The biggest stories of the masters

1. Tiger Woods

Even with his high standards, Woods caused a stir when he said in January that the calendar Grand Slam was "easily within reason." Then he won his first four starts of the year, including a back-nine charge at Dubai on the European Tour. Along the way, he surpassed Arnold Palmer and caught Ben Hogan on the PGA Tour's career victories list.

2. Drug Testing

Golf does not begin drug testing until July, but mandatory meetings to outline the process was such an eye-opener that some players have begun asking about the need to form a union. Augusta National is part of the World Golf Foundation, meaning drug testing likely will take place at the Masters next year.

3. Slow Play

The PGA Tour has twice changed its cut policy to limit the size of fields on the weekend, particularly the final round, which has led to outrage among players who feel as though playing opportunities are being taken away. But it has renewed focus on the real problem - slow play - and more players are being singled out as the culprits. Two getting the most attention are J.B. Holmes and Sean O'Hair.

4. Phil Mickelson

He remains an enigma on the golf course. Mickelson appeared to hit his stride when he won at Riviera, giving him a victory at every PGA Tour stop in California and winning for the 16th time on the West Coast. But he didn't get out of the second round at Match Play, and he didn't finish inside the top 20 at Bay Hill or Doral.

5. The Golf Channel

It won't be a part of the Masters telecast, but it drew the wrong kind of attention in January when anchor Kelly Tilghman, responding to Nick Faldo's suggestion that players gang up on Tiger Woods, suggested they "lynch him in a back alley." It took four days for Golf Channel to act, suspending Tilghman for two weeks. The editor of Golfweek magazine lost his job for putting a noose on the cover. Woods forgave Tilghman, saying she meant no harm.

6. K.J. Choi

He emerged with a new title after winning the Sony Open - best Asian to have never won a major. Choi finished a career-high fifth on the money list last year after winning tournaments hosted by Jack Nicklaus (Memorial) and Tiger Woods (AT&T National), and his victory at the Sony Open was his seventh on the PGA Tour, and fifth since 2005. He comes to the Masters among the top 10 in the world.

7. Vijay Singh's meltdown at Pebble

It was only one tournament and it has happened to all great players, but it was no less shocking to see Singh blow a three-shot lead with five holes to play at Pebble Beach. He made two straight bogeys from the middle of the fairway and eventually lost to journeyman Steve Lowery in a playoff. Singh now has gone more than a year without winning, his longest drought since 2001.

8. Ernie Els

The Big Easy had gone 3 1/2 years and 47 tournaments without winning on the PGA Tour when he finally broke through at the Honda Classic, posting a score and letting everyone else tumble behind him. A week later, he revealed that his son has been coping with autism, and Els now has an "Autism Speaks" logo on his bag.

9. Masters criteria

The change back to awarding Masters invitations to PGA Tour winners has been a big hit. Daniel Chopra (Mercedes-Benz Championship) and Sean O'Hair (PODS Championship) were as thrilled about going to Augusta National as winning. Big-hitting J.B. Holmes earned his first trip to the Masters by winning in Phoenix.

10. Ryder Cup

There typically is more conversation about the Ryder Cup on the other side of the pond, but this year is different with the new selection criteria for Americans. It is based on money, leading to wild fluctuations in the standings. One point is awarded for every $1,000 earned on the PGA Tour, and the Masters will be the first time those points are doubled.

Associated Press

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

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.

Golf - anti doping / drugs policy

Well it has finally happened the many golfing organisations have agreed on an anti doping or performance enhancing drugs policy, well in principle anyway.

The first phase of the policy will encompass the actual development of the prohibited substances list and subsidiary policies.

The second phase will see the creation of the general standards for the anti doping program.

The anti-doping office of the world golf association will open in 2008. They will control the part of the policy which still allows for players to use controlled substances for medical and therapeutic reasons. They will also hand out penalties for breaching the new code.

There has also been a large emphasis placed on educating the players.

The major golfing organisations that have agreed to the policy include:

• Augusta National Golf Club
• European Tour
• Ladies Professional Golf Association
• PGA of America
• PGA TOUR
• The R&A for The Open Championship
• United States Golf Association for the U.S. Open, the U.S. Women's Open and the U.S. Senior Open
• Asian Tour
• Australasian Tour
• Canadian Tour
• Japan Professional Golf Tour
• Sunshine Tour
• Tour de Las Americas

Overall I think this is long overdue and I think that this can only be good for the game. I doubt that many golfers are using drugs, but this will make sure the sport is relatively clean.
Tell me what you think by leaving a comment (open to everyone)

PGA to start drug testing - Breaking Golf News

In breaking golf news today it is expected that the PGA will announce performance enhancing drug testing to possibly start in 2008. While no official word has been received the rumour mills are running hot with countless stories on the television and Internet.

The PGA has held out testing their players for performance enhancing drugs, but looks to be bowing to the increasing pressure to come up with a solid drug policy.

Stay tuned for more information!