Golf in 2010 – Annual Awards
As the 2010 golf season comes to an end – at least in Chicago that is – I would like to reflect upon an exciting year in the world of golf. For lack of a better and more creative term, let’s call this the “KemperLesnik Golf Awards.”
Biggest PGA Tour Player Gaffe – Dustin Johnson
D.J.’s 2010 season will always be remembered for grounding his club on his approach from the rough on the last hole of the PGA Championship at Whistling Straits. Johnson wasn’t aware of his gaffe until entering the scorer’s tent after salvaging bogey on 18 to enter a playoff. What if he would have made his long par putt on 18 to win the tournament? We would have seen the celebration, only to see it taken away minutes later.
Let’s also not forget his catastrophic collapse at the U.S. Open where he saw his 3-shot lead going into Sunday diminish after just 5 holes. He ended up shooting an 82 – 5 shots behind Graeme McDowell.
2010 PGA Tour Player of the Year – Jim Furyk
The steady and awkwardly-swinging Jim Furyk takes home the top honors after winning his first FedEx Cup. His season included three wins (THE TOUR Championship, Verizon Heritage and Transitions Championship) and seven, top-10 finishes. Furyk rebounded after one of the oddest developments in tournament history as he overslept to miss his pro-am tee time at The Barclays to be disqualified from the tournament.
Best New Golf Course – Old Macdonald
After personally experiencing the course in October, I can personally vouch that Old Macdonald is one of the most interesting and different golf courses in the U.S. Built by Tom Doak and Jim Urbina, Old Mac includes design attributes from the grandfather of American golf course architecture, Charles Blair Macdonald. With wide fairways and sloped greens, Old Mac plays firm and fast. After the fifth hole of my first round at Old Mac, I couldn’t help but find one phrase that perfectly described the experience, “Old Mac is just fun.”
Biggest Surprise – Lee Westwood
Westwood has long been known as one of the best players on the European Tour. However, his lack of playing time on the PGA Tour and his inability to win a Major has left him off of the U.S. golf radar. That hasn’t stopped Westwood from overtaking Tiger Woods as the No. 1 ranked player in the world.
The gritty Westwood battled injury throughout the 2010 season to win the St. Jude Classic, his first PGA Tour victory since 1998. He also finished second in The Masters and Open Championship.
2011 Outlook
Most Anticipated Golf Course – Cabot Links
The highly anticipated Rod Whitman design has already been touted as “Bandon East.” There are obvious comparisons to the Oregon golf landmark including the coastal links design and both are owned by Mike Keiser. Cabot Links is located in Inverness, Nova Scotia and will depict the classic layouts of the historic U.K. courses.
Don’t Count Him Out – Tiger Woods
We all know of Tiger’s personal mishaps last November that carried throughout the 2010 season. With his life in disarray, you can only imagine how difficult it could be to focus on making a 10-foot putt to save par. But we all saw Tiger’s improvements to his game toward the end of the season. He even ended his season with a 65 at the Australian Masters, his lowest round of the year. He also played brilliantly during the Ryder Cup while compiling 3 out of 4 points for the American’s.
I look for Woods to start his season early in preparation for The Masters and I would never count him out of having a stellar 2011 season including more than one Major.
Ready For a Breakout Season – Ricky Barnes
Barnes has been on the verge of his first PGA Tour win since his T-2 finish at the 2009 U.S. Open at Bethpage Black. Barnes made 23 of 28 cuts in 2010, including a T-3 finish at The Memorial. Known as one of the most athletic players on Tour, Barnes will emerge as a winner in 2011.
