2009 in golf explained
This article summarizes the highlights of professional and amateur golf in the year 2009.
Men's professional golf
Major championships
- 9–12 April: The Masters - Argentina's Ángel Cabrera won his second major in a sudden death playoff over Kenny Perry (second hole) and Chad Campbell (eliminated on first playoff hole).
- 18–22 June: U.S. Open - In a tournament plagued by rain, causing most of the final round to be played on Monday, American Lucas Glover won his first major by two shots over fellow Americans Ricky Barnes, David Duval, and Phil Mickelson.
- 16–19 July: The Open Championship - In a return to Turnberry, the site of one of his legendary 1977 win, 59-year-old Tom Watson led for much of the tournament before losing to fellow-American Stewart Cink in a four hole playoff. Tiger Woods missed the cut — his second missed cut in a major as a professional.
- 13–16 August: PGA Championship - South Korean Y.E. Yang became the first Asian-born player to win a men's major championship, winning by three shots over Tiger Woods. This marked the first time that Woods failed to win a major after holding the third-round lead.
World Golf Championships
FedEx Cup playoff events - see 2009 FedEx Cup Playoffs
Other leading PGA Tour events
For a complete list of PGA Tour results see 2009 PGA Tour.
Other Leading European Tour events
For a complete list of European Tour results see 2009 European Tour.
Team events
- 24–27 September: Vivendi Trophy with Seve Ballesteros - Team Great Britain & Ireland defeated Team Continental Europe 16½–11½. This was the fifth consecutive win for Team GB&I.
- 8–11 October: Presidents Cup - The U.S. Team defeated the International Team 19½–14½. This was the Americans' third consecutive win.
Tour leaders
- PGA Tour -
Tiger Woods ($10,508,163)- Woods also earned a $10 million bonus ($9 million up front and $1 million deferred) for winning the FedEx Cup points race.
- European Tour - Lee Westwood (€4,237,762)
- This total includes the bonus of US$1.5 million (€996,810) earned for winning the Race to Dubai.
- Japan Golf Tour -
Ryo Ishikawa (¥183,524,051)
- Asian Tour -
Thongchai Jaidee ($981,932)
- PGA Tour of Australasia -
Michael Sim (A$315,087.66)
- Sunshine Tour -
Anders Hansen (R4,286,038.20)
- OneAsia Tour – Scott Strange ($505,783.76)
Awards
Other tour results
Other happenings
- 22 February: 18-year-old New Zealander Danny Lee became the second amateur golfer to win a European Tour event, at the Johnnie Walker Classic. Lee also became the youngest ever winner on the European Tour.[2]
- 8 September: 17-year-old Japanese golfer Ryo Ishikawa beat Rory McIlroy's record as the youngest ever golfer to reach the top 50 of the Official World Golf Rankings.
- 27 November: Tiger Woods was involved in an early morning car accident close to his Orlando, Florida home. A media storm subsequently developed around the circumstances of the accident and newspaper allegations that Woods had been having an extra-marital affair. Woods pulled out of his Chevron World Challenge tournament and admitted to 'transgressions' and apologised for letting his family down. Subsequently, after multiple women came forward alleging to have had affairs with Woods, he announced on 11 December that he would be taking an indefinite leave from competitive golf, and admitted to marital infidelity.
Women's professional golf
LPGA majors
Ladies European Tour major (in addition to the Women's British Open)
For a complete list of Ladies European Tour results see Ladies European Tour.
Additional LPGA Tour events
For a complete list of LPGA Tour results see LPGA Tour.
Team events
- 21–23 August: Solheim Cup - Team USA won the Cup for the third straight meeting with a 16–12 victory over Team Europe.
Money list leaders
- LPGA Tour –
Jiyai Shin ($1,807,334)
- Ladies European Tour –
Sophie Gustafson (€281,315)
- Duramed Futures Tour – Mina Harigae ($88,386)
- LPGA of Korea Tour – Hee Kyung Seo (₩663,759,286)
- LPGA of Japan Tour – Sakura Yokomine (¥175,016,384)
- Ladies Asian Golf Tour – Bo-Mi Suh ($48,500)
- ALPG Tour – Katherine Hull (A$125,980)
Awards
- LPGA Tour Player of the Year –
Lorena Ochoa claimed the title for the fourth consecutive year
- LPGA Tour Rookie of the Year – Jiyai Shin won over second-place finisher Anna Nordqvist
- LPGA Tour Vare Trophy – Lorena Ochoa won the title with a scoring average of 70.16.
- LET Player of the Year – Catriona Matthew
- LET Rookie of the Year – Anna Nordqvist clinched the title while playing only six events on the tour.
Other happenings
- 13 July: LPGA commissioner Carolyn Bivens resigned under pressure from players after four years in the job. Marsha Evans was named interim commissioner while a search was undertaken for a permanent replacement.[3]
- 28 October: The LPGA Tour announced that Michael Whan had been hired as its new commissioner.[4]
- 18 November: The LPGA announced that the 2010 LPGA Championship will be sponsored by Wegmans in Rochester, New York, in place of that city's annual Wegmans LPGA tour stop. The LPGA Championship used to be sponsored by McDonald's and took place in eastern Maryland.
Senior men's professional golf
Senior majors
Full results
Money list leaders
Amateur golf
Table of results
This table summarizes all the results referred to above in date order.
The following biennial events will next be played in 2010:
Ryder Cup,
Curtis Cup,
Espirito Santo Trophy.
Notes and References
- https://www.espn.com/golf/news/story?id=4645808 No comeback player of year in '09
- Web site: Dream Win for a Dazzling Danny . . 2009-02-22 . 2009-02-22 . https://web.archive.org/web/20090228122825/http://www.asiantour.com/news.aspx?sid=20090222266011237818 . 28 February 2009 . dead .
- https://www.usatoday.com/sports/golf/lpga/2009-07-13-lpga-commissioner-bivens-out_N.htm Bivens resigns post after four years as LPGA commissioner
- https://www.espn.com/golf/news/story?id=4601515 LPGA Tour names Whan commissioner
Bernhard Langer ($2,139,451)
Christy O'Connor Snr (Veterans)
José María Olazábal (International)
