2008: A Year of Change
BY Bruce Young | 30 Dec 2008
As the 2008 golfing year draws to a close it is time to look back on a year that has seen the emergence of several golfers who, in the absence of Tiger Woods, have put up their hand as more than worthy fill-ins – at least until Woods’ return to the tournament scene.
2008 has been a fascinating year as not only is men’s golf in a state of transformation, so too is the female game with arguably their game’s greatest ever bowing out of tournament golf. The retirement of Annika Sorenstam has allowed the relatively new world number one, Lorena Ochoa, to hold centre stage on her own even she was under siege from the likes of Ji Yai Shin, Yani Tseng and Paula Creamer.
But before we let our memories of Tiger’s great exploits in 2008 fade too much and we place too much attention on those who performed late in the season, we should remind ourselves of just what he did achieve before his enforced withdrawal from the game following his dramatic US Open victory at Torrey Pines.
Woods started and ended his 2008 season with victories at what must be his favourite piece of golfing turf, the South Course at Torrey Pines. Such was the magnitude of his victory in January (he won by eight shots over Ryuji Imada), that most wondered how on earth he would be beaten at that same venue in June. He wasn’t but the US Open developed into one of the most intriguing, dramatic and gripping encounters in the history of the event.
Before he returned to Torrey Pines however Woods produced the most remarkable of last 9 surges to catch and pass Ernie Els in Dubai, was stunning in winning the Accenture Match Play in Arizona, won Arnie’s event at Bay Hill, finished 5th at Doral and then charged home to finish runner up to Trevor Immelman at Augusta National.
In six starts in 2008 before arriving at the US Open therefore Woods had been four times a winner, once runner up and once 5th but even then he had not played competitively since Augusta following initial arthroscopic knee surgery.
To win the US Open on one leg and in such dramatic fashion in a playoff with Rocco Mediate was a fairytale way to leave the centre stage of world golf but that is Tiger Woods – seldom does he do things by halve.
While the winner of the Open Championship and the PGA Championship, Padraig Harrington, deserves to be the Player of the Year because of those two victories alone, in the cold light of day there was little between what he accomplished and what Woods achieved in half the time and less than a third of the number of events in which Harrington played.
It is perhaps fitting therefore that those two players produced arguably the greatest two shots of the year. I find it hard to separate the magnificent 5 wood Harrington hit to the 17th hole at Birkdale to put a seal on his second consecutive Open Championship and the brilliant 14 foot right to left downhill putt by Tiger across the green at the 72nd hole at Torrey Pines. Both were significant in the context of what was being achieved but given that Woods putt simply had to be made or there would be ‘no tomorrow’ well then it might just get the nod.
There were several players near the top of the rankings who elevated their status in world golf considerably in 2008.
Sergio Garcia finished the year with three victories including the Players Championship but importantly for Garcia his massive improvement on the greens saw him move into the second highest ranked player in the world behind Woods at year’s end.
His ever improving consistency, as a result of the work he and putting Guru Stan Utley put in place, began to pay dividends and while the early putting statistics did not necessarily indicate such, he was beginning to make the important putts at important times.
At year’s end Garcia trails only Tiger Woods and by just 3.87 points, having started 2008 14.44 points in arrears and in 12th position. That first victory in major golf is creeping inevitably closer for the Spaniard.
For others it would also be a case of ‘while the cat (Tiger) is away the mice will play’. Camilo Villegas converted his charismatic appeal into results by finishing 4th at the PGA Championship, then winning the Barclays and Tour Championship late in the season. He finished the year in 7th position in the World Ranking and on the PGA Tour money list.
Anthony Kim was another to indicate that he is ready to win a major championship before too long by winning twice on outstanding layouts at Quail Hollow and Congressional and ended the season with several top finishes in Fed Ex Cup playoff events. It was a breakthrough year for Kim earning himself a place in the successful US Ryder Cup team in which he played a key role.
Vijay Singh did not play well in the majors but he added US$10 million Fed Ex Cup dollars to his season earnings of US6.6 million in official earnings and in December added another US$1.35 at the Chevron Challenge. He improved from 10th to 5th in world ranking in 2008.
Robert Karlsson is the other player worthy of mention amongst the leading players. While he did not win until relatively late in the season, the Swede was one of the game’s most consistent players all year especially at the elite level and led to him claiming the European Tour Order of Merit.
In Asia, Jeev Milkha Singh claimed their Order of Merit title and with victories in Austria, Japan (twice) and in Singapore again identified just how much of an international performer he has become. His 9th place finish at the PGA Championship was his first top ten in a major championship, adding to what has been his best year in professional golf.
Another who did well in Asia was New Zealander Mark Brown whose two consecutive victories in India in February assured him of not only a third place finish on the Asian Tour money list but victory in the Australasian Tour Order of Merit. He secured that title despite playing only two events in Australia and none in his homeland. The huge purse on offer at the Johnnie Walker Classic was enough to get him across the line.
Amongst the Australians, Geoff Ogilvy’s first win in his homeland along with his win at the World Golf Championship probably gives him the nod as Australia’s best in 2008. Katherine Hull’s win in Canada and her significant turnaround in her LPGA Tour career generally however make her a worthy challenger to that title. That she improved as much as did and that she is now regularly contending against the elite of the LPGA Tour highlights the significance of 2008 for the Queenslander.
Arguably the single greatest performance by an Australian in 2008 however was that of Greg Norman at the Open Championship. Some might say that he gave away another title but those with a greater understanding would say that this was one of the more significant performances in Open Championship golf in recent years. To have been able to contend for so long that week on such a limited preparation, at the age of 53 and with so much going on in his personal life at the time was something very special.
Australia will again have a healthy representation on the PGA Tour in 2009. Newcomers Aron Price, Marc Leishman and James Nitties get their chance for the first time and will join another 15 Australians with full PGA Tour status.
In Europe, Michael Curtain joins that Tour for the first time and on the LPGA Tour Anna Rawson and Sarah Jane Kenyon will play with full status for the first time.
The return of Tiger Woods at some stage in the first half of 2009 will do much to renew the interest of the game but when he does arrive back it might just be that the landscape has changed sufficiently for the challengers to his position at the top of the game to come thick and fast.
2008 was a year of change but with the emergence of several genuine stars in the past twelve months and the uncertainty of the global economy and its potential impact on the game, then 2009 may see an even greater impact on the current status quo.
