The 00’s have officially passed us by and with it goes one of the most memorable decades in major championship golf history. The dominance of Tiger Woods was a hallmark of the past ten years and while the great man did produce some of the most impressive golf in major history there were other players on the major stage that who shone brightly as well. That being said, here are my top ten major memories from the last ten years.

1. Tiger Woods – 2000 U.S Open at Pebble Beach- It was by far the most dominating performance in the history of professional golf- there is not even a second place. Only one player in history had ever reached double-digits under-par in the U.S Open before (Gil Morgan ten years earlier at Pebble Beach), and Woods not only reached that number- he stayed there. When he eventually finished his domination for the field he had finished at -12 for the tournament and won by and astonishing 15 shots, relegating runners-up Ernie Els and Miguel Angel Jimenez to merely a trivia question in golf history. Such ruthless dominance may never be seen again.

2. Y.E Yang – 2009 U.S PGA Championship at Hazeltine National- While the decade was defined by the dominance of one man with a part-Asian heritage, the last major of the decade would see the first Asian, a South Korean, ever take down that same champion in dramatic fashion. It may take years to really see the impact of Y.E Yang’s victory at Hazeltine, but when we look back at the landscape of golf over the next ten years, this victory may be the one that changed everything.

3. Phil Mickelson – 2004 Masters- It took a while. Actually, it seemed like it took half a lifetime. Phil Mickelson’s first major win was followed by a collective sigh of relief from the golfing world and finally made a major champion out of “Lefty“. For Mickelson, it was akin to getting not just a monkey, not even a gorilla, but King Kong off his back.

4. Tiger Woods – 2001 Masters- It had never been done before and it may never be done again. It was not achieved by Hogan, or Snead, or Nelson. Not by Palmer or, Watson, or Player. Not even by Nicklaus. By winning the 2001 Masters Woods became the first man to hold all four major championships at once and stamped his place among the greats of all time.

5. Geoff Ogilvy – 2006 U.S Open at Winged Foot GC- Despite Ogilvy chipping-in on the 71st hole, the 2006 U.S Open will always be remembered for “the massacre” that followed. First, Padraig Harrington topped his approach into the 72nd hole, dropping himself from contention.  Then Colin Montgomery made double-bogey from the middle of the fairway and Jim Furyk missed from five-feet, both on the 72nd hole. Finally, Phil Mickelson puts the icing on the cyanide-cake by hitting the wildest drive ever hit on the final hole of the U.S Open, ultimately taking double bogey. Ogilvy, it turned out, was the last man standing.

6. Padraig Harrington – 2008 Open Championship at Royal Birkdale-  The next two majors make my list not because of the winner, but because who almost won. Ten years since he last made a serious run at a major Greg Norman almost became the oldest part-time golfer to ever win a major.  Ultimately he was trumped by the spectacular eagle Harrington made on 71st hole, one of the greatest clutch shots of the decade and the only reason I have placed this tournament ahead of the next one.

7. Stewart Cink – 2009 Open Championship at Turnberry- Like the previous entry, this Open Championship may have been the story of the decade if it had turned out a little different. Sexagenarian Tom Watson captured our hearts for four straight days at Turnberry, but eventually he ran out of steam, or mojo, or pars- which ever way you want to look at it, and succumbed to Stewart Cink in a playoff. With 99.9% of golf fans pulling against him Cink went ahead and accepted the Claret Jug, and his gracious response to the victory and to Watson himself should not be understated- a more deserving major champion may not exist.

8. Shaun Micheel -  2003 PGA Championship at Oak Hill CC- Micheel’s win was the second consecutive come-from-nowhere victory in the majors following Ben Curtis at the 2003 Open Championship. Micheel’s win trumps Curtis and makes the list because of the dramatic way in which he won. Clinging to a one-shot lead and with the entire golfing world watching Micheel drew a 7-iron and hit the ball so close to the hole a beginner could have made the putt for birdie and not sweated it. It was simply jaw-dropping.

9. Tiger Woods – 2000 PGA Championship at Valhalla GC- There were some great duels down the stretch over the past decade but none can match the one where a journeyman pro took on the greatest player of recent times- and almost won. Over the stretch of six hours that Sunday Bob May gave Tiger Woods all he could handle. That Woods came out on top was not a surprise- that May never once blinked was.

10.  Padaig Harrington – 2007 Open Championship at Carnoustie GL- It was supposed to be Sergio Garcia’s Open Championship. He led after all three rounds and looked to have the tournament locked up before he was caught by Steve Stricker, then by Andres Romero, and finally by Harrington. All four players tried valiantly to lose the tournament and at one stage it looked like nobody wanted to take the Claret Jug home with them. Despite two trips to the burn on the 18th hole Harrington prevailed in a playoff and somewhere the ghost of Jean Van de Velde smiled just a little bit.

Ernie Els has been known as a golfer who would go to all corners of the globe to help promote the game.

Not always was it to the benefit of his game. But even in the midst of a “three-year comeback” bid, the South African former British Open champion still finds time for Asia.

Els and Irish star Padraig Harrington have signed up to return to the Barclays Singapore Open, being held from October 29 to November 1 at the Serapong Course on Sentosa Island.

Recently, even Tiger Woods said that Els could have managed his comeback a bit better.

Almost three years ago, Els hatched a plan to return to the top of men’s golf. The idea was to be among the world’s leading players around this time.

Clearly, it has not gone exactly to plan. But he has showed in recent events that he has made progress and could, indeed, restore his A game in the near future.

Whatever his form, Asian fans adore him. Els and Harrington missed birdie putts on the final hole of last year’s Singapore Open that, had they sunk, would have forced a play-off with eventual winner Jeev Milkha Singh, of India.

Els also finished second in 2006, losing out to Australia’s Adam Scott in a three-hole play-off.

So, even though he will be thousands of miles from the US PGA Tour, Els has a history of doing well in Singapore. With his comeback plans still very much alive, victory in Singapore would do wonders for his confidence.

Also taking part are South Korean KJ Choi and Northern Ireland’s Darren Clarke. The Singapore event boasts prize money of US$5 million, making it the richest on the Asia Tour.

The tournament also received a further boost recently when it became part of the European Tour as well.

The 156-player field will comprise 65 players each from the Asian and European Tours along with 10 qualifying spots and nine invitations for four amateurs and three Singapore pros.

When it comes to Pakistan and sport, one would instantly mention cricket. Hockey and squash are other codes in which the sub-continental country has boasted world-class athletes.

Golf-wise, Pakistan are still among the minnows. However, a significant breakthrough was made by two Pakistani golfers on the Asian stage that could lead to world recognition.

Muhammad Shabbir and Muhammad Munir helped their country qualify for their first-ever Omega Mission Hills World Cup finals last weekend.

The duo finished third in the Asian qualifiers in Malayisa to join Singapore and the Philippines at the November finals in China.

Shabbir and Munir shot a combined three-under-par 68 in the final round foursomes for their total of 274.

Singapore’s Lam Chih Bing and Mardan Mamat, a European Tour winner, compiled 269 after a 72 on the last day, one stroke ahead of the Filipino twosome of Mars Pucay and Angelo Que.

The top three teams qualify for the finals from Asia, which means fourth-placed Malaysians Danny Chia and Iain Steel, who finished on 276, missed out.

It was an historic performance for the Pakistanis with Munir saying in an Asian Tour media release:

“Never before in our history have we been in golf’s World Cup. We showed that we are in there for the first time and hopefully we will be able to perform well in China. I don’t know how to describe how we feel right now. I’m sure everyone in Pakistan will be very happy.”

Five other Asian countries are among the 18 teams who qualified automatically for November 26-29 to be played on Mission Hills’ Olazabal Course.

They are India, Thailand, Japan, Chinese Taipei and South Korea. China qualify as hosts.

Sweden’s Robert Karlsson and Henrik Stenson won last year’s tournament ahead of Spain’s Miguel Angel Jimenez and Pablo Larrazabal. The Japanese pair of Ryuji Imada and Toru Taniguchi were third.

More than one journalist confidently predicted that the US would run away with the Solheim Cup. Anything within eight points would be some kind of achievement for Europe.

The predictions suited the narrative. The women’s game has seen its power base shift east. In ladies golf Europe versus America is an old world skirmish and its struggling to survive without an injection of fresh talent.

In the event the Americans had a couple of dodgy moments and, as so often happens, European spirit papered over some of the cracks in the visiting team. The demolition was postponed and Solheim as a transatlantic head to head will live on.

That the debate gathered such pace is, however, interesting in itself.
This, after all, was taking place just days after golf looked to have secured an Olympic place and after Y E Yang captured Asia’s first major.

Sometimes the most permanent revolutions are caused by a series of unconnected events falling sharply into place at one time. Could it be that golf, that most frustratingly resistant to change of all sports, stands awkwardly on the brink?

How so? Well, many of us thought the game had changed forever when we saw a young man called Tiger roar through the field at the 1997 Masters. This was the future and the future wore red with a swoosh. Golf as a marketing man’s fantasy. Tiger was to take the game to a new level both in terms of performance and interest.

And he has. He’s the most famous golfer who ever walked a fairway. One of the richest men in the history of all sport. When Tiger’s on course the viewing figures go up, often he is the only show in town.

But Tiger’s impact hasn’t been exactly as predicted. In America and Europe golf remains expensive and time consuming. For all that Tiger has been compelling, unmissable, a once in a generation box office draw, the game hasn’t enjoyed the massive growth expected on the back of those red clad Sunday charges.

At least it hasn’t in the traditional golfing strongholds. Elsewhere it has grown and grown and grown. China, Korea, Columbia. Where do you fancy your next golfing holiday? Argentina, Turkey, Thailand? Golf is now global and its showing no signs of slowing down. This is fertile ground and golf is exploiting it.

Golf will not be treated like an Olympic sport in the UK or the USA. Our focus is elsewhere during an Olympiad – can you name more 100 metres champions or more tennis champions from the last 20 years of Olympic competition? Golf will be an intriguing novelty worthy of a small clip on a post peak time highlights show for many of us.

In some of the developing nations that won’t be the case. The Olympics will offer more chance of funding, Olympic success will create golfing heroes, training programmes will create nationwide legacies. And all the time golf in these countries will grow and grow.

Peter Dawson, secretary of the Royal and Ancient, admitted during an interview at the Open that golf in the traditional nations had “reached saturation point.” The Olympics was important because it meant giving the game a massive profile boost in those countries where there is still room to grow. The powers that be accept that growth is unlikely in the UK or the US. So golf’s administrators were shifting their focus and adopting the Olympics as the ideal way to carry out their missionary work.

Were there other cogs ready to slip into place? Y E Yang somehow, improbably, gloriously volunteered to add to the jigsaw when he became Asia’s first major winner at the PGA Championship. Not only will Yang’s win spike interest amongst youngsters but it will give those already in the ranks or about to break through a massive psychological boost. It’s been done, it’s possible, so what’s stopping the rest of us?

Gradually the plates are shifting. The European Tour ends its season in Dubai and you can bet the PGA Tour is painfully jealous. The LPGA Tour is crammed full of Koreans who are doing far more than making up the numbers. In Europe and America sponsors drop off the roster at the same time as the Asian Tour announces a new TV deal with the UK’s Sky Sports.

Of course change in golf is traditionally slower than a Tiger Woods – Padraig Harrington pairing. But change does come.

Remember the tale of the 1913 US Open? Remember how Harry Vardon was all but helpless as Francis Ouimet wrestled golfing dominance from the Brits and handed it right over to America? We’re getting close to the end of a century of that dominance now – might that be the time for another realignment of the game’s epicentre?

One thing’s certain – not many of us predicted all this when we watched Tiger in 1997 and tried to grasp the sheer shocking force with which that young man was going to shake the game from its perpetual lethargy.

Yang Young-eun’s victory at the US PGA Championship last week, when he defeated Tiger Woods in a head-to-head battle, is being hailed across Asia.

Like any success, parties from all over are scrambling quickly to claim a portion of the credit. The Asian Tour has, naturally, and justifiably, raised its hand.

Yang played on the Asian Tour from 1999 to 2003 and then took his game to Japan, where he won five times.

He continued to make appearances on the Asian Tour and won the Korean Open in 2006 for his first title on the circuit.

It was the same year in which he hit the global headlines when he won the HSBC Champions tournament China. To do so, he had to beat none other than Tiger Woods as well as nine other golfers from the world’s top 20.

He had shown that he had the nerve to win in the face of tremendous pressure. After earning his US PGA Tour card in 2007, Yang waited until March this year for his maiden tour title at the Honda Classic.

Even then, no one would have predicted that it was merely the opening credits for a starring role five months later at the US PGA Championship at Hazeltine.

Kyi Hla Han, a former fellow player with Yang and current Asian Tour executive chairman, was measured and prudent in his remarks following Yang’s triumph. He said in a media release:

“This is a fantastic win not only for Yang but also for golf in Asia. The way he won by defeating Tiger head-to-head was definitely a thrill to watch.

“I played with Yang when he first started his career on the Asian Tour and I’ve known him to be a very talented and hardworking player. This win has once again underlined the growing strength of the game in Asia. With many of our young players showing a lot of promise, I see a great future ahead for Asian golf.”

Han did the right thing by simply acknowledging Asia’s pride at Yang’s win rather than claiming too much credit.

The Asian Tour is currently a stepping stone for golfers. Han’s long-term goal is to make the Tour a viable arena within itself from which champions are directly extracted.

While any Asian major winner is great for the continent, Han prefers that they be current Asian Tour players, not former ones.

Players such as India’s Jeev Milkha Singh and Thailand’s Thongchai Jaidee have had reasonable success in Europe and the US since their full-time Asian Tour days.

And, if you talk to most pros in Asia, their ambitions are to one day pursue their goals outside the continent.

Yang’s victory at Hazeltine, without doubt, did much for the reputation of golf in Asia. But for the Asian Tour to truly be recognised as an influential circuit, it needs its current players to step up at majors.

That’s not easy considering the limited invites and qualifying places given to Asian players for the four major tournaments.

However, those are issues to be tackled later on. For the moment, Asia is celebrating Yang – the first ever Asian major champion.

Yang Yong-eun became the first Asian to win a major title when to stared down Tiger Woods to win the US PGA Championship at Hazeltine.

The 37-year-old South Korean, who was 19 when he picked up golf clubs for the first time, survived a pressure-filled final round to deny Woods a 15th major crown.

It was the first time in eight attempts that Woods had failed to win a major after leading at the half-time stage.

A delightful eagle chip on the 14th hole proved the turning point for Yang, who, at that point, snatched the lead from the world number one.

Though Woods was still in it the hunt just one stroke off the pace with two holes remaining, it was Yang who held his nerve. Woods eventually fell away at the end, as Yang emerged victorious by three strokes.

Yang, a graduate of the Japan Professional Tour, had previous experience dealing with Woods. He defeated the American en route to winning the 2006 HSBC Champions tournament in China after qualifying for the event by winning the Korean Open on the Asian Tour.

Earlier this year, he showed that he has the mettle to compete on the world’s toughest golf tour when he won the Honda Classic.

Those victories helped him on the major stage, as he said, through an interpreter, soon after his victory. He said:

“I tried to master the art of controlling my emotions throughout the small wins I had in my career. I think it turned out quite well today.”

While Yang celebrated on behalf of all Asians, Woods contemplated a rare season without a major title – his first bare cupboard for five years.

But it has still been a magnificent year for Woods. He returned to action after an eight-month injury lay-off and many thought he would struggle to win.

However, he won five tournaments this season, including two straight prior to the US PGA Championship and will fight back with a vengeance next season. Woods blamed poor putting for his defeat.

“I did everything I needed to do, except for getting the ball in the hole. Just didn’t make the putts when I needed to make them. I played well enough the entire week to win the championship. You have to make putts. I didn’t do that. Today was a day that didn’t happen.”

Yang finished on two-under-par 70 on Sunday for a total of eight-under 280. Woods was alone on second on 283 after his 75.

England’s Lee Westwood and Northern Irish youngster Rory McIlroy (both 70) were tied on third at 285.

In sixth, on 286, was US Open champion Lucas Glover, while four players shared sixth on 287 – Martin Kaymer, Ernie Els, Soren Kjeldsen and Henrik Stenson.

Last year’s winner, Ireland’s Padraig Harrington had fallen out of contention early in the round and finished on 288.

Only two Asian-born players had previously come close to winning a major tournament. In 1971, Taiwan’s Huan Lu-liang, famously known as Mr Lu, finished second at the British Open while Isao Aoki, of Japan, was runner-up at the 1980 US Open.

With his performance at Chaska, Minnesota, Yang has now become the new standard-bearer for Asian golf.

It is no coincidence that the Professional Golfers Association (PGA) made a major development announcement on the eve of golf’s Olympic bid.

The PGA will aim to boost the development of golf in the world’s most populous countries – China and India – via its new set-up, the World PGA Alliance.

The announcement came a day before the start of the season’s final major tournament, the US PGA Championship at Hazeltine.

According to an AFP story, the plan involves youth development, education programmes and the sharing of knowledge. A key task is to lift the sport in areas catering to the needy.

Golf is trying to beat out several other sports for one of two spots in the Olympic Games. In this respect, the push into China, in particular, is significant.

China measures sporting success by the Olympics, which is why the country finished top of the medal standings at the 2008 Beijing Games.

China is also influential when it comes to admitting sports into the Olympic roster.

If a sport is in the Olympics, China will make sure they are good at it. This is one of the reasons world cricket officials are keen to develop their sport in the Middle Kingdom.

Indeed, they made a major breakthrough when cricket sixes was included in the next Asian Games in Guangzhou.

Golf is already an Asian Games fixture and an Olympic credential would certainly make Chinese sports leaders take the game more seriously.

In India, golf is already quite well established with a number of professionals, particularly Jeev Milkha Singh, enjoying success on the global tours. PGA Chief Executive Joe Steranka said:

“One of the reasons we formed the alliance is to help the China Golf Association, to channel our respective resources, to help China evolve. India’s PGA is in its very early stages.”

China and India are also important members of the Asian Tour, which has several professional events in those countries.

The Alliance, which came into existence only this week, is a joint venture between countries whose PGAs have been existence for the longest time. They are: America, Australia, Japan, South Africa, Sweden, Germany, Canada, Europe and Britain-Ireland.

Meanwhile, according to reports, golf and rugby sevens are favourites to win admission into the Olympics for the 2016 Games. The International Olympic Committee is also considering baseball, softball, squash, karate and roller sports.

The 15-member board will choose two sports and these must be ratified by the 106-member IOC assembly in Copenhagen in October.

Tiger Woods has just about done it all in the game of golf: 14 major championships, 69 career wins on tour, a record stay at world number one, NCAA, U.S Amateur and Junior titles, Fed-Ex, Ryder, and Presidents Cups. There’s not much else to conquer really. Over the weekend at the Buick Open Sir Nick Faldo noted that one day Tiger is going to save the world a lot of paper because when he gets done with his career the record books are just going to read “Tiger” and nothing else. But there is one thing Tiger’s good buddy Roger Federer still has a lot over him- a gold medal.

That all might change on August 13 when the International Olympic Executive Committee meets to announce the results of its vote on the inclusion of golf into the Olympic rotation for 2016. On that day the IOC will announce which two of the seven sports under consideration to be considered for final admition into the 2016 summer games. The other six other sports under consideration for the bid are baseball, karate, roller sports, rugby, softball and squash. The two sports nominated will then be discussed before the entire International Olympic Committee at a panel in Copenhagen, Denmark and the announcement with come on October 9, the same day as the announcement of the 2016 host city.

Golf has been a conspicuous absentee from the Olympic rotation since 1912 and its nomination for the 2016 games has divided the world golfing community.

The main argument against golf being included in the Olympics is that golf is already a global game, one too entrenched in the professional side of the sport to do the Olympic experience justice. With major world tours, on both the men’s and women’s side, ranging from the powerful PGA and LPGA tours of America and Europe to tours in Japan, Korea, Australasia, South America and South Africa to name but a few, the sport already has a wide global reach, touching down on almost every part of every continent on the planet.

Add to that international competitions like the Ryder Cup (now considered only behind the soccer World Cup and Summer Olympics in terms of popularity), Presidents’, Walker, Solheim and Curtis cups, WGC championships and the four major championships, it remains to be seen how an Olympic gold medal could top any of that.

The only other sport that has been in a similar situation recently to golf is tennis, which was re-introduced to the Olympic rotation at the 1988 Olympics Games in Seoul after a 62 year absence. It was in Seoul that Steffi Graff famously won the “Golden Slam”, all four majors plus the Olympic gold in one calendar year (she is still the only person to do this). Since ’88 many of the games’ top players have skipped the Olympics, deciding instead to concentrate on a hefty summer schedule of major championships. Many fear that golf will follow the same trend. Many of the top-ranked players, including Tiger Woods, have, so far, shown a luke-warm support for golf in the Olympics.

“It would be great to have an Olympic gold medal,” Woods recently said, “but if you asked any player, ‘Would you rather have an Olympic gold medal or green jacket or Claret Jug?’ more players would say the majors.”

It’s pretty clear which one he would rather win.

Woods’ comments about the validity of golf as an Olympic competition appears to be one of the major arguments against the inclusion of golf in any future Olympics, just like there is currently in tennis. Even if you are a follower of tennis, it is much easier to name the winners of each of the years’ majors than it is to note who won Olympic gold, even though it only happens once every four years. Experts and former tour players alike believe the same thing is sure to happen with golf should it make it to 2016.

“Who wants to run the 100-meter dash, and not have the world’s fastest runner show up?” said Olin Browne, a tour player and member of the PGA Tour’s Policy Board. “What’s the point?”

Former tour player and Australasian PGA Tour board member Mike Clayton agrees.

“One wonders why there is this seemingly never-ending quest to include golf in the Olympics,” Clayton said last year. “Presumably it would qualify the game for extra government funding but . . . an Olympic tournament could never approach the importance of the game’s grand slam championships.”

One man who knows an awful lot about both the running both professional golf event and the Olympics is current Augusta National chairman Billy Payne. Payne served as the CEO of the Atlanta Olympic Committee and is considered the driving force in Atlanta’s surprise winning bid for the 1996 games. Since then Payne has taken over the reigns at Augusta National from Hootie Johnson and run the Masters tournament. While many have speculated that some of the world’s top players will be absent from the Olympic experience should golf be included in 2016, Payne has a different opinion entirely.

“Once players are asked to represent their country, they will play,” he says. “You’d be surprised by the power of the Olympics to move people.”

Indeed, international stars like Ernie Els, Padraig Harrington, Sergio Garcia, Lorena Ochoa and Suzanne Petterson have all expressed interest in playing for their respective countries in 2016.

Another who has ties to both parties and is a strong advocate of golf in the Olympics is former LPGA Commissioner and current Executive Director of the International Golf Federation’s Olympic Committee, Ty Votaw. Votaw points to the growth of other Olympic sports as the main arguement for golf becoming an Olympic sport.

“There are 300 million people now playing basketball in China,” Votaw said. “There wasn’t anywhere near that number before the (U.S.) Dream Team played in Barcelona (in 1992). I’ll take 10 percent of that. The estimated number of golfers in the world is around 60 million, so if we get another 30 million then we’ve grown the game by 50 percent. Even if it’s 1 percent, 3 million, then we’ve still grown the game.”

Even though Votaw has neglected to take into account the fact that Chinese and NBA superstar Yao Ming has accounted for a great deal of the recent basketball growth in China (not to mention a relaxing of communism in the country in general), Votaw still has a point. He goes so far as to sight tennis as a perfect example of how the game can be advanced in counties just based on the far-reaching influence of the Olympic experience.

“Look at how women’s tennis in Russia has grown since tennis became an Olympic sport,” Votaw said. “I don’t think there would be so many world-class Russian tennis players if tennis didn’t have Olympic status.”

Again Ty, the end of the Cold War around that time may have had a lot to do with the growth of sports in general in that area of the world.

Greg Norman, a long-time proponent of spreading golf as a global game, sides with Votaw and Payne as well.

“Golf is one of the most global games out there, among the top five in the world,” Norman said. “So why not include it?”

Why not indeed?

Many aspects of Olympic golf have yet to be determined, and one of the main focal points is the inclusion of professionals, as well as the actual format for the event. In 1992 the IOC allowed professional basketball players to represent their country for the first time in Olympic history, and out of that decision sprang the aforementioned “Dream Team” which went onto win the gold medal by an average of over 40 points a game. Heck, head coach Chuck Daly didn’t call a single time out the entire tournament. Opposing teams were seen asking members of “The Dream Team” to pose for photos and autographs before they played.

Since 1992 however, the rest of the world has caught up with USA basketball, and subsequent team USA’s have not always taken the gold. In fact, in 2004 in Athens Team USA failed to even make the gold medal match. An argument could be made that the rest of the world has caught up to the Americans because of The Dream Team and the way they spread the popularity of the game globaly. Their popularity spawned a world-wide basketball epidemic and today more players from overseas play in the NBA than at any other time in its history.

Olympic golf has the potential to do the same thing that professional basketballers in the 1992 Olympics did. Imagine a player from a lesser known golf nation, one with a huge population such as India or China, playing along side the likes of Tiger Woods or Phil Mickelson. This would be the dream scenario for the IOC and the main reason behind the Olympic golf push. The potential for growth in countries like China in this scenario could be exponential. However the chances that something like this would occur all depends on the format that the IOC decides on (should golf make the cut).

Many are calling for the absence of professionals should golf be awarded a spot on the roster for the 2016 Olympics. One proposal suggests a format that would essentially be a re-hashing of the Eisenhower Trophy, the event currently known as the World Amateur Championship. It is currently contested by 3 players from the participating countries in a stroke play format. Some are calling for a similar event where 2 professionals from each country, based on world rankings, would compete in a four round event to decide the medal winners (WGC World Cup anyone?).

In a discussion appearing on The Golf Channel recently, world no. 3 Paul Casey of England favoured a format along the lines of the Alfred Dunhill Cup which was contested by 3 players from each country in a combined stroke play and match-play format. That event was discontinued in 2000.

Clearly much as still to be discussed, including of course, if golf deserves to bask in the Olympic flame.

Regardless of the outcome of the IOC meeting later this month, golf will continue to come up on the Olympic radar and be a hot-button talking point in the future. Whether, in 20 or 50 years’ time an Olympic Gold medal becomes as prestigious as a major trophy or a Ryder Cup is unsure, but Ty Votaw makes a good point about golf and its history.

“If Jack Nicklaus had won three Olympic gold medals, then you can bet Tiger Woods would have had that target on his chart on his bedroom wall when he was a kid.”

Tiger Woods winning Olympic gold? That would certainly be one for the record books.　

In what appears to be a pincer movement on the Aussie-backed OneAsia Tour, the Asian Tour and European Tour have joined forces to create a regional mega-organisation to strengthen their presence.

EurAsia Golf Ltd is a new alliance between the Asian Tour and European Tour and represents a tangible joint venture in which a company has been set up featuring representatives from both sides.

Over the past year, OneAsia, led by the Australasian PGA Tour with help from China, Korea and India, has threatened to move in on the Asian Tour’s turf with a six-tournament schedule, although this was later reduced to five.

And indeed, the Asian Tour seemed to be feeling the blows as a handful of sponsors and tournaments pulled out. However, this new organisation at least shows where the Europeans’ loyalties lie.

According to an Asian Tour press release, the alliance aims to fortify existing co-sanctioned tournaments, launch new ones and strengthen relationships with sponsors, promoters, national associations and governing bodies.

European Tour Chief Executive George O’Grady, making the announcement from Loch Lomond in Scotland, said:

“This alliance is born out of a 10 year working relationship between both Tours during which we have reached understanding on tournament field eligibility, suitable scheduling of tournaments, excellent venues, TV production and distribution and prize funds.”

Asian players have been great beneficiaries of jointly sanctioned events with Taiwan’s Yeh Wei-tze, India’s Arjun Atwal and Jeev Milkha Singh, Thailand’s Thongchai Jaidee, Thaworn Wiratchant and Chapchai Nirat, Korea’s Charlie Wi and Chinese duo Zhang Lian-wei and Liang Wen-chong having won such tournaments in the past.

Up to now there have been 56 co-sanctioned events since the first one in Malaysia in February, 1999. Asian countries that have hosted joint tournaments are: China, Hong Kong, India, Indonesia, Korea, Malaysia, Qatar, Singapore and Taiwan.

Among the big names who have enjoyed success in Asia are: Ernie Els, Retief Goosen, Padraig Harrington, Phil Mickelson, Jose Maria Olazabal and Vijay Singh.

The European Tour has reinvented itself with the launch of the Race to Dubai concept this season, which replaces the previous Order of Merit.

The Tour culminates in the US$20 million Dubai World Championship.

Golf is a naturally green-friendly sport. After all, practically half of all strokes are played on a surface called “the green”.

In some places around the world, the building of golf courses has been hailed as a boon to the environment. More than a decade ago, South African legend Gary Player said the island-course he designed for Hong Kong’s first public facility helped boost the population of birds and enhanced the surrounding environment.

Tailor-made for a green theme is Brunei, the oil-rich sultanate in the heart of Borneo, which is home to some of the richest rain forests, flora and fauna in the world.

Organisers of the Brunei Open, from July 30 to August 2, have decided to adopt a green theme for the fifth edition of their tournament, and have roped in government and Asian Tour support for their cause.

The tournament is being played on the Empire Hotel and Country Club, owned by the royal family and designed by Jack Nicklaus. Hamdillah A. H. Wahab, Chairman of Brunei Tourism Board, said in a press release:

“This year will be slightly different compared to previous years where we will include various activities that will touch on environmental aspects to create awareness among the players and spectators.”

He did not go into details as to what the activities were but the fact that players will be involved will certainly helped to raise awareness of the rain forest, which is dwindling fast on the Borneo island that also includes Malaysia and Indonesia from illegal logging and urbanisation.

The theme is being wholly embraced by the Asian Tour, whose chairman Kyi Hla Han is keen to have his players involved.

The Brunei Open is the second event after the restart of the Asian Tour’s 2009 calendar following a tournament in Indonesia. Australian Rick Kulacz is the defending champion.

Last year, Tiger Woods was reduced to watching the Memorial Tournament on television after undergoing arthroscopic surgery on his knee.

The three-time Memorial champion had gone under the knife soon after the Masters and, without any real tune-ups, went on to win the US Open last year.

That victory at Torrey Pines was costly, though, with Woods forced to take the rest of the year off to fix knee ligaments.

He goes into this week’s US PGA Tour event at Muirfield Village Golf Club in Dublin, Ohio still finding his way back after more than eight months off the circuit.

Although his comeback has included one victory and four top-10 positions, the 33-year-old Woods is still looking for the magic that earned him 14 major titles so far. He said in his newsletter:

“I’m really looking forward to competing again at the Memorial Tournament and I’ve been working hard on my game since the Players Championship. (My form) isn’t too bad considering how long I was away from the game after my knee surgery. It’s just frustrating when you’re in position to win and don’t get it done. I just need to fine-tune everything. My reconstructed left knee enables me to finally make the swing that my instructor, Hank Haney, and I have been working on for years.”

The Memorial Tournament is hosted by Jack Nicklaus, the man whose 18 major wins is the record Woods is chasing.

The world number one won the tournament three years in a row from 1999 onwards but faces a tough challenge against six other top-10 players.

Leading the way is England’s Paul Casey, who is one of the form players on the Tour these days and who has risen to number three in the world.

Also taking part is defending champion Kenny Perry, ranked seventh, number eight Steve Stricker, who won last week, Vijay Singh (9th), Padraig Harrington (10th) and Australian star and world number five Geoff Ogilvy.

Some battles are tougher than anything a U.S Open can throw at you.

Amy Mickelson, wife of world number 2 golfer Phil Mickelson and well known philanthropist, has been diagnosed with breast cancer. Gaylord Sports Management, Mickelson’s representation on tour, announced last Wednesday in a brief press release that after “a battery of tests” Amy Mickelson would be undergoing treatment for breast cancer in the very immediate future.

“More tests are scheduled, but the treatment process is expected to begin with major surgery, possibly within the next two weeks.” the press release said.

The news has put on hold Mickelson’s schedule for the remainder of the PGA Tour season. He withdrew from last week’s HP Byron Nelson Championship and has put all other plans, including his return to the U.S Open at Bethpage Black in New York state, on hold. Mickelson was the runner-up there in 2002, a tournament which was widely remembered for local New Yorkers throwing their full-throated support behind Mickeson for the first time in his career. He has been gallery favourite ever since.

“We’re all just in shock,” said Rick Smith, Mickelson’s former coach. “We know Amy is a strong person, and her attitude is phenomenal, and that’s going to help get her through this difficult time.”

Michael Bamberger, senior writer at Sports Illustrated recently put together a piece about Amy Mickelson, her public image, and her relationship with both her husband and the tour itself.

“If you poll the wives of Tour players, formally or otherwise, about which Tour wife today most closely follows in the remarkable tradition established by Barbara Nicklaus, Amy Mickelson is invariably the answer.” Bamberger wrote. “She’s a superb storyteller (without being gossipy). She’s generous with advice on the best restaurants and hotels. She’s committed to various education and healthcauses. She makes her husband look better. Amy’s model has been Barbara, who wasn’t shy but knew who the fans came to see. Amy has a thing about not signing autographs. (Phil’s steadfast caddie, Jim Mackay, has the same policy.) But she’ll take a shy kid by the hand and bring him or her over to meet Phil.”

Amy met her future husband in 1992 when they were both attending Arizona State. Amy was the vivacious, blond cheerleader and Phil (unbeknownsed to Amy) was already a PGA Tour winner, 3 time Collegiate Player of the Year and maybe the most celebrated amateur golfer in half a century. Phil would go on to amass 36 PGA Tour titles, 3 majors and more Ryder and President’s Cup appearances than anyone in the last 15 years. They have 3 children, Amanda, 9, Sophia, 7 and Even, 6. The family and an entourage of nannies can be seen traveling from tour stop to tour stop. Despite a hectic schedule of her own, Amy Mickelson still walks more rounds with her husband as she does not.

Blessed with an agreeable persona, goofy smile and chatty nature on the course, Phil Mickelson has become one of the most beloved players for galleries across the world. This reputation does not extend into the locker room however, and rumors of post-tournament tantrums and cold-shouldering of fellow players circulates feverishly throughout the golfing community. These rumors often overshadow the large amount of charity work conducted by both Phil and Amy, including the science scholarships and programs they have created in conjunction with Exxon Mobile. Last year Mickelson gave a spectator $200 from his own wallet after hitting the man with a wayward drive.

Regardless of the differing views on Mickelson the golfer, one could never accuse him of not being family oriented. At the 1999 U.S Open at Pinehurst Mickelson dueled the entire weekend with Payne Stewart only to be denied his first major by a divine birdie on the final hole by Stewart. What made Mickelson’s run at Pinehurst even more remarkable was the fact that he was carrying a beeper that, should it sound, would announce that wife Amy was going into labor with their first child. If Stewart had missed his birdie putt on the last hole of regulation Mickelson would have heard that beeper go off on the 10th tee the next day in the playoff. As it turned out, daughter Amanda was born the next day, father by her side.

Many will recall Stewart’s reaction to that win, holding Mickelson’s face in his hands on the final green, tears streaming down his own face, Stewart told Mickelson that he was about to receive the greatest gift of all- he was about to become a father. The tragic death of Payne Stewart less than a year later only made that moment even more important, to Mickelson and to golfing history.

Phil would, of course, win his first major four and a half years later at the 2004 Masters, finally shedding the tag of “best player never to win a major”. When he holed the winning putt on the 72nd hole it was a moment that appeared to contain more relief than actual excitement, and it was no surprise the first person to hug him when he walked off the final green was Amy Mickelson. Since 1992 they have been virtually inseparable. You can be sure that if and when Amy Mickelson is given a clean bill of health, the first person she will hug will be Phil and the relief felt will top anything, even winning your first major.

“I’ll make plenty of money in my career. I want the crystal.”

That’s what Sean O’Hair said following his dramatic collapse down the stretch at the 2007 Players at the TPC of Sawgrass. His quadruple bogey 7 on the “Island green” 17th hole, followed by a bogey on the 18th hole saw O’Hair drop from second place, where he was duelling with eventual champion Phil Mickelson, into a tie for 11th. That stumble at the finish line cost him somewhere in the neighbourhood of $750,000, but he didn’t make any apologies for his play. He didn’t question his resolve and he didn’t question his own talent. He stared at the face of failure, into the eyes of “choke” and he didn’t bat an eyelid.

Two years later Sean O’Hair is returning to the TPC of Sawgrass for the 2009 version of The Players a different person and golfer, some would say a fully formed man. Last week O’Hair proved to himself and the world that he belongs in the upper echelons of the game, taking down Tiger Woods and one of the strongest fields of the year in winning the Quail Hollow Championship. The 26-year old has risen to number 12 in the world, up from 59th at the start of the year, and is currently 3rd on both the PGA Tour Moneylist and Fed-Ex Cup rankings. He leads the tour in probably the two most significant statistical categories as well- the all-around ranking and scoring average. Speaking to the media at The Players yesterday O’Hair reflected on his year so far, his past, and the reasons behind for his rise to the top.

“I think, number one, Rotella and I always talk about with putting, if you’re not a good wedge player, if you don’t have the opportunities from inside ten feet, your putting statistics aren’t going to be that great. If your birdie opportunities are from 20, 25 feet instead of ten, eight feet, you’re obviously not going to putt as well as somebody who does have those opportunities. So that’s number one.” O’Hair said.

“I think number two, I’ve changed my stroke a little bit. I’ve always been kind of an armsy putter, and I haven’t really ever released the putter face. And I think I’m more…I’ve changed my stroke to more of a shoulder rotation. So that’s definitely helped. I think my putting stroke has improved quite a bit in the last couple of months. And then obviously when you start seeing that ball go in the hole, your mind changes awfully quickly.”

Quail Hollow brought O’Hair’s victory total on the PGA Tour to 3, all well before his 30th birthday. Of all the American stars under the age of 30, he is the first player to do that. And while he may be a little more “under-the-radar” than compatriots like Anthony Kim or Hunter Mahan, in a lot of respects O’Hair has grown up on the PGA Tour, and is a more mature player for doing so. His well-publicised split with his father non-withstanding, it takes a while to mature under the harsh spotlight of golf stardom, something O’Hair has had to deal with since he made his tour debut as a gangly 22-year old. Now in his 5th year on tour, O’Hair can not only boast of 3 tournament wins, but he and wife Jackie are also expecting their third child this summer. When asked about the expectations placed on the young Americans O’Hair was dismissive, but realistic about perceived expectations from the public and the media.

“You’re asking about expectations that you guys have, and with all due respect, I really don’t care what you guys think. My thing is I care about where I want to go, and I think the thing is there’s a lot of things that have been written in a negative way, especially after Bay Hill and the thing is I can’t control what you guys write. I can’t control the expectations people have on me. The only thing I can control is how I think of myself and the expectations that I put on myself.”

But for all his success this year, O’hair is still very much on a mission. The goals he has talked about are lofty ones- winning the career Grand Slam along with 50 events on the PGA Tour itself. Quail Hollow did a lot to put the demons of Sawgrass and Bay Hill behind O’Hair, and with a new found confidence it’s hard to bet against him.

“I don’t want to be just a guy on the PGA TOUR making a good living. That’s not my goal. My goal is to win as many golf tournaments as possible. I want to win major championships. I want to win this tournament. There’s a lot of goals I have. At the end of my career I’d love to be in the Hall of Fame….I believe in myself. I believe that I can become one of the better players out here. I think I feel like I’m on the right track to do that.”

Over the past couple of years, the Asian Tour has been battling with the European Tour and the Australian-led OneAsia Tour over tournaments and branding rights in the world’s biggest continent.

The Europeans have tried to start tournaments in India and Korea without Asian Tour permission while the OneAsia people are trying to form a rival tour.

But the latest twist has come from much farther away – the US PGA Tour, who have swooped on one of Asia’s golfing jewels, China.

Looking to enhance its role in China, the PGA Tour has made the popular HSBC Champions tournament part of its World Golf Championship (WGC) series.

This means that the likes of Tiger Woods and Sergio Garcia, who are expected to play in the $7 million November 5-8 event in Shanghai, will be going to Asia for more than simply a cultural and commercial jaunt but for a worthy tournament bolstered by WGC credentials.

With prize money increased by $2 million, the tournament becomes the fourth leg of the WGC series and the only one being played outside the United States.

The move is a major triumph for the PGA Tour, which is facing pressure from an increasingly richer and aggressive European Tour in the battle to lure big-name golfers. Woods, no less, praised the move, as he said in a Bloomberg article:

“It is an event that symbolises the amazing progress of golf in Asia and its new World Golf Championships status underlines how firmly China has established its place on the global golf calendar.”

PGA Tour commissioner Tom Finchem described it as a major step forward for world golf, firmly believing that the the tournament will be a watershed for global golf. He enthused:

“This is one of the most significant steps ever taken in the globalisation of golf and one of the most logical. World-class golf has arrived on this continent and the map of the golf world may never look the same.”

The WGC series was first launched in 1999. Other events are the Accenture Match Play Championship, the Bridgestone Invitational and the CA Championship.

Veteran American Jerry Kelly endured a nervous final day, losing and then regaining the lead to end a seven-year tournament drought.

Kelly scored a final round of one-under-par 71 for a 72-hole total of 14-under 274 to win the Zurich Classic in New Orleans by one stroke.

The experienced PGA Tour player, who last won at the 2002 Western Open, went into the last day with a three stroke lead. By midway through the round, though, he was three shots back.

That’s when he decided to get himself together. A couple of birdies later, and with other players falling over themselves, Kelly managed to hang on for victory in the $6.2 million tournament.

One stroke behind on 275 was the trio of South African Rory Sabbatini, South Korea’s Charlie Wi and American Charles Howell, who squandered a two-shot lead through the course of the day.

Sabbatini got close with his 67 while Howell and Wi shot 68 each. They were one stroke ahead of Americans Steve Marino and David Toms.

Since his last victory, the 42-year-old Kelly had notched four runners-up positions and 42 top 10s.

Few would have guessed that Kelly would be breaking his barren run on his 200th tournament since his last success.

Only last week, Kelly abruptly walked off the course on the second day of the Verizon Heritage tournament after shooting 10 on one hole, blaming flu and a dislocated rib.

He has come back in the best possible way and doesn’t want to wait another seven years for his next title. He said in an AFP article:

“I got myself in position. I wish I could have finished it a little better.”

On the European Tour, Thailand’s Thongchai Jaidee won for the second time this year in a joint-sanctioned event when he took the Ballantine’s Championship title in Jeju, South Korea after a three-way play-off.

Thongchai, a former Thai Army paratrooper, birdied the extra hole to beat Spain’s Gonzalo Fernandez-Castano and home favourite Kang Wook-soon to lift the title in the tournament that is jointly sanctioned by the European Tour and Asian Tour.

He finished the final round on two-under 70 for a total of four-under 284 after going into the fourth day four strokes off the pace.

Fernandez-Castano missed the green in the play-off while Kang was unable to sink a five-foot putt for birdie. Thongchai stepped up to drop his six-footer on the par-four 18th for a three and follow up his victory in the Indonesian Open in March.

Meanwhile, world number one Lorena Ochoa, of Mexico, delighted her home fans when she won the Corona Championship on the LPGA Tour in Morelia.

She scored a final round five-under-par 68 for a total of 25-under 267 and a one-stroke victory over Norway’s Suzanne Pettersen, who also shot 68. It was Ochoa’s third pro victory in Mexico