Timeline of golf (2000-present)
Encyclopedia
Men's Golf
Tiger WoodsTiger Woods
Eldrick Tont "Tiger" Woods is an American professional golfer whose achievements to date rank him among the most successful golfers of all time. Formerly the World No...
recorded arguably the most dominant season in history by any player. He won 11 of the 25 events he entered worldwide, including three major championships, breaking all-time scoring records at each. His season-long scoring average was 68.11, breaking an all-time record most thought would never be beaten, set by Byron Nelson in 1945 (68.33). It was calculated that his lead in the (24-month) world rankings at the end of 2000 was so great that he could take 2001 off altogether, and still be world number one at the end of that year.
- Major championshipMen's major golf championshipsThe men's major golf championships, commonly known as the Major Championships, and often referred to simply as the majors, are the four most prestigious annual tournaments in professional golf...
results: - April - The Masters Tournament - Vijay SinghVijay SinghVijay Singh, CF , nicknamed "The Big Fijian", is a Fijian professional golfer who was Number 1 in the Official World Golf Rankings for 32 weeks in 2004 and 2005. He has won three major championships and was the leading PGA Tour money winner in 2003, 2004 and 2008...
won his second major title in six events, playing steady golf to hold off the challenges of Ernie ElsErnie ElsTheodore Ernest "Ernie" Els is a South African professional golfer, who has been one of the top professional players in the world since the mid-1990s. A former World No. 1, he is known as "The Big Easy" due to his imposing physical stature along with his fluid, seemingly effortless golf swing...
and David DuvalDavid DuvalDavid Robert Duval is an American professional golfer and former World No. 1 who competes on the PGA Tour.-Early years:...
.
- June - U.S. OpenU.S. Open (golf)The United States Open Championship, commonly known as the U.S. Open, is the annual open golf tournament of the United States. It is the second of the four major championships in golf, and is on the official schedule of both the PGA Tour and the European Tour...
- Tiger WoodsTiger WoodsEldrick Tont "Tiger" Woods is an American professional golfer whose achievements to date rank him among the most successful golfers of all time. Formerly the World No...
broke almost every record associated with the U.S. Open. His score of 12 under par was the best in relation to par ever recorded at the US Open, and his victory margin of 15 strokes was the largest ever in any major. His score of 272 also equalled the 72-hole stroke record for the event.
- July - The Open ChampionshipThe Open ChampionshipThe Open Championship, or simply The Open , is the oldest of the four major championships in professional golf. It is the only "major" held outside the USA and is administered by The R&A, which is the governing body of golf outside the USA and Mexico...
- Tiger WoodsTiger WoodsEldrick Tont "Tiger" Woods is an American professional golfer whose achievements to date rank him among the most successful golfers of all time. Formerly the World No...
scored 19 under par, the best in relation to par ever recorded at The Open, and at any men's major championship. His victory means he becomes only the sixth player ever to win the U.S. and British Opens in the same year, following Bobby JonesBobby Jones (golfer)Robert Tyre "Bobby" Jones Jr. was an American amateur golfer, and a lawyer by profession. Jones was the most successful amateur golfer ever to compete on a national and international level...
, Gene SarazenGene SarazenGene Sarazen was an American professional golfer, one of the world's top players in the 1920s and 1930s. He is one of five golfers to win all the current major championships in his career, the Career Grand Slam:U.S...
, Ben HoganBen HoganWilliam Ben Hogan was an American golfer, generally considered one of the greatest players in the history of the game...
, Lee TrevinoLee TrevinoLee Buck Trevino is an American professional golfer. He is an icon for Mexican Americans, and is often referred to as "The Merry Mex" and "Supermex". He won six major championships over the course of his career.-Early life:...
and Tom WatsonTom Watson (golfer)Thomas Sturges Watson is an American professional golfer who has played on the PGA Tour and now mostly on the Champions Tour....
. Ernie ElsErnie ElsTheodore Ernest "Ernie" Els is a South African professional golfer, who has been one of the top professional players in the world since the mid-1990s. A former World No. 1, he is known as "The Big Easy" due to his imposing physical stature along with his fluid, seemingly effortless golf swing...
finishes a distant second - his third runner-up finish in a major of the season, although Els has taken 23 more shots than Woods at the two Opens.
- August - PGA ChampionshipPGA ChampionshipThe PGA Championship is an annual golf tournament conducted by the PGA of America as part of the PGA Tour. It is one of the four major championships in men's professional golf, and is the golf season's final major, usually played in mid-August, customarily four weeks after The Open Championship...
- Tiger WoodsTiger WoodsEldrick Tont "Tiger" Woods is an American professional golfer whose achievements to date rank him among the most successful golfers of all time. Formerly the World No...
won in a three-hole playoff against Bob MayBob May (golfer)Robert Anthony May is an American professional golfer.May was born in Lynwood, California. He attended Oklahoma State University and was a member of the 1991 U.S. Walker Cup team before turning professional later that year....
. Both finished regulation at 18 under par, the best score in relation to par ever recorded at the PGA Championship.
- PGA TourPGA TourThe PGA Tour is the organizer of the main men's professional golf tours in the United States and North America...
leading money winner for the year: Tiger WoodsTiger WoodsEldrick Tont "Tiger" Woods is an American professional golfer whose achievements to date rank him among the most successful golfers of all time. Formerly the World No...
- $9,188,321 - Senior PGA TourChampions TourThe Champions Tour, a golf tour run by the PGA Tour, hosts a series of events annually in the United States and the United Kingdom for golfers 50 years of age and older. Many of the PGA Tour's most successful golfers have gone on to play on the Champions Tour.The Senior PGA Championship, founded in...
leading money winner: Larry NelsonLarry NelsonLarry Gene Nelson is an American professional golfer who has won numerous tournaments at both the PGA Tour and Champions Tour level.Nelson was born in Fort Payne, Alabama and grew up in Acworth, Georgia, northwest of Atlanta...
- $2,708,005
Women's Golf
- U.S. Women's Open: Karrie WebbKarrie WebbKarrie Ann Webb AM is Australia's most successful female professional golfer, and one of the top players in the history of global women's golf. She currently plays mainly on the U.S.-based LPGA Tour and also turns out once or twice a year on the ALPG Tour in her home country. She is a member of...
- LPGA ChampionshipLPGA ChampionshipThe LPGA Championship, currently known for sponsorship reasons as the Wegmans LPGA Championship, is the second-longest running tournament in the history of the Ladies Professional Golf Association surpassed only by the U.S. Women's Open. It is one of four majors on the LPGA tour...
: Juli InksterJuli InksterJuli Inkster is an American professional golfer who plays on the LPGA Tour. With a professional career spanning 27 years to date, Inkster's 31 wins rank her second in wins among all active players on the LPGA Tour; she has over $11 million in career earnings... - Karrie WebbKarrie WebbKarrie Ann Webb AM is Australia's most successful female professional golfer, and one of the top players in the history of global women's golf. She currently plays mainly on the U.S.-based LPGA Tour and also turns out once or twice a year on the ALPG Tour in her home country. She is a member of...
: leading money winner on the LPGALPGAThe LPGA, in full the Ladies Professional Golf Association, is an American organization for female professional golfers. The organization, whose headquarters is in Daytona Beach, Florida, is best known for running the LPGA Tour, a series of weekly golf tournaments for elite female golfers from...
tour, earning $1,876,853.
Men's Golf
Tiger WoodsTiger Woods
Eldrick Tont "Tiger" Woods is an American professional golfer whose achievements to date rank him among the most successful golfers of all time. Formerly the World No...
completes what becomes known as the "Tiger Slam", holding off David Duval
David Duval
David Robert Duval is an American professional golfer and former World No. 1 who competes on the PGA Tour.-Early years:...
and Phil Mickelson
Phil Mickelson
Philip Alfred Mickelson is an American professional golfer. He has won four major championships and a total of 39 events on the PGA Tour. He has reached a career high world ranking of 2nd in multiple years. He is nicknamed "Lefty" for his left-handed swing, even though he is otherwise right-handed...
to win the Masters Championship in April to become the first golfer in history to hold, concurrently, all four professional major championships. For good measure, Woods had won the game's fifth most important event, the Tournament Players' Championship as well, in March.
By the end of the year, however, Woods would have relinquished three of his titles, on each occasion to players winning their first major title. At the U.S. Open
U.S. Open (golf)
The United States Open Championship, commonly known as the U.S. Open, is the annual open golf tournament of the United States. It is the second of the four major championships in golf, and is on the official schedule of both the PGA Tour and the European Tour...
, South African Retief Goosen
Retief Goosen
Retief Goosen is a South African professional golfer who has been in the top ten in the Official World Golf Rankings for over 250 weeks between 2001 and 2007. His main achievements have been two U.S...
finally emerged triumphant from a playoff with Mark Brooks
Mark Brooks (golfer)
Mark David Brooks is an American professional golfer.Brooks was born in Fort Worth, Texas. He attended the University of Texas at Austin, where he was a three-time All-American as a member of the golf team. He turned professional in 1983.Brooks has seven wins on the PGA Tour, including one major,...
, after three-putting from 12 feet on the 72nd hole the previous day knowing that he had two putts for victory. Playing partner Stewart Cink
Stewart Cink
Stewart Ernest Cink is an American professional golfer who won the 2009 Open Championship. He has spent over 40 weeks in the top 10 of the Official World Golf Rankings from 2004 to 2009.-Early years and education:...
also missed an 18-inch putt of his own at the last hole that, as events turned out, would have allowed him to join the playoff.
The Open Championship
The Open Championship
The Open Championship, or simply The Open , is the oldest of the four major championships in professional golf. It is the only "major" held outside the USA and is administered by The R&A, which is the governing body of golf outside the USA and Mexico...
is won by David Duval
David Duval
David Robert Duval is an American professional golfer and former World No. 1 who competes on the PGA Tour.-Early years:...
, whose third round of 65 turns the final day into something of a victory progression. Unknown Swedish player Niclas Fasth
Niclas Fasth
Niclas Fasth is a Swedish professional golfer.Fasth was born in Gothenburg. He turned professional in 1993 and won three events on the second tier European Challenge Tour that year. Since 1994 he has been a member of the European Tour for every season except for 1999. He qualified for the U.S...
finishes second, playing his way into Europe's Ryder Cup side ahead of Ian Woosnam
Ian Woosnam
Ian Harold Woosnam OBE is a Welsh professional golfer.Nicknamed 'Woosie', 'Woosers', or the 'Wee Welshman', Woosnam was one of the "Big Five" generation of European golfers, all born within 12 months of one another, all of whom have won majors, and made Europe competitive in the Ryder Cup...
, who incurs a two-shot penalty after his caddie realises he is carrying 15 clubs. Then in August, the PGA Championship
PGA Championship
The PGA Championship is an annual golf tournament conducted by the PGA of America as part of the PGA Tour. It is one of the four major championships in men's professional golf, and is the golf season's final major, usually played in mid-August, customarily four weeks after The Open Championship...
goes to David Toms
David Toms
David Wayne Toms is an American professional golfer who plays on the PGA Tour. He has won a total of thirteen events on the PGA Tour including the 2001 PGA Championship...
as Phil Mickelson
Phil Mickelson
Philip Alfred Mickelson is an American professional golfer. He has won four major championships and a total of 39 events on the PGA Tour. He has reached a career high world ranking of 2nd in multiple years. He is nicknamed "Lefty" for his left-handed swing, even though he is otherwise right-handed...
again finished runner-up in a major championship. Toms' 72-hole total of 265 is the best ever recorded in a major championship (though not the best in relation to par, even at the PGA Championship).
Following the terrible events of 9/11, the Ryder Cup
Ryder Cup
The Ryder Cup is a biennial golf competition between teams from Europe and the United States. The competition is jointly administered by the PGA of America and the PGA European Tour, and is contested every two years, the venue alternating between courses in the United States and Europe...
is postponed for twelve months, and it is agreed that the event would continue to be played in even years from that point forward. The terrorist attacks force several leading American players to revise plans to compete in the World Matchplay Championship in England in October. 43-year-old former champion Ian Woosnam
Ian Woosnam
Ian Harold Woosnam OBE is a Welsh professional golfer.Nicknamed 'Woosie', 'Woosers', or the 'Wee Welshman', Woosnam was one of the "Big Five" generation of European golfers, all born within 12 months of one another, all of whom have won majors, and made Europe competitive in the Ryder Cup...
, who had suffered such an unusual fate at the Open, is brought in as a replacement, and beats Goosen, Colin Montgomerie
Colin Montgomerie
Colin Stuart Montgomerie, OBE is a Scottish professional golfer, often referred to by one of his nicknames 'Monty'. He has had one of the finest careers in European Tour history, having won a record eight Order of Merit titles, including a streak of seven consecutively from 1993 to 1999, and 31...
and Pádraig Harrington
Padraig Harrington
Pádraig P. Harrington is an Irish professional golfer who plays on The European Tour and The PGA Tour. He has won three major championships: The Open Championship in 2007 and 2008 and the PGA Championship, also in 2008.-Background:...
to win the event for a third time.
- PGA TourPGA TourThe PGA Tour is the organizer of the main men's professional golf tours in the United States and North America...
leading money winner for the year: Tiger WoodsTiger WoodsEldrick Tont "Tiger" Woods is an American professional golfer whose achievements to date rank him among the most successful golfers of all time. Formerly the World No...
- $5,687,777 - Senior PGA TourChampions TourThe Champions Tour, a golf tour run by the PGA Tour, hosts a series of events annually in the United States and the United Kingdom for golfers 50 years of age and older. Many of the PGA Tour's most successful golfers have gone on to play on the Champions Tour.The Senior PGA Championship, founded in...
leading money winner: Allen DoyleAllen DoyleAllen Michael Doyle is an American golfer who currently plays on the Champions Tour.Doyle was born in Woonsocket, Rhode Island and raised in the Boston suburb of Norwood, Massachusetts. He attended Catholic Memorial High School in West Roxbury, Massachusetts, and Norwich University in Vermont...
- $2,553,582 - Ryder CupRyder CupThe Ryder Cup is a biennial golf competition between teams from Europe and the United States. The competition is jointly administered by the PGA of America and the PGA European Tour, and is contested every two years, the venue alternating between courses in the United States and Europe...
postponed until 2002
Women's Golf
- Kraft Nabisco ChampionshipKraft Nabisco ChampionshipThe Kraft Nabisco Championship is one of the four major championships on the LPGA Tour. It was founded in 1972 by Dinah Shore and has been classified as a major since 1983...
- Annika SörenstamAnnika SörenstamAnnika Sörenstam is a Swedish-American professional golfer whose achievements rank her as one of the most successful golfers in history. Before stepping away from competitive golf at the end of the 2008 season, she won 90 international tournaments as a professional, making her the female golfer... - U.S. Women's Open - Karrie WebbKarrie WebbKarrie Ann Webb AM is Australia's most successful female professional golfer, and one of the top players in the history of global women's golf. She currently plays mainly on the U.S.-based LPGA Tour and also turns out once or twice a year on the ALPG Tour in her home country. She is a member of...
- LPGA ChampionshipLPGA ChampionshipThe LPGA Championship, currently known for sponsorship reasons as the Wegmans LPGA Championship, is the second-longest running tournament in the history of the Ladies Professional Golf Association surpassed only by the U.S. Women's Open. It is one of four majors on the LPGA tour...
- Karrie WebbKarrie WebbKarrie Ann Webb AM is Australia's most successful female professional golfer, and one of the top players in the history of global women's golf. She currently plays mainly on the U.S.-based LPGA Tour and also turns out once or twice a year on the ALPG Tour in her home country. She is a member of... - Women's British OpenWomen's British OpenThe Women's British Open is a leading event in women's professional golf and the only tournament which is classified as a major championship by both the Ladies European Tour and the LPGA Tour. Since 2007, it has been called the Ricoh Women's British Open, for sponsorship reasons...
- Se Ri PakSe Ri PakPak Se Ri is a South Korean professional golfer, playing on the LPGA Tour. She was inducted into the World Golf Hall of Fame in November 2007.-Career overview:... - Annika SörenstamAnnika SörenstamAnnika Sörenstam is a Swedish-American professional golfer whose achievements rank her as one of the most successful golfers in history. Before stepping away from competitive golf at the end of the 2008 season, she won 90 international tournaments as a professional, making her the female golfer...
: leading money winner on the LPGALPGAThe LPGA, in full the Ladies Professional Golf Association, is an American organization for female professional golfers. The organization, whose headquarters is in Daytona Beach, Florida, is best known for running the LPGA Tour, a series of weekly golf tournaments for elite female golfers from...
tour, earning $2,105,868
Men's Golf
Tiger WoodsTiger Woods
Eldrick Tont "Tiger" Woods is an American professional golfer whose achievements to date rank him among the most successful golfers of all time. Formerly the World No...
enjoys another supremely dominant season. He wins both The Masters and the U.S. Open
U.S. Open (golf)
The United States Open Championship, commonly known as the U.S. Open, is the annual open golf tournament of the United States. It is the second of the four major championships in golf, and is on the official schedule of both the PGA Tour and the European Tour...
by three shots (from Retief Goosen and Phil Mickelson, respectively), becoming only the fifth player in history to win both in the same season. His opportunity for a single-season Grand Slam, however, is literally blown away on Saturday at The Open Championship
The Open Championship
The Open Championship, or simply The Open , is the oldest of the four major championships in professional golf. It is the only "major" held outside the USA and is administered by The R&A, which is the governing body of golf outside the USA and Mexico...
, as the worst of the Muirfield weather closes in and Woods hits 81. Colin Montgomerie
Colin Montgomerie
Colin Stuart Montgomerie, OBE is a Scottish professional golfer, often referred to by one of his nicknames 'Monty'. He has had one of the finest careers in European Tour history, having won a record eight Order of Merit titles, including a streak of seven consecutively from 1993 to 1999, and 31...
, who had shot 64 the previous day, shoots 84 in similar conditions. Ernie Els
Ernie Els
Theodore Ernest "Ernie" Els is a South African professional golfer, who has been one of the top professional players in the world since the mid-1990s. A former World No. 1, he is known as "The Big Easy" due to his imposing physical stature along with his fluid, seemingly effortless golf swing...
plays brilliantly given the conditions to record a 72, and wins after a 4-man playoff, the first in major championship history, involving Steve Elkington
Steve Elkington
Stephen John Elkington is an Australian professional golfer who plays on the PGA Tour. He spent over 50 weeks in the top-10 of the Official World Golf Rankings from 1995 to 1998.-Early years and education:...
, Stuart Appleby
Stuart Appleby
Stuart Appleby is an Australian professional golfer.-Early life:Appleby was born in Cohuna in rural northern Victoria, and grew up on a nearby dairy farm. He began in golf by hitting balls from paddock to paddock after his farm chores were completed...
and Frenchman Thomas Levet
Thomas Levet
Thomas Levet is a French professional golfer who is a member of the European Tour and former member of the PGA Tour.Levet was born in Paris, France...
.
Woods then surprisingly misses out at the PGA Championship
PGA Championship
The PGA Championship is an annual golf tournament conducted by the PGA of America as part of the PGA Tour. It is one of the four major championships in men's professional golf, and is the golf season's final major, usually played in mid-August, customarily four weeks after The Open Championship...
, when unheralded Rich Beem
Rich Beem
Richard Michael Beem is an American professional golfer who plays on the PGA Tour.Beem was born in Phoenix, Arizona, grew up in El Paso, Texas, and played golf at New Mexico State University in Las Cruces, New Mexico....
does enough to hold on to a one-shot lead over Tiger over the closing holes, after Justin Leonard
Justin Leonard
Justin Charles Garrett Leonard is an American professional golfer.Leonard was born and raised in Dallas, Texas. He attended Lake Highlands High School and graduated in 1990. He attended the University of Texas at Austin and was the individual NCAA champion in 1994. He was a two-time All-American...
loses his third-round lead.
- Tiger WoodsTiger WoodsEldrick Tont "Tiger" Woods is an American professional golfer whose achievements to date rank him among the most successful golfers of all time. Formerly the World No...
is the PGA TourPGA TourThe PGA Tour is the organizer of the main men's professional golf tours in the United States and North America...
's leading money winner for the year with earnings of $6,912,625 in 18 events. - Hale IrwinHale IrwinHale S. Irwin is an American professional golfer. He is one of the few players in history to have won three U.S. Opens and was one of the world's leading golfers for much of the 1970s and 1980s. He has also developed a career as a golf course architect.Irwin was born in Joplin, Missouri, but was...
is the leading money winner on the Senior PGA TourChampions TourThe Champions Tour, a golf tour run by the PGA Tour, hosts a series of events annually in the United States and the United Kingdom for golfers 50 years of age and older. Many of the PGA Tour's most successful golfers have gone on to play on the Champions Tour.The Senior PGA Championship, founded in...
with earnings of $3,028,304 in 27 events. - At The BelfryThe BelfryThe Belfry is a golf resort in Wishaw, Warwickshire, England, very near the Sutton Coldfield district of Birmingham, and owned since 2005 by Irish businessman Sean Quinn....
golf course near Sutton ColdfieldSutton ColdfieldSutton Coldfield is a suburb of Birmingham, in the West Midlands of England. Sutton is located about from central Birmingham but has borders with Erdington and Kingstanding. Sutton is in the northeast of Birmingham, with a population of 105,000 recorded in the 2001 census...
, EnglandEnglandEngland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
, the EuropeEuropeEurope is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
an team defeats the United StatesUnited StatesThe United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
team 15.5-12.5 to win the Ryder CupRyder CupThe Ryder Cup is a biennial golf competition between teams from Europe and the United States. The competition is jointly administered by the PGA of America and the PGA European Tour, and is contested every two years, the venue alternating between courses in the United States and Europe...
.
Women's Golf
- Kraft Nabisco ChampionshipKraft Nabisco ChampionshipThe Kraft Nabisco Championship is one of the four major championships on the LPGA Tour. It was founded in 1972 by Dinah Shore and has been classified as a major since 1983...
- Annika SörenstamAnnika SörenstamAnnika Sörenstam is a Swedish-American professional golfer whose achievements rank her as one of the most successful golfers in history. Before stepping away from competitive golf at the end of the 2008 season, she won 90 international tournaments as a professional, making her the female golfer... - U.S. Women's Open - Juli InksterJuli InksterJuli Inkster is an American professional golfer who plays on the LPGA Tour. With a professional career spanning 27 years to date, Inkster's 31 wins rank her second in wins among all active players on the LPGA Tour; she has over $11 million in career earnings...
- LPGA ChampionshipLPGA ChampionshipThe LPGA Championship, currently known for sponsorship reasons as the Wegmans LPGA Championship, is the second-longest running tournament in the history of the Ladies Professional Golf Association surpassed only by the U.S. Women's Open. It is one of four majors on the LPGA tour...
- Se Ri PakSe Ri PakPak Se Ri is a South Korean professional golfer, playing on the LPGA Tour. She was inducted into the World Golf Hall of Fame in November 2007.-Career overview:... - Women's British OpenWomen's British OpenThe Women's British Open is a leading event in women's professional golf and the only tournament which is classified as a major championship by both the Ladies European Tour and the LPGA Tour. Since 2007, it has been called the Ricoh Women's British Open, for sponsorship reasons...
- Karrie WebbKarrie WebbKarrie Ann Webb AM is Australia's most successful female professional golfer, and one of the top players in the history of global women's golf. She currently plays mainly on the U.S.-based LPGA Tour and also turns out once or twice a year on the ALPG Tour in her home country. She is a member of... - Annika SörenstamAnnika SörenstamAnnika Sörenstam is a Swedish-American professional golfer whose achievements rank her as one of the most successful golfers in history. Before stepping away from competitive golf at the end of the 2008 season, she won 90 international tournaments as a professional, making her the female golfer...
: leading money winner on the LPGALPGAThe LPGA, in full the Ladies Professional Golf Association, is an American organization for female professional golfers. The organization, whose headquarters is in Daytona Beach, Florida, is best known for running the LPGA Tour, a series of weekly golf tournaments for elite female golfers from...
tour, earning $2,863,904
Men's Golf
- Major ChampionshipMen's major golf championshipsThe men's major golf championships, commonly known as the Major Championships, and often referred to simply as the majors, are the four most prestigious annual tournaments in professional golf...
results:- April 10–13 - The Masters - Mike WeirMike WeirMichael Richard Weir, CM, O.Ont is a Canadian professional golfer on the PGA Tour. He spent over 110 weeks in the top-10 of the Official World Golf Rankings between 2001 and 2005. He is best known for winning the Masters in 2003....
becomes the first CanadianCanadaCanada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
to win a major, and the first left-handed golfer to win The Masters. He defeats Len MattiaceLen MattiaceLeonard Earl "Len" Mattiace is an American professional golfer on the PGA Tour.Mattiace was born in Mineola, New York. He attended Nease High School in Ponte Vedra Beach, Florida. He graduated from Wake Forest University in 1990 with a degree in Sociology. While at Wake Forest, he played on the...
on the first playoff hole. - June 12–15 - U.S. OpenU.S. Open (golf)The United States Open Championship, commonly known as the U.S. Open, is the annual open golf tournament of the United States. It is the second of the four major championships in golf, and is on the official schedule of both the PGA Tour and the European Tour...
- Jim FurykJim FurykJames Michael Furyk is an American professional golfer, 2010 FedEx Cup champion, and 2010 PGA Tour Player of the Year. He has won one major championship, the 2003 U.S. Open. Furyk is known for consistently playing at the top level and for a visibly unconventional, looping golf swing...
wins his first major by 3 shots at Olympia Fields, in what he makes a comfortable victory2003 U.S. Open Golf ChampionshipThe 2003 United States Open Championship was the 103rd U.S. Open, held between June 12 and June 15. It took place at the prestigious Olympia Fields Country Club located at Olympia Fields in Illinois in the United States. The tournament was won by Jim Furyk, for whom it was his first major...
. Furyk equals the U.S. Open record of 272, although this represents eight under par (not twelve under, as it was when Tiger Woods posted the same score in 2000). - July 17–20- The Open ChampionshipThe Open ChampionshipThe Open Championship, or simply The Open , is the oldest of the four major championships in professional golf. It is the only "major" held outside the USA and is administered by The R&A, which is the governing body of golf outside the USA and Mexico...
- Ben CurtisBen Curtis (golfer)Ben Clifford Curtis is an American professional golfer best known for winning the 2003 Open Championship.-Early career:Curtis was born in Columbus, Ohio and grew up in Ostrander, Ohio. His family runs the , also in Ostrander...
, an unknown 26-year-old who had only qualified for the event by virtue of a top-ten finish at the previous month's Western Open, shocks the world, finishing a single shot ahead of Thomas BjørnThomas BjørnThomas Bjørn is a professional golfer from Denmark who plays on the European Tour. He is the most successful Danish golfer to have played the game having won thirteen tournaments worldwide on the European Tour. In 1999 he also became the first Dane to qualify for a European Ryder Cup team...
and Vijay SinghVijay SinghVijay Singh, CF , nicknamed "The Big Fijian", is a Fijian professional golfer who was Number 1 in the Official World Golf Rankings for 32 weeks in 2004 and 2005. He has won three major championships and was the leading PGA Tour money winner in 2003, 2004 and 2008...
at Royal St George'sRoyal St George's Golf ClubThe Royal St George's Golf Club is one of the premier golf clubs in the United Kingdom, and one of the courses on The Open Championship rotation. It has hosted 13 Open championships since 1894, when it became the first club outside Scotland to host the championship...
. His victory comes after Bjorn twice failed to escape from a bunker next to the 16th green in the final round. Curtis's win is his first ever as a professional. - August 14–17 - PGA ChampionshipPGA ChampionshipThe PGA Championship is an annual golf tournament conducted by the PGA of America as part of the PGA Tour. It is one of the four major championships in men's professional golf, and is the golf season's final major, usually played in mid-August, customarily four weeks after The Open Championship...
- Shaun MicheelShaun MicheelShaun Carl Micheel is an American golfer who is best known for his surprise victory in 2003 in one of golf's major championships, the PGA Championship....
, another virtual unknown although a tour player for several seasons, emulates Curtis by making his first professional victory a major championship. He wins by 2 shots from Chad CampbellChad CampbellDavid Chad Campbell is an American professional golfer.-Early years and amateur career:Campbell was born in Andrews, Texas and grew up in west Texas. He was a member of a strong junior college men's golf squad during the years he played at Midland College...
at the tough Oak Hill Country ClubOak Hill Country ClubOak Hill Country Club, located in the Town of Pittsford, New York, a suburb of Rochester, has a rich history of golf. It started out in 1901 as only 9 holes on 85 acres on the banks of the Genesee River in Rochester. The clubhouse was no more than a converted farm house...
. These results meant that for the first time since 1969, all four majors were won by golfers who had never before won a major title.
- April 10–13 - The Masters - Mike Weir
- Other highlights
- March 2 - Tiger WoodsTiger WoodsEldrick Tont "Tiger" Woods is an American professional golfer whose achievements to date rank him among the most successful golfers of all time. Formerly the World No...
wins the Accenture Match Play Championships, defeating David TomsDavid TomsDavid Wayne Toms is an American professional golfer who plays on the PGA Tour. He has won a total of thirteen events on the PGA Tour including the 2001 PGA Championship...
2 and 1. - April 20 - Davis Love IIIDavis Love IIIDavis Milton Love III is an American professional golfer.Love was born in Charlotte, North Carolina. He attended the University of North Carolina before turning professional in 1985. He earned his PGA Tour card in the fall of 1985, on his first attempt. He quickly established himself on the PGA...
chips in on the 72nd hole to force a playoff, which he wins, giving him his fifth victory at the MCI HeritageVerizon HeritageThe RBC Heritage, known for much of its history as the Heritage Classic, is a PGA Tour FedEx Cup event, first played in 1969. The venue has been the Harbour Town Golf Links at the Sea Pines Resort on Hilton Head Island, South Carolina...
at Harbour TownHarbour Town Golf LinksThe Harbour Town Golf Links is a golf course that hosts The Heritage golf tournament on the PGA Tour, usually held in April. The course is located in the Sea Pines Plantation of Hilton Head Island, in Beaufort County of South Carolina. Golf Magazine has rated the course #1 in the state of South...
. - May 22 - At the Bank of America Colonial golf tournament, LPGALPGAThe LPGA, in full the Ladies Professional Golf Association, is an American organization for female professional golfers. The organization, whose headquarters is in Daytona Beach, Florida, is best known for running the LPGA Tour, a series of weekly golf tournaments for elite female golfers from...
champion Annika SörenstamAnnika SörenstamAnnika Sörenstam is a Swedish-American professional golfer whose achievements rank her as one of the most successful golfers in history. Before stepping away from competitive golf at the end of the 2008 season, she won 90 international tournaments as a professional, making her the female golfer...
became the first woman in 58 years to compete in a men's professional golf tournament. - June 1 - Kenny PerryKenny PerryJames Kenneth Perry is an American professional golfer who currently plays on both the PGA Tour and the Champions Tour, for which he became eligible following his 50th birthday.-Early years:...
wins for the second straight week, this time at The Memorial, held at Muirfield Village Golf Club. - July 6 - Tiger WoodsTiger WoodsEldrick Tont "Tiger" Woods is an American professional golfer whose achievements to date rank him among the most successful golfers of all time. Formerly the World No...
wins the 100th Western Open at Cog Hill.
- March 2 - Tiger Woods
- Vijay SinghVijay SinghVijay Singh, CF , nicknamed "The Big Fijian", is a Fijian professional golfer who was Number 1 in the Official World Golf Rankings for 32 weeks in 2004 and 2005. He has won three major championships and was the leading PGA Tour money winner in 2003, 2004 and 2008...
is the PGA TourPGA TourThe PGA Tour is the organizer of the main men's professional golf tours in the United States and North America...
's leading money winner for the year, with earnings of $7,349,907 in 27 events.
- The Senior PGA Tour renames itself the Champions TourChampions TourThe Champions Tour, a golf tour run by the PGA Tour, hosts a series of events annually in the United States and the United Kingdom for golfers 50 years of age and older. Many of the PGA Tour's most successful golfers have gone on to play on the Champions Tour.The Senior PGA Championship, founded in...
. Tom WatsonTom Watson (golfer)Thomas Sturges Watson is an American professional golfer who has played on the PGA Tour and now mostly on the Champions Tour....
is the tour's leading money winner, with earnings of $1,853,108 in 14 events.
- Presidents CupPresidents CupThe Presidents Cup is a series of men's golf matches between a team representing the United States and an International Team representing the rest of the world less Europe. Europe competes against the U.S. in a similar but considerably older event, the Ryder Cup. The Presidents Cup is held biennially...
- For the first time ever, the Cup is shared between the United StatesUnited StatesThe United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
and InternationalInternational----International mostly means something that involves more than one country. The term international as a word means involvement of, interaction between or encompassing more than one nation, or generally beyond national boundaries...
teams. The result comes after a playoff - between each team's leading player Tiger Woods and Ernie Els - has to be abandoned due to bad light.
Women's Golf
- Major resultsWomen's major golf championshipsWomen's golf has a set of major championships which parallels that in men's golf, but the women's system is younger and has been less stable than the men's. Many professional stroke play events for women are played over three rounds , but the majors are played over four rounds , which is the...
- Kraft Nabisco ChampionshipKraft Nabisco ChampionshipThe Kraft Nabisco Championship is one of the four major championships on the LPGA Tour. It was founded in 1972 by Dinah Shore and has been classified as a major since 1983...
- Patricia Meunier-LeboucPatricia Meunier-LeboucPatricia Meunier-Lebouc is a French professional golfer who played on the Ladies European Tour and the LPGA Tour. Her birth name was Meunier and she is married to Antoine Lebouc, a French professional golfer who played on the European Tour in the 1990s.-Amateur career:Meunier was born in Dijon,... - U.S. Women's Open - Hilary LunkeHilary LunkeHilary Lunke is an American professional golfer.Homeyer was born in Edina, Minnesota. She attended Stanford University and became a member of the LPGA Tour in 2002. On July 7, 2003, Lunke defeated Kelly Robbins and Angela Stanford in an 18-hole playoff to win the U.S. Women's Open for her first,...
wins an 18-hole playoff over Angela StanfordAngela StanfordAngela Stanford is an American professional golfer who currently competes on the LPGA Tour.-Amateur career:Stanford was born in Fort Worth, Texas. As a junior golfer, she won the Fort Worth Girls Championship four times , the 1996 Texas State 4A High School Championship and the 1996 PING Texas...
and Kelly Robbins. - LPGA ChampionshipLPGA ChampionshipThe LPGA Championship, currently known for sponsorship reasons as the Wegmans LPGA Championship, is the second-longest running tournament in the history of the Ladies Professional Golf Association surpassed only by the U.S. Women's Open. It is one of four majors on the LPGA tour...
- Annika SörenstamAnnika SörenstamAnnika Sörenstam is a Swedish-American professional golfer whose achievements rank her as one of the most successful golfers in history. Before stepping away from competitive golf at the end of the 2008 season, she won 90 international tournaments as a professional, making her the female golfer... - Women's British OpenWomen's British OpenThe Women's British Open is a leading event in women's professional golf and the only tournament which is classified as a major championship by both the Ladies European Tour and the LPGA Tour. Since 2007, it has been called the Ricoh Women's British Open, for sponsorship reasons...
- Annika SörenstamAnnika SörenstamAnnika Sörenstam is a Swedish-American professional golfer whose achievements rank her as one of the most successful golfers in history. Before stepping away from competitive golf at the end of the 2008 season, she won 90 international tournaments as a professional, making her the female golfer...
- Kraft Nabisco Championship
- Annika SörenstamAnnika SörenstamAnnika Sörenstam is a Swedish-American professional golfer whose achievements rank her as one of the most successful golfers in history. Before stepping away from competitive golf at the end of the 2008 season, she won 90 international tournaments as a professional, making her the female golfer...
was the leading money winner on the LPGALPGAThe LPGA, in full the Ladies Professional Golf Association, is an American organization for female professional golfers. The organization, whose headquarters is in Daytona Beach, Florida, is best known for running the LPGA Tour, a series of weekly golf tournaments for elite female golfers from...
tour, with earnings of $2,029,506.
- Michelle WieMichelle WieMichelle Sung Wie is an American professional golfer who plays on the LPGA Tour. At age 10, she became the youngest player to qualify for a USGA amateur championship. Wie would also become the youngest winner of the U.S. Women's Amateur Public Links and the youngest to qualify for a LPGA Tour event...
, then 13 years old, becomes the youngest person ever to win a USGAUnited States Golf AssociationThe United States Golf Association is the United States' national association of golf courses, clubs and facilities and the governing body of golf for the U.S. and Mexico. Together with The R&A, the USGA produces and interprets the Rules of Golf. The USGA also provides a national handicap system...
event for adults by winning the U.S. Women's Amateur Public Links.
2004
- January 15–16 - At the age of 14, golf prodigy Michelle WieMichelle WieMichelle Sung Wie is an American professional golfer who plays on the LPGA Tour. At age 10, she became the youngest player to qualify for a USGA amateur championship. Wie would also become the youngest winner of the U.S. Women's Amateur Public Links and the youngest to qualify for a LPGA Tour event...
becomes the youngest woman (and only the fourth overall) to play at a PGA TourPGA TourThe PGA Tour is the organizer of the main men's professional golf tours in the United States and North America...
event, shooting 72-68 (even par) at the Sony Open at Waialae Country Club in her hometown of Honolulu. She missed the cut by one stroke. - February 29 - Annika SörenstamAnnika SörenstamAnnika Sörenstam is a Swedish-American professional golfer whose achievements rank her as one of the most successful golfers in history. Before stepping away from competitive golf at the end of the 2008 season, she won 90 international tournaments as a professional, making her the female golfer...
wins her third ANZAir New ZealandAir New Zealand Limited is the national airline and flag carrier of New Zealand. Based in Auckland, New Zealand, the airline operates scheduled passenger flights to 26 domestic destinations and 24 international destinations in 15 countries across Asia, Europe, North America and Oceania, and is...
Ladies MastersANZ Ladies MastersThe ANZ Ladies Masters is a golf tournament that is played in Australia. It is one of the leading tournaments on the ALPG Tour and has been co-sanctioned by the Ladies European Tour since 2001. Between 1997 and 2000 it was an event on the LPGA Tour....
. - March 28 - Grace ParkGrace Park (golfer)Grace Park is a South Korean professional golfer on the LPGA Tour.-Amateur career:Park was born in Seoul, South Korea. She moved to Hawaii at the age of 12, and then to Arizona. She received the 1996 Dial Award as top female high-school scholar-athlete in the United States...
wins the first major of the LPGALPGAThe LPGA, in full the Ladies Professional Golf Association, is an American organization for female professional golfers. The organization, whose headquarters is in Daytona Beach, Florida, is best known for running the LPGA Tour, a series of weekly golf tournaments for elite female golfers from...
season, the Kraft Nabisco ChampionshipKraft Nabisco ChampionshipThe Kraft Nabisco Championship is one of the four major championships on the LPGA Tour. It was founded in 1972 by Dinah Shore and has been classified as a major since 1983...
, by one shot over 17-year-old Aree SongAree SongAree Song is a Korean professional golfer who plays on the LPGA Tour. Her father is South Korean and her mother is Thai. She was born in Bangkok, Thailand...
. Michelle WieMichelle WieMichelle Sung Wie is an American professional golfer who plays on the LPGA Tour. At age 10, she became the youngest player to qualify for a USGA amateur championship. Wie would also become the youngest winner of the U.S. Women's Amateur Public Links and the youngest to qualify for a LPGA Tour event...
finished fourth, four shots behind Park. - April 11 - Phil MickelsonPhil MickelsonPhilip Alfred Mickelson is an American professional golfer. He has won four major championships and a total of 39 events on the PGA Tour. He has reached a career high world ranking of 2nd in multiple years. He is nicknamed "Lefty" for his left-handed swing, even though he is otherwise right-handed...
wins The MastersThe Masters TournamentThe Masters Tournament, also known as The Masters , is one of the four major championships in professional golf. Scheduled for the first full week of April, it is the first of the majors to be played each year...
, the first majorMen's major golf championshipsThe men's major golf championships, commonly known as the Major Championships, and often referred to simply as the majors, are the four most prestigious annual tournaments in professional golf...
of his career. Mickelson birdies the final hole to defeat Ernie ElsErnie ElsTheodore Ernest "Ernie" Els is a South African professional golfer, who has been one of the top professional players in the world since the mid-1990s. A former World No. 1, he is known as "The Big Easy" due to his imposing physical stature along with his fluid, seemingly effortless golf swing...
by a single shot. - June 13 - Annika SörenstamAnnika SörenstamAnnika Sörenstam is a Swedish-American professional golfer whose achievements rank her as one of the most successful golfers in history. Before stepping away from competitive golf at the end of the 2008 season, she won 90 international tournaments as a professional, making her the female golfer...
successfully defends her title in the second major of the LPGALPGAThe LPGA, in full the Ladies Professional Golf Association, is an American organization for female professional golfers. The organization, whose headquarters is in Daytona Beach, Florida, is best known for running the LPGA Tour, a series of weekly golf tournaments for elite female golfers from...
season, the LPGA ChampionshipLPGA ChampionshipThe LPGA Championship, currently known for sponsorship reasons as the Wegmans LPGA Championship, is the second-longest running tournament in the history of the Ladies Professional Golf Association surpassed only by the U.S. Women's Open. It is one of four majors on the LPGA tour...
. - June 20 - Retief GoosenRetief GoosenRetief Goosen is a South African professional golfer who has been in the top ten in the Official World Golf Rankings for over 250 weeks between 2001 and 2007. His main achievements have been two U.S...
captures a second U.S.Open victory, after Phil MickelsonPhil MickelsonPhilip Alfred Mickelson is an American professional golfer. He has won four major championships and a total of 39 events on the PGA Tour. He has reached a career high world ranking of 2nd in multiple years. He is nicknamed "Lefty" for his left-handed swing, even though he is otherwise right-handed...
falters over the closing holes at Shinnecock Hills chasing a second successive major. - July 18 - Todd HamiltonTodd HamiltonWilliam Todd Hamilton is an American professional golfer.Hamilton was born in the small west-central Illinois city of Galesburg. He grew up in an even smaller Henderson County town on the Mississippi called Oquawka. He attended Union High School in Biggsville, Illinois and played golf regularly on...
wins The OpenThe Open ChampionshipThe Open Championship, or simply The Open , is the oldest of the four major championships in professional golf. It is the only "major" held outside the USA and is administered by The R&A, which is the governing body of golf outside the USA and Mexico...
at Royal TroonRoyal Troon Golf ClubRoyal Troon Golf Club is a links golf course located in Troon, South Ayrshire, Scotland. The club was founded in 1878, initially with five holes. Its Old Course is now one of the host courses for The Open Championship, one of the major championships on the PGA Tour and European Tour...
, surprising many by beating Ernie ElsErnie ElsTheodore Ernest "Ernie" Els is a South African professional golfer, who has been one of the top professional players in the world since the mid-1990s. A former World No. 1, he is known as "The Big Easy" due to his imposing physical stature along with his fluid, seemingly effortless golf swing...
in a playoff for the title, from a final-day leaderboard that also included recent major champions Mickelson, Goosen, Woods, and Mike Weir. - August 15 - Vijay SinghVijay SinghVijay Singh, CF , nicknamed "The Big Fijian", is a Fijian professional golfer who was Number 1 in the Official World Golf Rankings for 32 weeks in 2004 and 2005. He has won three major championships and was the leading PGA Tour money winner in 2003, 2004 and 2008...
wins the PGA ChampionshipPGA ChampionshipThe PGA Championship is an annual golf tournament conducted by the PGA of America as part of the PGA Tour. It is one of the four major championships in men's professional golf, and is the golf season's final major, usually played in mid-August, customarily four weeks after The Open Championship...
at Whistling StraitsWhistling StraitsWhistling Straits is one of two golfing destinations associated with The American Club, a luxury resort located in nearby Kohler, Wisconsin, and owned by a subsidiary of the Kohler Company. The other course is Blackwolf Run. The Whistling Straits complex is located in the unincorporated Sheboygan...
in a three-hole playoff with Chris DiMarcoChris DiMarcoChristian Dean DiMarco is an American professional golfer who plays on the PGA Tour. DiMarco has won seven tournaments as a pro, including three PGA Tour events.-Early years:...
and Justin LeonardJustin LeonardJustin Charles Garrett Leonard is an American professional golfer.Leonard was born and raised in Dallas, Texas. He attended Lake Highlands High School and graduated in 1990. He attended the University of Texas at Austin and was the individual NCAA champion in 1994. He was a two-time All-American...
. Phil MickelsonPhil MickelsonPhilip Alfred Mickelson is an American professional golfer. He has won four major championships and a total of 39 events on the PGA Tour. He has reached a career high world ranking of 2nd in multiple years. He is nicknamed "Lefty" for his left-handed swing, even though he is otherwise right-handed...
finishes among the top ten for the fourth time in a major in 2004. - September 6 - Vijay SinghVijay SinghVijay Singh, CF , nicknamed "The Big Fijian", is a Fijian professional golfer who was Number 1 in the Official World Golf Rankings for 32 weeks in 2004 and 2005. He has won three major championships and was the leading PGA Tour money winner in 2003, 2004 and 2008...
replaces Tiger WoodsTiger WoodsEldrick Tont "Tiger" Woods is an American professional golfer whose achievements to date rank him among the most successful golfers of all time. Formerly the World No...
at the top of the world rankings, ending Woods' reign of five years and four weeks. Singh, at the age of 41, enjoys his most successful season, winning nine times on the U.S.Tour. - September 17–19 - Team Europe defeats Team USA 18½–9½ to retain the Ryder CupRyder CupThe Ryder Cup is a biennial golf competition between teams from Europe and the United States. The competition is jointly administered by the PGA of America and the PGA European Tour, and is contested every two years, the venue alternating between courses in the United States and Europe...
. See 2004 Ryder Cup2004 Ryder CupThe 35th Ryder Cup Matches were held September 17–19 at the Oakland Hills Country Club in Bloomfield Township, Michigan.The European team won the competition by a margin of 18½ to 9½ points, the winning putt being made by Colin Montgomerie, who maintained his record of never losing in any of his...
for more details.
2005
For fuller coverage see 2005 in golf2005 in golf
-Men's professional golf:Major championships*7-10 April: Masters Tournament - Tiger Woods defeated fellow American Chris DiMarco at the first playoff hole to claim his 4th Masters title, and his 9th major. He temporarily returned to No. 1 in the Official World Golf Rankings.*16-19 June: U.S...
.
Major championships
Men's major golf championships
The men's major golf championships, commonly known as the Major Championships, and often referred to simply as the majors, are the four most prestigious annual tournaments in professional golf...
- 7–10 April: The Masters - Tiger WoodsTiger WoodsEldrick Tont "Tiger" Woods is an American professional golfer whose achievements to date rank him among the most successful golfers of all time. Formerly the World No...
defeated fellow American Chris DiMarcoChris DiMarcoChristian Dean DiMarco is an American professional golfer who plays on the PGA Tour. DiMarco has won seven tournaments as a pro, including three PGA Tour events.-Early years:...
at the first playoff hole to claim his 4th Masters title, and his 9th major. DiMarco becomes only the second player (after Tom WatsonTom Watson (golfer)Thomas Sturges Watson is an American professional golfer who has played on the PGA Tour and now mostly on the Champions Tour....
) to lose playoffs in consecutive major championships. - 16–19 June: U.S. OpenU.S. Open (golf)The United States Open Championship, commonly known as the U.S. Open, is the annual open golf tournament of the United States. It is the second of the four major championships in golf, and is on the official schedule of both the PGA Tour and the European Tour...
- Michael CampbellMichael CampbellMichael Shane Campbell, CNZM is a New Zealand golfer who is best known for having won the 2005 U.S. Open and the richest prize in golf, the £1,000,000 HSBC World Match Play Championship, in the same year. He is a member of the European Tour.Ethnically, he is predominantly Māori, from the Ngati...
came from behind in the fourth round to win his first major with an even par score. He was the first New Zealander to win a major since Bob CharlesBob Charles (golfer)Sir Robert James Charles, ONZ, KNZM, CBE is a New Zealand professional golfer whose achievements over five decades rank him among the most successful left-handed golfers of all time, being the first lefty to win a golf major, winning more than 70 titles, and beating his age twice during a...
won the British Open in 1963, and only the third golfer of mainly non-European descent to win a major title (Campbell is a Māori). - 14–17 July: The Open ChampionshipThe Open ChampionshipThe Open Championship, or simply The Open , is the oldest of the four major championships in professional golf. It is the only "major" held outside the USA and is administered by The R&A, which is the governing body of golf outside the USA and Mexico...
- Tiger WoodsTiger WoodsEldrick Tont "Tiger" Woods is an American professional golfer whose achievements to date rank him among the most successful golfers of all time. Formerly the World No...
leads wire-to-wire at the historic Old Course at St AndrewsOld Course at St AndrewsThe Old Course at St Andrews is the oldest golf course in the world. The Old Course is a public course over common land in St Andrews, Fife, Scotland and is held in trust by The St Andrews Links Trust under an act of Parliament...
and wins his second Open Championship, and 10th major, by 5 strokes. Woods becomes only the second golfer, after Jack NicklausJack NicklausJack William Nicklaus , nicknamed "The Golden Bear", is an American professional golfer. He won 18 career major championships on the PGA Tour over a span of 25 years and is widely regarded as one of the greatest professional golfers of all time. In addition to his 18 Majors, he was runner-up a...
, to win each major more than once. - 11–15 August: PGA ChampionshipPGA ChampionshipThe PGA Championship is an annual golf tournament conducted by the PGA of America as part of the PGA Tour. It is one of the four major championships in men's professional golf, and is the golf season's final major, usually played in mid-August, customarily four weeks after The Open Championship...
- Phil MickelsonPhil MickelsonPhilip Alfred Mickelson is an American professional golfer. He has won four major championships and a total of 39 events on the PGA Tour. He has reached a career high world ranking of 2nd in multiple years. He is nicknamed "Lefty" for his left-handed swing, even though he is otherwise right-handed...
wins his second major championship, scoring a birdie on the final hole to win the tournament by one stroke (-4, 276) over Thomas BjørnThomas BjørnThomas Bjørn is a professional golfer from Denmark who plays on the European Tour. He is the most successful Danish golfer to have played the game having won thirteen tournaments worldwide on the European Tour. In 1999 he also became the first Dane to qualify for a European Ryder Cup team...
and Steve ElkingtonSteve ElkingtonStephen John Elkington is an Australian professional golfer who plays on the PGA Tour. He spent over 50 weeks in the top-10 of the Official World Golf Rankings from 1995 to 1998.-Early years and education:...
on the lower course of the Baltusrol Golf ClubBaltusrol Golf ClubThe Baltusrol Golf Club is a private 36-hole golf club located in Springfield Township, Union County, New Jersey. Among the many prestigious tournaments it has hosted, Baltusrol was most recently the site of the 2005 PGA Championship. The course architect is A. W...
in New JerseyNew JerseyNew Jersey is a state in the Northeastern and Middle Atlantic regions of the United States. , its population was 8,791,894. It is bordered on the north and east by the state of New York, on the southeast and south by the Atlantic Ocean, on the west by Pennsylvania and on the southwest by Delaware...
. The tournament concluded Monday after a rain delay on Sunday.
Women's majors
Women's major golf championships
Women's golf has a set of major championships which parallels that in men's golf, but the women's system is younger and has been less stable than the men's. Many professional stroke play events for women are played over three rounds , but the majors are played over four rounds , which is the...
- March: Kraft Nabisco ChampionshipKraft Nabisco ChampionshipThe Kraft Nabisco Championship is one of the four major championships on the LPGA Tour. It was founded in 1972 by Dinah Shore and has been classified as a major since 1983...
- Annika SörenstamAnnika SörenstamAnnika Sörenstam is a Swedish-American professional golfer whose achievements rank her as one of the most successful golfers in history. Before stepping away from competitive golf at the end of the 2008 season, she won 90 international tournaments as a professional, making her the female golfer...
won her eighth major. - June: LPGA ChampionshipLPGA ChampionshipThe LPGA Championship, currently known for sponsorship reasons as the Wegmans LPGA Championship, is the second-longest running tournament in the history of the Ladies Professional Golf Association surpassed only by the U.S. Women's Open. It is one of four majors on the LPGA tour...
- Annika SörenstamAnnika SörenstamAnnika Sörenstam is a Swedish-American professional golfer whose achievements rank her as one of the most successful golfers in history. Before stepping away from competitive golf at the end of the 2008 season, she won 90 international tournaments as a professional, making her the female golfer...
cruised to a three shot win to claim her second major of the year and ninth of her career. Fifteen-year-old Michelle WieMichelle WieMichelle Sung Wie is an American professional golfer who plays on the LPGA Tour. At age 10, she became the youngest player to qualify for a USGA amateur championship. Wie would also become the youngest winner of the U.S. Women's Amateur Public Links and the youngest to qualify for a LPGA Tour event...
was runner-up. - June: U.S. Women's Open - Birdie KimBirdie KimBirdie Kim is a South Korean golfer. Her career highlight is winning the 2005 U.S. Women's Open at Cherry Hills Country Club. In the last round, she was tied for the lead on the 18th hole. Her second shot found a green-side bunker...
holes a 30-yard sand shot on the 72nd hole to set the stage for a two-shot win over teenage amateurs Morgan PresselMorgan PresselMorgan Pressel is an American professional golfer, currently playing on the LPGA Tour. She turned pro at age 17 and is the youngest-ever winner of a modern LPGA major championship. Pressel has reached as high as fourth in the world rankings....
and Brittany LangBrittany LangBrittany Lang is an American professional golfer currently playing on the LPGA Tour.-Amateur career:Born in Richmond, Virginia and raised in McKinney, Texas, Lang had a decorated amateur career. She won eight American Junior Golf Association events and was a two-time First-Team Polo Golf Junior...
. This was the first LPGA win for the previously little-known KoreanSouth KoreaThe Republic of Korea , , is a sovereign state in East Asia, located on the southern portion of the Korean Peninsula. It is neighbored by the People's Republic of China to the west, Japan to the east, North Korea to the north, and the East China Sea and Republic of China to the south...
. - July: Women's British OpenWomen's British OpenThe Women's British Open is a leading event in women's professional golf and the only tournament which is classified as a major championship by both the Ladies European Tour and the LPGA Tour. Since 2007, it has been called the Ricoh Women's British Open, for sponsorship reasons...
- Another little-known Korean, Jeong JangJeong JangJeong Jang is a South Korean professional golfer who plays on the U.S.-based LPGA Tour. She is also a member of the LPGA of Korea Tour.Jang was born in Daejeon, South Korea. She started playing golf at the age of thirteen. As a teenager she won the 1997 Korea Women's Open and the 1998 Korea...
, wins her first LPGA tournament.
Money list/order of merit winners
- PGA TourPGA TourThe PGA Tour is the organizer of the main men's professional golf tours in the United States and North America...
- Tiger WoodsTiger WoodsEldrick Tont "Tiger" Woods is an American professional golfer whose achievements to date rank him among the most successful golfers of all time. Formerly the World No...
: $10,628,024 final money list - European Tour - Colin MontgomerieColin MontgomerieColin Stuart Montgomerie, OBE is a Scottish professional golfer, often referred to by one of his nicknames 'Monty'. He has had one of the finest careers in European Tour history, having won a record eight Order of Merit titles, including a streak of seven consecutively from 1993 to 1999, and 31...
: €2,794,222.84 final order of merit - LPGA Tour - Annika SörenstamAnnika SörenstamAnnika Sörenstam is a Swedish-American professional golfer whose achievements rank her as one of the most successful golfers in history. Before stepping away from competitive golf at the end of the 2008 season, she won 90 international tournaments as a professional, making her the female golfer...
: $2,588,240.final money list - Champions TourChampions TourThe Champions Tour, a golf tour run by the PGA Tour, hosts a series of events annually in the United States and the United Kingdom for golfers 50 years of age and older. Many of the PGA Tour's most successful golfers have gone on to play on the Champions Tour.The Senior PGA Championship, founded in...
- Dana QuigleyDana QuigleyDana C. Quigley is an American professional golfer.Quigley was born in Lynnfield, Massachusetts. He graduated from the University of Rhode Island in 1969 and turned professional in 1971....
: $2,170,258 final money list
2006
For brief details see 2006 in sports#Golf and for fuller details see 2006 in golf2006 in golf
-Men's professional golf:Major championships*6–9 April: The Masters - Winner: Phil Mickelson The Augusta National course was lengthened to 7,445 yards for the tournament, generating some advance controversy. For the first time since 1954 neither Jack Nicklaus nor Arnold Palmer played...
.
2007
For brief details see 2007 in sports#Golf and for fuller details see 2007 in golf2007 in golf
-Men's professional golf:Major championships*5-8 April: The Masters - American Zach Johnson won his first major tournament, in a high scoring week at Augusta.*14-17 June: U.S. Open - Ángel Cabrera became Argentina's first U.S...
.
2008
For brief details see 2008 in sports#Golf and for fuller details see 2008 in golf2008 in golf
-Men's professional golf:Major championships*10–13 April: The Masters - South African Trevor Immelman won his first major by a three-stroke margin....
.
2009
For brief details see 2009 in sports#Golf and for fuller details see 2009 in golf2009 in golf
-Men's professional golf:Major championships*9–12 April: The Masters - Argentina's Ángel Cabrera won his second major in a sudden death playoff over Kenny Perry and Chad Campbell .*18–22 June: U.S...
.