US Open victory sets defiant Woods apart

On a sunny day in Southern California in the middle of June, Tiger Woods completed one of the most remarkable victories in major championship golf.

Defying doctors' orders and jabbing knee pain, the world number one gritted his way through a 19-hole playoff with fellow American Rocco Mediate to win the US Open at Torrey Pines.

Although South African Trevor Immelman clinched his maiden major title at the US Masters in April and Ireland's Padraig Harrington won the season's last two grand slam events, Woods's performance was comfortably the most impressive of the year.

Two months after having arthroscopic surgery on his left knee and suffering from a double stress fracture of his left tibia, Woods held off a late fightback by Mediate to complete the most satisfying victory of his career.

"Winning the US Open for my 14th major title was an amazing accomplishment," said the 32-year-old, who had holed a 15-foot birdie putt at the 72nd hole to force a playoff with Mediate. "It was the biggest win of my pro career.

"Some people have mentioned the 1997 Masters but for me as a player the US Open was more difficult. I still don't know how I did it. Why did I do it? Am I that stubborn?

"When I walked, my knee throbbed but it wasn't a shooting pain," added Woods, who shut down his 2008 season after the US Open to have reconstructive surgery on the knee.

"I never thought about quitting. I was going to make it. I might have been slow but I wasn't going to stop playing. Would I do it again? Probably.

"I knew I could win, it was just a matter of dealing with the pain and executing. The day after the tournament, my knee was done. I couldn't stop limping."

EUROPEAN FIRST

Woods ended his PGA Tour campaign with four victories in six starts, leaving the door wide open for players such as Phil Mickelson, Ernie Els and Sergio Garcia to take advantage in the second half of the year.

As it happened, Harrington made the most of the opportunity, successfully defending his British Open title at Royal Birkdale in July before winning the US PGA Championship at Oakland Hills the following month.

The Dubliner was overjoyed to become the fourth player after Walter Hagen (1924), Nick Price (1994) and Woods (2000, 2006) to win the titles back-to-back, and the only European to win successive majors.

"I really do like the fact that no other European has won two majors consecutively because I hold a lot of European players who I grew up watching in high esteem," Harrington said. "To know I achieved something they hadn't is very special."

The absence of Woods for the second half of the season left tournament organisers and sponsors nervously wondering how crowd attendances and television ratings would fare.

Although television ratings in the US predictably dropped, the PGA Tour had no shortage of compelling storylines to bring down the curtain on the year.

Fijian veteran Vijay Singh triumphed three times in five weeks to clinch the lucrative FedExCup and Colombian Camilo Villegas, 26, signalled he is likely to be a force for many seasons to come by winning the last two playoff events.

American Anthony Kim, 23, also broke through into the top flight, triumphing twice on the PGA Tour and helping the US to win the Ryder Cup for the first time in nine years with a 16-1/2 points to 11-1/2 victory over Europe in Kentucky.

GREAT CHALLENGE

Although the timing of Woods's return next year is not certain, he is almost sure to be back for the season's first major, the April 9-12 Masters.

Whether or not he resumes his tight grip on the game remains to be seen but his mere presence at tournaments will delight his closest rivals and most golf fans.

"I certainly am excited for him to come back," American left-hander Mickelson said. "I miss him as a player. I miss him as a person. I miss trying to track him down because that always is a great challenge."

On the European Tour, Swede Robert Karlsson won twice en route to clinching the order of merit crown for the first time while India's Jeev Milkha Singh became the first player on the Asian Tour to win more than $1 million in a single season with victory at last month's Singapore Open.

Asian golfers dominated the women's majors in 2008, winning three of the four on offer.

After world number one Lorena Ochoa charged to victory by five shots at the Kraft Nabisco Championship in April, LPGA Tour rookie Tseng Yani of Taiwan beat Swede Maria Hjorth in a playoff for the LPGA Championship in June.

South Korean Park Inbee, aged 19, became the youngest player to win the US Women's Open with a four-shot triumph in July before compatriot Shin Ji-yai clinched the British Open the following month.

The most poignant moment in the women's game came in mid-December when former world number one Annika Sorenstam ended her illustrious career at the Dubai Ladies Masters.

The Swede, a winner of 10 major titles who is widely regarded as the best female player of all time, wants to start a family with her fiance Mike McGee and to pursue various business interests, including her golf academy in Florida.

By Mark Lamport-Stokes, Reuters