Can Anyone Challenge Tiger Woods as Player of the Year?

Posted Aug 21, 2009 1:35PM By Shane Bacon (RSS feed)

Filed Under: PGA

Earlier this week, fellow FanHouser Ryan Wilson put together a great piece ranking what major championship was best. He picked the British Open, the correct call, and wrote the following line -- "I have no idea what the bylaws stipulate in terms of who qualifies for the PGA Tour Player of the Year, but if 59-year-old Tom Watson had won the British Open they should have given him the award on the spot." So, it got me thinking ... is there any player out there that has a chance at taking POTY honors away from Mr. Woods? Watson would have been a good story, but I still don't think he snags it. Here are your candidates, including Tiger, and their '09 resumes.

Tiger Woods

Wins -- 5
Major Championships -- 0
FedEx Cup Standing -- 1

Hightlights -- Coming back from a knee injury that sidelined Tiger for most of his '08 season, Woods waited exactly three tournaments before he got his first win, and added four more after that, including three in four tournaments. His wins all came at top tier PGA Tour events. Tiger leads the tour in scoring average, money and all-around ranking. His game has been interesting at times, but his talent sets him apart, allowing him to win some events without his best stuff.

Lowlights -- He missed the cut at the British Open, failed to hold on to a 54-hole lead at the PGA Championship and will best be remembered for this face. Also, went majorless for the first time since 2004, which to the golf world, would be the equivalent of the stock market crashing on the same day a tidal wave hit Venice Beach.

Y.E. Yang

Wins -- 2
Major Championships -- 1, PGA Championship
FedEx Cup Standings -- 7

Highlights -- I'd say being the only major championship winner to record another victory merits some back-patting, but the highlight of Yang's year is starring down the best in the world, staying with him on a Sunday at a major, and one-upping him on the 18th hole with a 3-iron hybrid shot that lead to a birdie, a fist pump and a bag bench-press.

Lowlights -- Missed the cut at both the Masters and the Players, and didn't qualify for the U.S. Open.

Steve Stricker

Wins -- 2
Major Championships -- 0
FedEx Cup Standings -- 2

Highlights -- The 42-year-old Stricker his best season since 1996, with two wins, eight top-10s and a career best t-6 at the Masters. His year has been steady, and he is a threat to take out Tiger in the FedEx playoffs.

Lowlights -- Picked by some (read: me) to be a favorite at Hazeltine, Stricker missed the cut in the final major of the season, failing to make the cut in all four majors for the first time in his career.

Kenny Perry

Wins -- 2
Major Championships -- 0
FedEx Cup Standings -- 4

Highlights -- He won the FBR Open for his ailing father, who Perry admitted was holding strong to watch his son play good golf. He followed that up with a win at the Travelers Championship, and was a lucky bounce off a tree by his competitor away from winning the Masters.

Lowlights -- Oh, that Masters. Perry had the lead with two holes to play, needing just a bogey and a par finish to claim the green jacket. His chipping, which has always been his Achilles, gave way, and he closed regulation with consecutive bogeys, a playoff spot that would lead to a second place finish.

So, yeah, Tiger Woods is going to be your Player of the Year. It will be the tenth time he has won the award, and for a year made up mostly of his struggles in majors, just another trophy on that ever growing glass case in Florida.

Reader Comments (Page 1 of 2)

8-21-2009 @ 2:13PM

nickcherryl said...

If you take a look at a lot of Tigers wins they look a little like a few horse races that I've been too????

8-21-2009 @ 3:08PM

wawamajic said...

HAS ANYONE EVER PLAYED GOLF LIKE TIGER WOODS?
THE ANSWER IS NO. TIGER IS GOLF AS IF HE IS NOT IN THE FIELD I DO NOT WATCH GOLF. WHO CAN HIT A BALL OVER THE TREES AROUND THE CORNER OVER THE WATER AND STOP ONE FOOT FROM THE HOLE. NO ONE ELSE
CAN DO WHAT TIGER DOES IN GOLF AND FOR GOLF.
NO ONE ELSE CAN PLAY LIKE TIGER THANKS FOR HIS DAD
WHO MADE HIM THE BEST EVER.EVERY TIME TIGER PLAYS
HIS DAD EARL IS LOOKING DOWN ON HIM.
SO GIVE HIM THE PLAYER OF THE YEAR AWARD.
TIGER IS A HUSBAND AND FATHER NOW AND I KNOW HE
GETS SO MUCH LOVE AND JOY BEING WITH HIS FAMILY.
LOVE YOU TIGER
AND REMEMBER WHEN EVER YOU ARE PLAYING I AM WATCHING YOU, AND NO ONE ELSE.
THANK YOU SO MUCH TIGER.
HARRIET BRODY
wawamajic@aol.com
SAVANNAH,-GEORGIA

8-21-2009 @ 5:38PM

bozallan said...

Shane, you are convicted of your own highlites for Tiger. No Doubt, Tiger is hands down player of the year and will probably win trhe FEDEX to boot. Put that in your pipe and smoke that with whatever else you toke.

8-21-2009 @ 8:23PM

pianomanop109 said...

Harriet Brody, I doubt if Tiger will answer your transparent booty call. Lots of other golfers can hit it around trees, over water, and end up right by the stick. Let's just mention Y. E. Yang. Try to get over your schoolgirl crush.

8-22-2009 @ 12:29PM

hilldale3 said...

So, let's get this right. You are saying that Y. E. has skills equal to Tiger's because of a couple of shots in 1 tournament? Y. E. played great that day and deserved to win, even though I am a Tiger fan. Great play and great shots deserve recognition. But let's not include him as a great shotmaker like Tiger until he wins 4-5 PGA events in a year and does it consistently like Tiger.

8-22-2009 @ 12:05PM

Not when the media and sponsors have the game rigged, just like horse racing which I'm very expert on, easy to shave points.

8-22-2009 @ 1:23PM

Brett said...

There is no question Tiger is the best player in the world and deserves player of the year. But as an avid golfer with an 8 handicap I would like to say he sets a bad example for kids (who watch his every shot)with his tyrades every time he hits an off shot. I know he is an extreme competitor but the slamming of the clubs BS makes me lose a little respect for him. And I was thrilled to finally see someone beat him on Sunday in the final group. JMO

8-22-2009 @ 1:34PM

So Brett, what about Ted Williams. He Could swear and tantrum with the best sailors in the world. Yet he was a great team mate, rallied people to the Jimmy fund for disadvantaged kids, was a pilot in world war 2 and the Korean war, yet he seems to be like Tiger when he competed, i.e. got pissed off when he made a mistake and rude to writers who wrote garbage about him. Brett I bet when you say darn it or beans you have the same profane intent, i.e. you are not innocent so don't throw a stone in your glass house.

8-22-2009 @ 2:45PM

bogeyray860 said...

Tiger is good, but does not have any competion like the Nicholas, Palmers, Player and many more!! Who does Tiger have to compete against him tournament after tournament???

8-23-2009 @ 2:33PM

GolferBuzz said...

"Brett", don't be disheartened by the comments of bozallion,hilside3 and the others that want to get a hotel room with Tiger. You're spot on and these idiots are a lot of the reason this country is going down the drain right now. So, since a guy is great at his sport...it's alright for him to act like an ass in front of millions...along with that jerk that is looping for him? Hmmm...I was going to quit responding to these men child...but, they are just too priceless to not comment on.

elpgolfer said...

so you dont like his tantrums or his swearing. yet you claim all the kids watch his every shot. and he is a bad example well then dont watch him or support him. its your opinion and your choice. just because someone chooses to follow him doesnt make them a bad person and the country is not going down the drain because it. its going down because some people cant see past the end of their white noses. what happened to all men are created equal? this country is made up of a lot of different kinds of people and nothing will ever change that. am damn glad it is.

8-23-2009 @ 4:33PM

krumpgirl said...

GolferBuzz....you and alot of these posters have suffered dearly over the past decade. You have described yourself as an "ABT" (Anything But Tiger). You claim to love the game of golf so you must be in constant pain to see Tiger dominate and win so much! I suggest you find another sport or your hate for Tiger will kill you as he continues to win over the next 20 years and break every record in the history of golf. Your comments are both embarrassing and shameful for a 61 yr. old man, you come off more as a juvenille, adolescent having a temper tantrum.

8-23-2009 @ 7:54PM

See what I mean Brett. They come out from under every rock and always resort to racism as the motive. Clueless and spiteful. It dulls the intelligence of anyone reading from these clowns and clownetts. You sure that isn't "frumpgirl"!

8-23-2009 @ 8:16PM

Ouch "frumpgirl"! You really told me off! :o)

8-24-2009 @ 12:29PM

jjd said...

tiger, tiger, tiger. the players on the tour dislike him, he is rude to his own fans, and if his dad was still around he wouldn't throw those tantrums. he is the best in the world, perhaps ever, can't take that away. but ............if its not all about him he plays poorly. [see ryder cup record]. he cherry picks his courses, doesn't play in events where the course doesn't suit his game, he is immature and childish. notice that the usa won the ryder cup last year without him on the team, thank god, because if he was on the team his usual dismal performance in team events would have lost it for us. and yes, like ted williams not a very nice guy to be around. the only people who like him are those that play very little golf, if any.

8-23-2009 @ 9:22PM

Golferbuzz.....what are you smoking? Who said anything about race? Put down the booze, you sound like an incoherent, babbling fool. "frumpgirl"....wow!..how long did it take you to come up with that one?... you really out did yourself! It seems that YOU are the one who should get a"hotel room" with "Brett" as much as you talk about him. Instead of accusing someone of "coming out from under every rock", perhaps you should come out of the closet. What is frightening is that you are 61 yrs. old with a 16 yr. old son, I'm sure that he would be disgusted in his father if he knew that you were carrying on like some petulant, petty, immature child.

8-24-2009 @ 10:38AM

jwcisler said...

"frumpgirl" if anyone has shown a propensity for needing an anger management session...it is you. I'm really curious to know your knowledge of golf. What's your handicap...other than your IQ? Probably just another selfcentered brat from the X generation. And to keep bringing up family is totally uncalled for. Yet, I have shown my son your posts and he just laughs and says how pathetic you must be.

8-24-2009 @ 10:46AM

By the way "frumpgirl"...I'm not posting anymore today, because I actually have to work and do something productive today...while you probably have to go flip burgers somewhere. So, you can post another one of your tripe filled posts, without a resonse. Have at it. No one with any itelligence puts any creedence in your posts anyway.

8-24-2009 @ 2:23PM

jwcisler......calm down old man!....must have hit a nerve! Although I do not "flip burgers" I do have the decency to respect those that do, it's honorable work if that is what they choose to do. So I would suggest to you that that their work is very productive. To answer your first question, I'm more than comfortable with my "knowledge" of golf, enough to know that you must be a Tiger Hater as well, it seems that Tiger's dominance provokes such a visceral reaction that it makes fools like yourself react in such a petty, childish way. I mean come on two middle-aged men twisting my screenname and referring to me as "frumpgirl"....what is that? Your behavior is in line with something of a third grade level. You're lucky that these posts allow you to remain anonymous, I'm sure that your peers would find this very laughable. What's funny is I don't have one inkling of any "anger" as you would suggest, you are the one who seems to be frothing at the mouth. I guess you've never hit a bad shot, used profanity or banged down your club on the golf course.....ever? The camera catches every reaction Tiger makes on the golf course so his reactions are magnified 100 times. Give the guy a break, don't be so petty and judgmental, it must be hard though if that is the only criticism that you can come up with on somebody that you despise. So just relax old man and pull your boxers out of your "butthole"....show your son this post, I hope he gets another laugh.

8-25-2009 @ 9:24AM

"frumpgirl" Ouch again! :o)You must think you're the next Edna Thurber of this decade. NOT! I know by not responding anymore to your childishness, you'll naturally feel one up. But, everyone in this room just scratches their heads, trying to understand the ramblings you try to post. That high school diploma or GED sure did you wonders.

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