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Schelling: Remembering ‘08 PGA Tour
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by Jordan Schelling
Friday, September 26, 2008
As baseball and football take center stage this weekend, another sport draws to a close. The Tour Championship began Thursday, marking the unofficial end to the 2008 season for the PGA Tour.
In honor of the end of the second straight anti-climatic ending to the FedEx Cup playoffs, I’d like to take a look back at some of the year’s most exciting moments in golf.
Woods dominates Accenture match play
While Madison was in the middle of the snowiest winter on record, Tiger Woods was breaking records of his own Feb. 24 in Arizona. Woods defeated fellow American Stewart Cink to win the 15th World Golf Championship of his career.
Cink simply did not have a chance against Woods, who extended his worldwide winning streak to five straight tournaments. Woods blew Cink away with 14 birdies in just 29 holes to win by a margin of 8 and 7, the largest margin in the tournament’s 10-year history.
The Accenture victory was Woods’ 15th in 26 official WGC events. Darren Clarke and Geoff Ogilvy are the only other players to win more than one WGC event.
Immelman withstands wind, pressure to win Masters
Four months after surgery to have a tumor removed from his back, Trevor Immelman became the first South African in 30 years to earn a green jacket. Immelman withstood the wind and pressure of Augusta National — extending his lead to as much as six shots on the back nine — to earn a three-shot victory over Tiger Woods.
Immelman finished the final round with a 3-over par 75, the highest final round ever posted by a Masters winner. The week began with Immelman playing a practice round with his boyhood idol, Gary Player, and ended with him joining Player as the only South African winners of the Masters.
Garcia wins THE PLAYERS Championship in sudden death playoff
On a windy day at TPC Sawgrass, Sergio Garcia became only the second European-born player to win THE PLAYERS Championship. Long known for his putting inconsistency, Garcia drilled a clutch 7-foot par putt on the final hole of regulation to force a playoff.
In the playoff, Garcia hit a sand wedge to within four feet of the cup on the famous island green at the 17th while Paul Goydos found the water with his tee shot. The victory for Garcia was the seventh of his career and first since 2005.
After finishing second to Phil Mickelson a year earlier, Garcia took advantage of a Tiger-less field to earn the biggest victory of his young career.
Woods wins U.S. Open in 19-hole playoff for 14th major
Playing with a torn anterior cruciate ligament and a double stress fracture in the same knee, Woods defeated 45-year-old Rocco Mediate in the first sudden death hole after the two remained tied following an 18-hole playoff. Mediate came close to pulling off one of golf’s greatest upsets, but Woods outlasted him to earn his third career U.S. Open victory.
Those who watched Woods’ victory will never forget the image of Woods nearly doubling over in pain following a power drive and using his driver as a cane upon leaving the tee box.
The euphoria surrounding Woods’ incredible victory subsided the following day, however, as he announced he would undergo season-ending surgery to repair his torn ACL.
Harrington wins back-to-back majors
With Woods resting at home, Padraig Harrington won his second straight Open Championship at Royal Birkdale, shooting a 1-under 69 for a four-shot victory over Ian Poulter.
Harrington sealed the victory with an eagle on the 17th, set up by a 5-wood approach shot from 249 yards to within three feet of the hole.
Not satisfied with just one major victory, Harrington returned to the United States to steal the Wanamaker trophy from Garcia in the tournament’s final three holes. The two shared a three-way tie with Ben Curtis with two holes remaining before Harrington stole the show.
Harrington drilled a 10-footer for birdie — sending the crowd into a frenzy — while Garcia lipped out from just four feet. Harrington sealed it with a par on the 18th as Garcia made bogey.
Singh seals FedEx Cup victory in third playoff event
Vijay Singh played some of the best golf of his life in the month of August, winning three tournaments and putting himself in excellent position in the FedEx Cup standings.
Singh began the month with a victory in the WGC Bridgestone Invitational, earning his 32nd career PGA Tour win — a record for foreign-born players.
As the FedEx Cup playoffs began in the middle of August, Singh won the first event — The Barclays — by defeating Garcia on the second playoff hole. One week later, Singh won the Deutsche Bank Championship, all but assuring a FedEx Cup victory.
After finishing 44th at the BMW Championship the next week, Singh solidified his lead and ensured he would win the FedEx Cup as long as he completed this week’s Tour Championship.
U.S. wins 37th Ryder Cup
For the first time since 1999, the United States defeated Europe by a margin of 16 1/2 to 11 1/2 to win the 37th Ryder Cup. The U.S. was led by six rookies who combined for a 4-1-1 record in singles matches on the final day.
Anthony Kim earned the biggest upset for the U.S., as the 23-year-old defeated European Ryder Cup veteran Sergio Garcia 5 and 4. Rookies Hunter Mahan, Boo Weekley and J.B. Holmes also earned singles victories for the U.S.
Mahan contributed the most points for the U.S. team with a 2-0-3 record, earning 3.5 points over the weekend. The victory for the U.S. prevented the Europeans from winning their fourth consecutive Ryder Cup and seventh of the last eight.
Jordan is a junior majoring in journalism and political science. Have your own favorite memories from the PGA tour? He can be reached at jschelling@wisc.edu.
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