Golf: The year Tiger showed that he's only human after all

LONDON - Two totally unexpected developments occurred in golf last year.

First, undisputed world No 1 Tiger Woods displayed a frailty rarely seen over the previous two years.

Second, the 34th Ryder Cup between the European and the United States teams, set for The Belfry in England during September, was postponed.

Also unexpected, but to a lesser degree, were the failure of a European golfer to win a major for the second year in a row and the impressive breakthrough by South African Retief Goosen at the sport's highest level.

The relative slide of Woods was unarguably good for world golf. The gap between him and the rest appeared to close, generating greater competition among the players in the game's bigger tournaments and increased interest among the fans.

The Tiger had been virtually unbeatable when it mattered most over the previous 24 months, winning 11 times around the world in 1999 and confirming his standing as one of the all-time greats by clinching three of the year's four majors in 2000.

By the time Woods began last year, he was reigning champion in the British Open, the United States Open and the US PGA, but his aura dimmed a little as he went winless on the PGA Tour until mid-March.

He then reeled off three titles in a row, including the US Masters at Augusta, to become the first player to hold all four majors at one time.

"To win four in succession, it's hard to believe," he said.

"You have to have your game peak at the right time, have some luck, get some breaks.

"To have it happen four straight times, that's nice. Some of the golfing gods are looking down at me the right way."

Although Woods ended the year with five victories on the US Tour - two more than anyone else - he won only twice over the past seven months.

More significantly, he failed to contend in the last three majors as compatriot David Duval won the British Open, Goosen claimed the US Open crown and another American, the unfancied David Toms, triumphed in the PGA championship in Atlanta.

If players had genuinely feared the presence of Woods in a tournament field during 1999 and 2000, the psychological advantage enjoyed by the world No 1 slowly diminished as last year unfolded.

But Woods did have another significant role to play during the year when he led player opinion over whether the Ryder Cup should be staged, following the September 11 suicide plane attacks on the United States.

"I don't believe this is an appropriate time to play competitive golf. I feel strongly that this is a time to pause, reflect and remember the victims of [the] horrific attack," he said at the time.

The 34th Ryder Cup was duly put back by a year, the first time the biennial competition had not taken place as planned since the Second World War prevented play between the matches of 1937 and 1947.

As far as European golf was concerned, last year was not one to remember with much fondness.

The heavyweight trio of Colin Montgomerie, Lee Westwood and Darren Clarke - to varying degrees - were all unable to find their best form.

European players also failed to make a significant mark at the highest level of the game, and none managed to win any of the four majors, or any of three World Golf Championship events played during the year.

At different ends of the age spectrum, Spaniard Sergio Garcia and German Bernhard Langer proved to be Europe's most successful campaigners last year.

Garcia, 21, won twice in the United States and once in France on his way to a top-five world ranking. The 43-year-old Langer secured two European Tour victories and was also Europe's best performer in the year's four majors.

Goosen celebrated a golden year as he captured his first major at the US Open, sealed the European money-list title and won the World Cup of Golf in Japan in partnership with twice US Open champion Ernie Els.

Remarkably, Els and another former major winner in Fiji's Vijay Singh ended the year winless as far as individual titles were concerned, even though both were often in tournament contention.

- REUTERS

2001 – The year in review