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 History was not made this year in professional golf in Southern Cali-fornia, but there were some special moments. Tiger Woods’ great year Everyone thought Tiger’s swing changes were bringing his game down, but he answered his critics at his first event of the season, winning the Buick Invitational at Torrey Pines. It was a typical Woods victory. Woods was three strokes behind going into the final round and zoomed past the leaders, shooting a final-round 68 to win by three shots over Luke Donald, Charles Howell and Tom Lehman. It was his first stroke-play victory since the American Express Championship in 2003. After winning in La Jolla, he won two majors — the Masters and British Open at St. Andrews — and finished second in the U.S. Open and fourth in the PGA Championship. Woods won three other events and finished atop the money list with more than $10 million. “I had a great year, an absolutely great year,” Woods said. “The changes that I’ve made were to become more consistent in major championships, and that’s exactly what happened. I was there with a chance to win on the back nine on Sunday on every one, and that’s a great feeling. If I can continue to do that, then I’ll win my share, but the key is to put yourself there.” Phil Mickelson’s great year Constantly living in the shadow of Woods, Phil Mickelson’s world was often dark. But recently there have been glimmers of light. After winning his first major last year — the Masters — Mickelson followed up this year with a victory at the PGA Championship. Mickelson also won three regular tour events and would have been a strong contender for Player of the Year, if not for Woods’ season. Jason Gore’s Cinderella season Jason Gore was just trying to make it through a mediocre year on the Nationwide Tour when he got through two qualifying rounds to gain entrance into the U.S. Open. At the nation’s championship in Pinehurst, N.C., Gore found himself in the final group on the final day. He faltered in the final round but had cemented his blue-collar status by then. He ingratiated himself to golf traditionalists when he gave up a chance to get sponsor exemptions to events, saying he wanted to earn it. Which is exactly what he did. Gore won three events on the Nationwide Tour, earned a battlefield promotion to the PGA Tour and then won the 84 Lumber Classic to earn a two-year ex-emption. “This game has done so much for me, both good and bad,” Gore said when he won the 84 Lumber. “It’s the greatest game ever. It’s a large part of my life, obviously, and I’m just one of those weird guys who loves to play golf.” Justin Leonard still has hope The Bob Hope Chrysler Classic should be renamed the Redemption Open. The last few years the Palm Springs-area tournament has certainly helped wayward golfers get back on track. In 2000 and 2001, Jesper Parnevik and Joe Durant won the event and then won again that same year, the only time either has done so in their career. In 2003 and 2004, Mike Weir and Phil Mickelson won and then captured the Masters later those years. In 2005, Justin Leonard was just hoping to win, period. He hadn’t done so since the 2003 Honda Classic and was mired in a slump. At the Hope he played like the major championship winner he is and went on to win another event and more than $2.5 million for the season. David Toms’ match-play mettle It’s one of the most exciting tournaments all year. It’s also nerve-wracking for the golfers who play it. The match-play format can eliminate a player quickly, but David Toms had an enjoyable week at La Costa Resort and Spa. Toms cruised through his matches, including defeating Mickelson in the quarterfinals, and then reached the finals by beating Ian Poulter. It was the second time Toms made it to the finals. The only other player to accomplish that is Woods. In the finals, Toms dismantled Chris DiMarco, 6-and-5, the largest winning margin in the final’s history. Mark Johnson wins the Toshiba Senior Classic At a tournament that always seems to have a fantastic finish, this year’s Champions Tour event at The Newport Beach Country Club was one of its best. Mark Johnson was like a lot of scratch golfers — working a day job while dreaming of joining the senior circuit. Johnson played amateur events while driving a truck for a beer distributor in Apple Valley, Victorville and Barstow. In the final round of the Toshiba, Johnson had a two-shot lead and was hitting his third shot on the par-5 18th hole. The wedge shot went past the pin and spun back into the cup, putting an exclamation mark on his first professional victory. The chants of “Beer Man!” thundered through the golf course and a new cult hero was christened in a town that is known for champagne and caviar tastes. Johnson won $247,500 for the victory. “You know, $247,500 is a lot of money for a beer truck driver,” Johnson said after the victory. “It would take seven or eight years for me to make that delivering beer.” Danielle Amiee gets a big break The Newport Beach mini-tour player was struggling to make a living in the sport when television came calling and made her an instant celebrity. Danielle Amiee was picked to be one of the contestants on The Golf Channel’s “Big Break III,” a reality television show that featured 10 women trying to win sponsor’s exemptions to LPGA Tour events. The series was the best rated of the three The Golf Channel has televised and, while Amiee might not have been a hit with the other contestants, she became a favorite with viewers. She won the competition, received two sponsor’s exemptions and only played in one tournament, failing to make the cut. Amiee did not to capitalize on any success from the show. There were offers of sponsorships and endorsements, but they didn’t seem to materialize. Annika Sorenstam wins Kraft Nabisco Championship It was the first major championship of the year and Annika Sorenstam still had a goal of winning the Grand Slam. Sorenstam scorched the field at Mission Hills Country Club in Rancho Mirage, winning by eight strokes. Rosie Jones, who was born in Santa Ana, played well enough to win, but she couldn’t catch Sorenstam and was denied her first major yet again. Sorenstam went on to win the McDonald’s Championship and was halfway to her goal, but she faltered at the U.S. Women’s Open, finishing tied for 23rd. She tied for fifth at the Women’s British Open, but again maintained her status as the best female golfer in the world, posting 10 wins for the season. “I’m very happy with this year,” Sorenstam said. “I think this is going to go down as one of my most memorable years. I got off to such a good start, winning the first six out of eight. I also won the first two majors, so I’m very pleased.” Charley Hoffman earns tour card Charley Hoffman, a San Diego native, has been on the mini-tours for years, tasting the PGA Tour, but not nearly getting enough to satisfy his appetite. This year, though, Hoffman had eight top-10 finishes on the Nationwide Tour, including a seventh-place tie at the Tour Championship. He finished 19th on the money list to earn a PGA Tour card for next year. The Buick Invitational At the beginning of the year, the Tour tried to bill Tiger Woods, Phil Mickelson, Vijay Singh and Ernie Els as the Big Four, and the foursome showed up at Torrey Pines for the showdown. The anticipation was high, but Woods ended the suspense early and quelled his doubters. He won the event for the third time in his career as his competitors faltered. Els finished closest to Woods with a tie for sixth. Singh tied for 24th and Mickelson tied for 58th. |
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