Thanks for the memories, 2006. When I think about seasons past I invariably think of the majors. Other tournaments and memories come to mind when those tournaments come around on the schedule in any given season. Jerry Pate’s dive in the water always makes me think of the TPC when The Players Championship comes around. But it’s the majors of years past that have more memories for me.
I went to the U.S. Open in 1988, and will remember it for that reason and because Curtis Strange won in an 18-hole playoff against Nick Faldo. I remember some of Tom Watson’s wins in the British, and Greg Norman, too, but it was the latter’s epic collapse at Augusta in ’96 that sticks with me more (Faldo was the benefactor that time). Of course there was Jack’s charge at Augusta a decade earlier.
In more recent years, Jean Van de Velde’s pasty calves come to mind, but so does Retief Goosen’s putting and short game at nasty Shinnecock in ’04. And Tiger’s stirring win at Augusta a year later.
This year’s majors got off to a good start with a competitive Masters. Phil Mickelson had a small lead Sunday and held on the whole way, fighting off some stiff competition, Tiger among them. It appeared Bad Phil was off his shoulder and/or out of his head.
Bad Phil came back with a vengeance at the U.S. Open. It’s still painful to think about, just as it’s still painful to picture Norman at Augusta all these years later. Jim Furyk and Colin Montgomerie also pooched it, but not as spectacularly as Mickelson. On the 18th hole, needing par to win, bogey to force a playoff, he drove way left and hit a tent. Then, in an effort to try to save par, he tried to blast out of the trees. Of course he hit one and the ball traveled about 30 feet. Next he hit into a bunker. The ball plugged and he shot his next past the hole and into rough. Came back to eight feet from there and made that for double bogey.
The year’s two final majors were pretty easy for Tiger. He took a brilliant strategy to Hoylake and stuck with it, hitting long irons and playing his second shots to greens in some cases 100 yards back of players who took driver. He hit 86% of his fairways for the week---ridiculous.
He added another win, The Buick Open, after the British, and continued his streak with an easy win at Medinah, his third PGA Championship. I’ll probably remember the last round for Woods’s quick start and Luke Donald’s quick fall as much as Donald’s serious mistake in wearing red that final day. As if Tiger needed more motivation.
He’d go on to win his next three tournaments, making it six in a row on Tour, and ending his season by the end of September.
We saw some newcomers shine, particularly the long-hitting J.B. Holmes, who notched a win in his first year on Tour. Other rookies made splashes with exciting play early in the year, like Bubba Watson and Camilo Villegas.
Veteran Davis Love III won late in the season for the first time in years, Vijay Singh won once and would have won many more if he could have made more putts from 6-10 feet. South Africans Ernie Els and Retief Goosen weren’t much heard from, but another steady veteran, Jim Furyk, had a career year. No majors, but he won twice, had 13 top-10s in total, finished second on the money list behind Tiger, and after last week’s performance at the Tour Championship, won the Vardon Trophy for lowest scoring average on Tour.
Last week: My long shots didn’t pan out in the head-to-head. I still think it’s a good gamble for the Tour Championship. I don’t think it’s a good gamble for the next small field on the horizon---the season-opening Mercedes Championships in a couple months. You have two options in that one: Stuart Appleby and Tiger Woods. Anyway, I won the head-to-head last week---Singh over Chad Campbell. The odds were 8-13. With a unit down, that was a net gain of $615.40. Factor in the half unit lost in the outright, that left me up $15.40. I think that’s how much movies cost in New York City these days. The total damage for the season after breaking even last week: down 14.5 units. I made a late push but it was a sorry year, considerably worse than last year. The break out year I had in 2004 is still covering, but barely. I gotta make some hay in ’07. Stay tuned. I’m already thinking about Maui.
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