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GOLF RESOURCE GUIDE:
Inside the Ropes
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 Anthony Kim grew up quickly in 2008, winning twice and starring at the Ryder Cup (Photo: E.J. Clair). San Diego’s Torrey Pines became the first Southland course to host the U.S. Open since 1948 and almost guaranteed a return trip from the USGA. The No. 1 male and female players in the world each won a major in the region, with the male (Tiger Woods) doing so improbably and the female (Lorena Ochoa) doing so dominantly. A wave of talented youngsters asserted themselves on the PGA Tour, most notably a local product who became an international sensation in a matter of months. Here are 10 local touring pros who made the biggest impact during what was simply a big year for Southern California golf. Tiger Woods: Woods is still Numero Uno in the world rankings by a wide margin. If a torn ACL and two stress fractures can’t topple him, what can? Despite strong late-season efforts from players like Padraig Harrington and Vijay Singh, we need Tiger back. Phil Mickelson: The San Diego native avenged his playoff loss at Riviera in 2007 with a win at this year’s Northern Trust Open, then appeased his sponsor Crowne Plaza by winning the resort group’s tournament at Colonial. Lefty finished inside the top three on the PGA Tour money list for the seventh time in the last nine seasons. The most indelible memory from his ’08 campaign might have been the quadruple-bogey 9 he made during the third round of the U.S. Open at Torrey Pines, but it’s tough to say Mickelson’s season was an outright disappointment. Anthony Kim: The 23-year-old phenom arrived in a big way in 2008. Kim, a Los Angeles native and part-time La Quinta resident, won the Wachovia Championship, came from behind to win the AT&T National and mopped the floor with Sergio Garcia in match play at the Ryder Cup. But the biggest story surrounding Kim this year could be his turnaround outside the ropes, as he toned down his acknowledged party lifestyle with a more disciplined approach. Hunter Mahan: Mahan belongs on this list thanks to one stroke of genius — the long roller-coaster putt he made against Paul Casey on the 17th hole of the Ryder Cup singles matches to seal a half point and an undefeated record (2-0-3). The Orange native could have ended up on the loser list with a poor Ryder Cup, which would have underscored the disparaging remarks he made about the competition prior to being named to the American team. Yani Tseng: The Taiwan native who resides in Beaumont won the McDonald’s LPGA Championship and became the Tour’s first rookie to win a major since Hall of Famer Se Ri Pak in 1998. Tseng also had five second-place finishes and earned almost $2 million. Not bad for a 19-year-old. John Merrick: Paired with childhood idol Ernie Els during the final round of the U.S. Open, the 26-year-old Long Beach native outdid The Big Easy with an even-par 71 and a tie for sixth in only his second career major. Merrick finished among the PGA Tour leaders in total driving and greens in regulation. Paul Goydos: The Dove Canyon resident couldn’t find the winner’s circle in 2008, but he did collect the biggest paycheck of his career — $1,026,000 for losing in a playoff to Sergio Garcia at The Players Championship. Goydos hit the fairway 70.9 percent of the time in ’08, the 14th time in 15 full Tour campaigns he eclipsed 70 percent for the year. Peter Tomasulo: There weren’t many Southern California natives on the Nationwide Tour this year, but Long Beach’s Tomasulo grabbed the regional spotlight with an 11th-place finish on the money list and a 2009 PGA Tour card. The 27-year-old also won his U.S. Open sectional qualifier in Ohio to compete in his first-ever professional major at Torrey Pines. Jane Park: The Beaumont native and former UCLA standout took advantage of her medalist finish at LPGA Qualifying School last year, recording a trio of top-three finishes and earning enough money to qualify for the elite Lorena Ochoa Invitational last month. John Cook: The part-time Corona Del Mar resident engineered the most lucrative campaign of his professional career in 2008, tallying $1.7 million in his first full season on the Champions Tour. Cook finished inside the top 20 at all five over-50 majors and registered a trio of top-five finishes, including a runner-up finish as the result of a playoff loss at the Senior British Open Championship. Eli Miller also writes a weekly blog at southlandgolfmagazine.com. Reach him at emiller@churmmedia.com. |
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