Tour Season Review 2011

A lot has changed from the start of the year, Lee Westwood was World Number One, someone called Tiger Woods was just in behind him and the current  man who is best in the world was just inside the top-ten.

I certainly think it’s been a year of change as the golfing season slowly draws to a close as the players start to plot their schedules for next season taking into account Ryder Cup points for October’s battle at Medinah, Chicago. Jose Maria Olazabal and Davis Love III were rightly chosen in my opinion as team captains with Europe looking to retain the cup they won dramatically at Celtic Manor last year.

It’s also been a refreshing year, four new major winners, a host of debut winners either side of the Atlantic and the future of the game looks bright as the young gun’s stare down the barrel of their before watched heroes.

What does annoy me slightly is the constant talk about the World Rankings. Well more from over in the US than here for reasons we all know but I don’t think anyone can debate that Luke Donald is and has been the best and most consistent player in the world for quite a while now. For me the argument that he hasn’t won a major is ludicrous. He is going into his 20^th week as the game’s top player but the one thing I do agree with is how complicated the system is. Far too complicated to go into now but just think that out of the four major champions this year, one started the year 10^th, one just inside the top-35, one just stuck inside the top-100 and the other wasn’t even in the top-300! All four are now inside the top-35.

Speaking of winning majors the first of the year is always the most anticipated as Augusta comes to life in full bloom. On a day that saw Rory McIlroy’s epic collapse and his bid for a first major title disappear quicker than you can say Greg Norman, the comparisons with the Great White Shark at Augusta are now in the history. It was Charl Schwartzel who claimed the 75^th Masters with a finish never seen before as the South African birdied the final four holes to take home the green jacket.

It was in-between the Masters and he US Open that game lost one its favourite sons.  Millions of golfers around the world paid their tribute to the loss of Spanish legend Seve Ballesteros. He fought bravely against a brain tumour that was diagnosed back in 2008, this however was a match or a hazard that Seve couldn’t escape from and he died at his home in Pedrena May 7 2011.

In the second major of the year the US Open was dominated from start to finish by a young Northern Irishman who battled his demons. McIlroy was the man on everybody’s lips again but this time he was simply faultless at the Congressional Country Club winning by an incredible eight shots on his way to setting a US Open scoring record.

In the last few years Ireland has been firmly placed on the golfing map. It all started back into 2007 when Padraig Harrington lifted the Claret Jug which he repeated the following year. A month later he became a three-time major champion when he won the USPGA Championship. Graeme McDowell continued the trend and gave the North of the country a boost in 2010 when he was victorious on the shores of the Pacific Ocean and won the US Open at Pebble beach. In an astonishing rise of four years, two more major champions have emerged from the Country. After McIlroy won in Washington it was the turn of the old pretender to give an emotional speech at Royal St Georges.

Peoples champion Darren Clarke battled through every weather possible in Kent to become a major champion at the age of 42. A popular choice perhaps, a surprise winner most defiantly as the man himself admitted his form wasn’t great going into the tournament and subsequently hasn’t shown any since.

European golf has been in a strong position for a while now; four major champions in the last two years and dominating the world rankings and even the women are getting involved too as Alison Nicholas’s team were victorious in the recent Solheim Cup. Ireland was again given a reason to party as Killeen Castle played host to the women’s version of the Ryder Cup which Europe won 15-13. GB&I’s amateurs also joined the winning band wagon too as they lifted the Walker Cup with a 14-12 win over their American counterparts in Scotland.

One argument of the European domination is that has all come at the timely demise of a certain Mr Woods. The once great name of the game is no more although his recent comeback was a little more positive than his last. I don’t agree with the above statement and again a lot can be written about him and I’m sure opinion is split but I for one would like to see him back to his best so we can really see how far European golf has come on. I think he will win another major but he won’t overtake Jack Nicklaus’s record of 18 titles. Talking of American’s and major titles virtually unknown Keegan Bradley ended a run of seven majors without an American win when he won the USPGA title at the Atlanta Athletic Club. Another surprise winner but another reason why we love this great game, any title is up for grabs.

The Fed-Ex cup play-offs was won by Bill Haas who didn’t know at the time that he’d just holed a putt for around $11 million. The Presidents Cup is being played in November as well as the Mission Hills World Cup as the calendar year begins to come to an end.

I look forward to next year to see if any more surprises pop up and hopefully some more European major winners.