's going to win."
Aaron Oberholser on Tiger Woods holding a 12-0 record when having at least a share of the lead in the final round of a major.

``For years he was known as the guy who banged his head against his putter. And now he's the guy who banged his head against the water.''
Retief Goosen on Woody Austin

"I'm dying to laugh, but I'm scared the cameras will be on me that I'm laughing while the guy is drowning. I thought, 'Damn, that water must be cold.' But I was pleased to see his head come up.''
International captain Gary Player.

"If that was the case my face would already be on the bottle of every antipsychotic drug there is."
Woody Austin when asked, if his agent had been able to take advantage of his newfound notoriety.

Golf Photo of the year

"You couldn't see who it was because his head was underwater," said Steve Stricker. "But you figured it had to be Woody."

Q School 2007 - Who got a PGA TOUR card?

I forgot to post this a couple of days ago so I am making amends for that today and I am going to give you a full list of the players that received their card for the 2008 PGA TOUR.

Medalist: Frank Lickliter, 38 USA

Second place: Brett Rumford, 30 Australia

Third place: Chris Stroud, 25 USA

Fourth Place: Jin Park, 30 South Korea

Fifth place: Jason Allred, 27 USA

Tied for sixth place: Yong-Eun Yang, 35 South Korea

Tied for sixth place: Tag Ridings, 33 USA

Eighth place: Todd Demsey, 35 USA

Tied for ninth place: Brad Adamonis, 34 USA

Tied for ninth place: Travis Perkins, 30 USA

Tied for 11th place: Parker McLachlin, 28 USA

Tied for 11th place: Kent Jones USA

Tied for 11th place: Cody Freeman USA

Tied for 14th place: Kenneth Ferrie, 29 England

Tied for 14th place: Tim Wilkinson, 29 New Zealand

Tied for 14th place: Kevin Streelman, 28 USA

Tied for 14th place: Dustin Johnson, 23 USA

Tied for 14th place: Duffy Waldorf, 45 USA

Tied for 19th place: Richard S. Johnson, 31 Sweden

Tied for 19th place: Jim McGovern, 42 USA

Tied for 19th place: Carlos Franco, 42 Paraguay

Tied for 19th place:Tommy Gainey, 32 USA

Tied for 23th place: Bob Sowards, 39 USA

Tied for 23th place: John Merrick, 25 USA

Tied for 23th place: Alejandro Canizares, 24 Spain

Tied for 23rd place: David Lutterus, 22 Australia

It's great to see two more Aussies on the tour and I want to congratulate all of the players who know own a full PGA Tour Card (do they actually get a physical card? - leave a comment if you know).

For full player profiles and stats visit PGA TOUR