A Strange Year in Golf

I know we still have a couple of months left in the golf season, but after Jim Furyk got disqualified from the Barclays for failing to wake up for his pro-am tee time, I figured it would be worth recapping a few of the insane events that made up this 2010 golf season.

First, the year began with everything Tiger Woods. His life, his affairs, his golf game, his future ... it was all under the microscope, and was the top story up until the Masters, when Woods opened with his first sub-70 round ever at Augusta National, only to finish tied for fourth. The tournament was a complete bust, and even included a holed iron shot for eagle on Sunday for Tiger.

Along with that, we had Phil Mickelson, who stopped by for a brief moment at Augusta to claim the green jacket, and then disappear for most of the year after. The only thing he's done of significance this year is buy donuts in his green jacket and claim to the world that he's now a vegetarian.

And let us not forget Rory McIlroy, and his year of scores. At Quail Hollow, McIlroy closed with 62 to win his first PGA Tour event. A little over two months later, McIlroy opened at the British with a 63, that was nearly a 62 if he hadn't missed a sneaky three-footer on the 17th hole for birdie on Thursday. That was followed up with 80 in the second round, dashing his hopes of a first major championship. A month later, McIlroy would miss out on a playoff at the PGA Championship by just a shot.

Oh, and 59 much? Two players, Paul Goydos and Stuart Appleby, shot 59 this year, marking the first time on the PGA Tour that it has happened twice in one season.

Oh, and poor Dustin Johnson. The guy had a three-shot lead at the U.S. Open on Sunday, but came in with 82 at Pebble Beach. His chances of taking home a major looked great at the PGA, when he had an eight-footer for par on the 72nd hole to win at Whistling Straits, but missed it to make a playoff. That, of course, never happened, because Johnson grounded his club in the famous "bunker that isn't a bunker." A two-stroke penalty left him two shots out of the playoff, that ended when Bubba Watson hit his second shot into the third playoff hole some 30 yards short of target, and made a double-bogey so Martin Kaymer could take home the crown.

Also, we were introduced to a guy named Louis Oosthuizen, who took down St. Andrews like some guy in a red Nike shirt.

Finally, more rules problems. LPGA's Julie Inkster was disqualified from the Safeway Classic because she pulled out a swing weight during a round and a viewer caught it and called her on it. And then Jim Furyk, during the first round of FedEx Cup playoffs, overslept for a pro-am and was disqualified.

So, yes, a strange year all around. Am I forgetting anything?