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For the Southland's most famous professional golfer, the year was productive and might have been his best, but Tiger Woods isn't the only golfer with ties to the area that found success. Life caught up with Woods in 2006 and the challenges he faced were more daunting off the golf course than on it. His father, Earl, who he always called his best friend, was dying and Woods, who expects to be in control of everything, was helpless. That affected his golf and he stumbled through the early part of the season. When his father died in May, Woods took a break to grieve but came back and roared through the remaining portion of the schedule. It was his best season since his magical year of 2000, when he won nine tournaments, including three consecutive majors. Woods won two major championships and six other events this year. He enters 2007 with a streak of six consecutive PGA Tour victories. Paul Goydos hasn't won a tournament since the 1996 Bay Hill Invitational but closed the year with an impressive achievement. The Dove Canyon resident was 160th on the money list and in danger of losing his card and needed a finish of fourth or better at the Chrysler Championship in October. Goydos did better than fourth. He challenged K.J. Choi for the lead and finished tied for second to secure his card for next year. "Unfortunately, it wasn't enough to catch K.J.," Goydos said of his performance. "The rest of it is pretty sweet." Corey Pavin was another PGA Tour veteran who had a better-than-expected year. The Oxnard resident and UCLA graduate won the U.S. Bank Championship in July for his first victory in 10 years. There were a couple of locals who struggled. Jason Gore had a magical 2005, but slogged through this year, unable to capture the magic he had at that year's U.S. Open and the 84 Lumber Classic. He played well in spurts, finishing in the top 10 four times, but couldn't sustain his play for any stretch of time. "This year has been tough," Gore said. "It certainly hasn't gone the way I wanted it to go." Gore, who lives in Valencia and has a year exemption left for winning the 2005 84 Lumber Classic, finished this year with a victory in the ADT Skills Challenge. It's not an official event, or four rounds of golf for that matter, but hopefully it's a sign of what 2007 will be like for the extremely likable player. Phil Mickelson looked like he was going to have another great year. The San Diego County resident won the BellSouth Classic and the Masters in successive weeks and was one hole away from winning the U.S. Open - and his third consecutive major. Then the old Mickelson returned and he made a huge mistake on the final hole of the nation's championship. He gambled and lost, making a double bogey when a par would have won and a bogey would have forced a playoff. "I'm still in shock. I still can't believe I did that," Mickelson said after the loss. "I'm such an idiot. This one hurts more than any tournament because I had it won." It appeared that he never recovered. Mickelson played in five more tournaments, including two majors, and couldn't crack the top 10. He then went to the Ryder Cup and was 0-4-1 and called it a season. Here are how some other local professionals fared: • Tom Pernice Jr. (Murrieta): He had five top-10 finishes and finished second at the Fed Ex St. Jude Classic. He earned $2,396,548 and was 25th on the money list. • Charley Hoffman (from San Diego): The PGA Tour rookie had five top-10 finishes, made 21 of 28 cuts and earned more than $1 million. • Duffy Waldorf (Santa Clarita): There was only one top-10 finish, but he made a lot of cuts and earned a conditional tour card. He might go to Qualifying School to try to improve his status. • Pat Perez (San Diego): More mellow on the golf course, he had a chance to win the Players Championship but finished tied for third. He finished 117th on the money list and earned his card for next year. • Kevin Na (Diamond Bar): Injured most of the year, he rehabilitated his wrist and came back to win the Nationwide Tour's Mark Christopher Charity Classic in September. • Chris Riley (from San Diego): A fifth-place tie at the Valero Texas Open was the best the former Ryder Cup player could do this year. He earned the last conditional tour card and will be able to get into about 15 events next year. • Mark O'Meara (from Mission Viejo): The two-time major championship winner missed 11 of 18 cuts and is at a crossroads in his career. He will turn 50 on January 13 and will be eligible to play on the Champions Tour. n |
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