 | It was an emotional year for Tiger Woods and his caddie Steve Williams, as evidenced by their hugs after the PGA Championship (above) and British Open. Jeff Gross/Getty Images |
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Golf, like art, is in the eye of the beholder. Behold, the power of cheese. Sorry, I mean behold the 18 best tournaments of the 2006 season -- based on variety of factors that includes exciting finish, importance, drama and marquee power. Or, in other words, however I feel like ranking them. Concur or disagree as you will.
1. United States Open, Winged Foot
This one had it all. Tiger Woods returns after a long layoff following his father's death, looks like an 8-handicapper and misses the cut, laying a gigantic egg. Meanwhile, with a third straight major victory in his grasp, and the media and public poised to crown the Phil Mickelson Era, Mickelson fumbles. He makes 6 on the final hole after a dubious (or, as most say, terrible) decision to play through the trees toward the green on his second shot. After blowing the Open, Mickelson utters the quote of the year: "I am such an idiot."
He wasn't alone. Colin Montgomerie, the Cinderella act of all time, boots his chance to shed his never-won-a-major monkey by missing the final green from the fairway with a 7-iron and then making a double bogey to lose. Luckily, Mickelson's colossal gaffe largely overshadows Monty's horrible finish. Jim Furyk is also in the midst of things but misses a couple of key putts, allowing Geoff Ogilvy to win with a series of clutch up-and-downs on the finishing holes, including a heroic chip-in to save par at the 17th.
2. British Open, Royal Liverpool
Tiger Woods, Chapter Three turns the golf season on its ear. Woods leaves his driver in the bag at bouncy Hoylake and puts on the long-iron display of the century to outlast Chris DiMarco. It's Tiger at his best and also his most human as he breaks into a torrent of tears in his caddie's arms after he wins.
3. Kraft Nabisco Championship, Mission Hills
A hot season for the LPGA gets going with its first major -- a dazzling four-way shootout. Karrie Webb, making a surprising comeback, holes out from the fairway for eagle on the final hole. Tour glamour girls Michelle Wie and Natalie Gulbis have a chance to tie Webb, but Gulbis misses her birdie putt and Wie badly bungles an easy up-and-down from just off the green for birdie. Webb beats Lorena Ochoa, who goes on to be the tour's player of the year, with a birdie putt on first playoff hole. Bonus thrill factors: Hall of Famers Julie Inkster finishes fifth and Annika Sorenstam sixth.
4. The Masters, Augusta National
It's man-of-the-people Mickelson versus sentimental favorite Fred Couples, who makes a run at a second green jacket at age 46 (coincidentally, the same magical age at which Jack Nicklaus won his last Masters, in 1986). They're friendly and paired together in the final round -- a slam dunk for TV. Maybe that's why interloper Rocco Mediate, who is tied for the lead until his approach shot caroms off the flagstick at No. 9, has only part of his self-destruction aired by CBS when he crashes at Amen Corner. Mediate dunks three balls in Rae's Creek at the par-3 12th and makes a 10, but CBS dumps him after showing the first two.
5. PGA Championship, Medinah
All right, so it isn't all that suspenseful on the final nine. Blame Woods, who puts on a putting clinic (yes, he's the best putter on Tour, too) in the final round to pull away from local favorite Luke Donald (a Northwestern University alum) and former PGA champ Shaun Micheel. Tiger at his best is always a goose-bump maker.
6. U.S. Women's Open, Newport
It's David versus Goliath as underdog Pat Hurst plays a gutsy final round and ties Sorenstam through 72 holes. Goliath wins the 18-hole playoff on Monday by two shots, but Hurst puts up a game fight and finds a fan following. Annika writes another chapter of history at one of America's most historic settings.
7. Deutsche Bank Classic, TPC at Boston
It's Woods and Vijay Singh, head to head, in the final round. This one's a fourth-round knockout as Woods blisters the contrived course with a 63. It's always fun to watch Tiger stick it to Vijay, who is not one of his favorites.
