Tiger Woods won five times in 2009, but for the fourth time in his 13-year career, he was shutout in the majors. That may not be cause for concern for Woods, but it gives fans and the media something to talk about. It also makes the "How would you rank the major championships?" question a lot more interesting.
With only one tournament left on the PGA Tour calender, now seems like as good a time as any to make my case. Obviously, this will be a scientifically rigorous endeavor, and I hope that you would treat the results accordingly. Or don't. Whatever, let's get to it.
In reverse order, the most exciting majors of 2009:
Kim began the final round tied with Woods atop the leaderboard. Tiger shot 67 and won, Kim signed for a 71, which was good for third place. Despite the outcome, though, Kim fared better than most of the young players slapped with the "next guy to challenge Tiger" label.
Off the top of my head, some (relatively) recent examples:
This seems impossible: Bob Bubka, a radio golf analyst from Long Island, predicted on Ireland's Sportstalk Radio that Lucas Glover would win the U.S. Open. I'll be honest: I've never heard of Bubka, but apparently he's well known in degenerate gambling circles; his opinion was enough to move the odds from 175-1 to 11-8.
Still, Paddy Power, a legal bookmaker, reported losses of $1.6 million, citing a "betting frenzy" following Bubka's radio appearance. But unlike some people who just stared at the list of players in the U.S. Open field and randomly selected a name (see me, for example), Bubka actually knows what he's talking about.
Tiger Woods has never been 4-under after 36 holes of the Players Championship, a spot he finds himself in after Friday. It is his lowest opening two days at TPC Sawgrass ever. That is the good news for Tiger fans. The bad news is Woods is looking way up the leaderboard at a guy named Alex Cejka, who followed his Thursday 66 with a Friday 67.
Cejka has never won a PGA Tour event, but the 38-year-old from Germany has only two bogeys on his scorecard and the lead at TPC, two shots over Ian Poulter and four shots over a host of players at 7-under that includes Masters champion Angel Cabrera, who smoldered Sawgrass with a scintillating 65 on Friday.
Who knew Quail Hollow would be the site of one of the best fields in golf next week?
The Quail Hollow Championship (formerly the Wachovia Championship) committee chairs probably celebrated early Friday like they had won the dang golf tournament when Tiger Woods committed to playing next week. The week after Quail Hollow, Tiger committed to the Players Championship, making it the first time since his knee surgery that Woods will play back-to-back events.
In an effort to keep our golf visitors well informed on what is going on around the Internet, Range Balls will be our new weekly link dump. Every Tuesday during golf season, we will toss out some of the most interesting things we came across. If you have a tip, e-mail us at fanhousegolf@gmail.com. Enjoy the links.
--Condoleezza Rice followed Tiger Woods this week at the Masters and gave her full report on the experience. The best line -- "We set out for the course and I soon learned that you don't "follow Tiger."" [The Daily Beast]
--Angel Cabrera did something no other golfer has ever done at Augusta -- he won the Masters using Ping Golf clubs. [The Shop]
--I'll give The Golf Channel this -- when thinking about "The Big Break," the producers have realized that sex does sell. Here is the first of three interviews with Kim Kouwabunpat, from the upcoming show. [Bushwood Country Club]
--The Masters golf ratings are out, and this might surprise you -- it wasn't the highest during the Phil Mickelson -- Tiger duel. The ratings hit 9.4/23 when those two were on the course and 10.0/21 during the playoff. [Golfweek]
--Jill McGill gives us a little insight into the life of a LPGA golfer. [Armchair Golf Blog]
If you're like me, Sunday at the Masters is the pinnacle of the golfing year. Starting Monday, we face the longest stretch of time before we get to hear the wonderful sounds of Augusta again, see the bursting colors of the azaleas and cheer on guys to make eagles on 13 or 15 coming down the stretch Sunday. At this year's Masters, one of the better ones you will ever see, there were both winners and losers. Check out who we thought was the best choice for both.
Every Monday during the PGA Tour season, Monday Pin Placement will run as a wrap-up of the weekend's action. Basically, we'll focus on what you missed while you were out grinding on the putting green.
In 1996, Greg Norman had one of the most epic collapses in the history of golf. Carrying a six-shot lead into the final round of that year's Masters, Norman was set to finally grab that green jacket that had eluded him for so long.
You all know the story. Norman wound up losing the tournament to Nick Faldo and in accordance with the old saying "a picture is worth a thousand words," has this lasting image that summed up his experience at Augusta. After a final round 78, Norman had two choices: he could duck out of Augusta or he could face the music. Norman responded courageously by heading into the press room and answering all questions asked of him for 45 minutes. He earned the respect of darn near any golfer that has played the game.
Will Brinson, Ryan Wilson and Shane Bacon fired up the podcast machine shortly after the 2009 Masters ended to talk about what the tournament means, as well as a bunch of other stuff, including who they would pick to replace Jim Nantz if he ever retires, and whether Shane could shoot a 75 at Augusta tommorow. Download and/or listen after the jump.
AUGUSTA, Ga. -- Please resist any temptation to call it anticlimactic, a multi-car pileup won by the least-damaged vehicle, a classic movie with a clumsy ending, a spectacular piece of drama ultimately doused by Rae's Creek and sabotaged by mental blunders. Yes, Phil Mickelson and Tiger Woods gave us four vintage hours in the Octagon, if the stuffy fathers at Augusta National allow UFC slang. Yes, they were followed by 99.9 percent of the patrons, with only friends and family types watching those actually leading the tournament in a scene both sad and surreal.
And, yes, Mickelson oh-so-predictably wilted after a historic front nine while Woods somehow lost his way when the usual clinch hold was expected.
Tiger Woods won five times in 2009, but for the fourth time in his 13-year career, he was shutout in the majors. That may not be cause for concern for Woods, but it gives fans and the media something to talk about. It also makes the "How would you rank the major championships?" question a lot more interesting. 
Anthony Kim
This seems impossible: Bob Bubka, a radio golf analyst from Long Island, predicted on Ireland's Sportstalk Radio that 
Who knew Quail Hollow would be the site of one of the best fields in golf next week? 
In an effort to keep our golf visitors well informed on what is going on around the Internet, 
Every Monday during the PGA Tour season, 
