A Year that Cannot be Forgotten (even if you wanted to)

One of the great things about sports is that they write their own story.  Unyielding to sentiment, sensationalism or the unrelenting pounding of our heart strings.  Simply put, 2009 was a year that we’ll never forget, in large part, not because of what did happen, but because of what almost happened.

With all due respect to start of the 2009 season in Hawaii and the west coast, the real shot across the bow came in early march when Phil Mickelson locked up his second win of the season (he won the Northern Trust Open earlier in the season) on Doral’s Blue Monster at the World Golf Championships - CA Championship.  What made this story compelling was the fact that Mickelson had spent a few off hours, not enjoying Miami’s famous night-life, rather, he was at the hospital getting liquids pumped into his body due to dehydration.  As the cliché goes, “beware of the injured athlete.”  Two weeks later, Tiger Woods slammed the door on all of the speculation that he would be somehow less of a champion golfer after his long layoff due to knee surgery, then he was before it (which when you think about it, doesn’t make much sense, because before the major knee surgery, he was essentially playing – and winning – on only one leg).  A come from behind at the Arnold Palmer Invitational presented by Master Card at Bay Hill seemed to signal that all was right in the world of golf and that the balance of power had been reset only two weeks before the season’s first Major, the Masters.

However, fate step in.  The Masters began in a storyboard fashion with 48 year-old Kenny Perry in position to win his first Major.  Here was Perry, still fresh off a heroic performance at the Ryder Cup at Valhalla and already a winner earlier in the season at the FBR Open, golf’s ultimate good guy.  The final round began with both Tiger Woods and Phil Mickelson injecting some early in the day excitement by taking runs up the leaderboard.  Mickelson birdied six holes on the front nine to open with a 30, tying a tournament record.  He would finish the day with a 67 and a total score of 9 under par, good for 5^th place.  Woods would also secure a piece of a top six finish, posting a final round score of 68, totaling 8 under par and a share of 6^th place.

It was Perry then that appeared perched to provide a victory for the people and the ultimate feel-good story.  Leading by two strokes with two holes to go, few could doubt the likelihood of his victory; however bogies at the final two holes would spin Perry into a sudden death playoff against Chad Campbell and Angel Cabrera.  Campbell was eliminated after the first hole and when Perry failed to get up and down from the left of the green on the second playoff hole, Cabrera was left with the task to two putt from 15 feet to secure his first Masters title and second Major victory. 

The PLAYERS Championship seemed to continue the trend.  While his performance was consummate and dominating, few would have guessed that Henrik Stenson would blast the field, winning by four strokes over Ian Poulter, John Mallinger and Kevin Na, all at 2 under par.

At the Memorial Tournament, Woods would post his second win of the year after hitting what could be the finest 18^th hole approach shot for the year, when he staked it to within inches of the hole.  Once again, only two weeks before the season’s next Major, the U.S. Open, Woods seemed to be on top of his game.

Sadly, Mother Nature was not as excited about the U.S. Open returning to Bethpage’s Black Course as the world of golf was.  While most of Long Island has a heavy sand base, the deluge of water was just too much and the tournament became as much about survival as demonstrating skill.  Despite the challenges and constant stop and start weather delays, the tournament would unfold as if scripted by Hollywood screen writers.  Here we had Phil Mickelson, fresh from caring for his wife, Amy, who was being treated for breast cancer, as the adopted son of the New York faithful, making a run at the championship.  Alas, two missed par putts over the last four holes would end the magic.  Coming in ranked 882^nd in the world, in the final round David Duval would thrill the gallery with three straight birdies on the back nine to tie for the lead.  When a five-foot par putt on the 71^st hole would spin 180 degrees around the cup and end up perched on the edge, it took with it Duval’s chance at the ultimate comeback.

Ultimately, victory would belong to Lucas Glover, only the second player in the last 25 years to win a Major in which he had never previously made the cut (Lee Janzen was the last, in 1993) and he was the first qualifier to win the U.S. Open since Michael Campbell in 2005.  Glover’s victory was well deserved and executed, if unexpected.

Tiger Woods would once again post a victory (his third of the year), this time over the July 4^th weekend, at the AT&T National.  This win coming three weeks before the Open Championship would cause many to wonder if Woods’ between-Majors dominance in 2009 would carry over to finding his form in the season’s third Major.

Turnberry’s Ailsa Course on Scotland’s west coast seemed to usher itself onto the world golf stage with a presence and dignity that embodied the world’s oldest Major, The Open Championship.  Once more, that which everyone expected to happen is not what took place (for example, Woods missed the cut), but what did unfold was one of the greatest stories in the history of the game (and ultimately, one putt short of being the most significant event in the entire history of the sport).  Tom Watson, at 59 years-old, would carry us all on a sentimental journey that seemed to evolve from the impossible, to the improbable, to the possible, to the likely, and ultimately, to what could have been.  Stewart Cink, of course, won the Open Championship in a playoff over Watson, after the latter failed to get up and down for par on the final hole during regulation.  It should be noted that Cink birdied the 18^th Hole in regulation and his play during the playoff was steady despite the huge pressure.  Regardless of what we may have all wanted in our hearts, Stewart Cink deserved this victory because victories are not won through 71 holes, they are won when the final putt drops. 

Sandwiched between the drama of the season’s Majors, Tiger Woods would post victory number four of the season, at the Buick Open and then two weeks later, he would out last Padraig Harrington in a duel at the World Golf Championships – Bridgestone Invitational to post his 5^th victory of the season.

So once more, the stage was set.  Woods having won two of the three tournaments heading into the PGA Championship, it seemed only reasonable to assume that Woods was in full control of his game.  Through three rounds, Woods was right where everyone expected him to be, leading the tournament.  In the final round, he would be paired with Y.E. Yang, a relatively unknown golfer despite having won the Honda Classic earlier in the year.  Pre-round fodder was quickly dismissive of Yang, noting that Woods had never lost a Major that he was leading into the final round and that Yang was hardly the man to dispose him of the inevitable.  However, a funny thing happened on the way to the coronation when David would slay Goliath and it would be Yang that would emerge triumphant.

Tiger Woods would go on to win the BMW Championship at Cog Hill for victory number 6 on the year, which would be good enough to secure the Fed Ex Cup for the second time in three years (after a second place finish at the TOUR Championship).  Phil Mickelson would end the year on a high note, winning both the Tour Championship presented by Coca-Cola and the World Gold Championships-HSBC Championship in China.

The victory by the American Team in the Presidents Cup was also impressive, if lacking in drama. 

Tiger Woods continued his triumphant 2009 season with a seventh win (and first) in Australia at the JBWere Masters.  On the European Tour, the “Race to Dubai,” certainly delivered on its promise as 20 year-old Rory McIlroy put up a spirited fight along with names like Padraig Harrington and Sergio Garcia.  Ultimately, it was Lee Westwood that would claim the crown with a dominating performance that saw him finish the week moving up to forth in the world rankings.

What does all of this mean?  Well, 2009 was a great season of golf, of that there can be no doubt.  But golf has proven time and again that it is a game of cold numbers where victory is assured not by our longing and desire, but rather, but performance and execution. 

Here’s to hoping that the timeless nature of the game never changes.