Without question 2014 has been one of golf’s most memorable years in quite some time. We have seen the rise of some of golf’s brightest stars, as well as the fall of some of the game’s greatest ever players. Let’s take a look at who were the biggest winners and losers in golf on both the PGA and European Tour in 2014.
Winners and Losers in Golf in 2014
Winners
Jamie Donaldson
Up until the Irish Open in 2012, Jamie Donaldson had yet to win on the European Tour. Fast forward two years and the 38 year-old now has three wins to his name and had somewhat of a breakout season in the world of golf. He finished tied for second in the WGC Cadillac Championship at Doral behind Patrick Reed. He won the Czech Masters at the Albatross Golf Resort to seal his place on the European Ryder Cup Team and had four top five finishes. At the Ryder Cup at Gleneagles, Donaldson played a pivotal role in Europe’s victory, winning three out of four points, securing the winning point with a 4&3 win against Keegan Bradley. He then went on to finish fourth in the Race to Dubai with earnings of € 3,058,166. 2014 was a truly remarkable year for the Welshman.
Rickie Fowler
After winning the 2012 Wells Fargo Championship, Rickie Fowler was expected to set the golfing world alight. However he had a very quiet season in 2013, meaning he entered 2014 somewhat under the radar. He kick-started his year with a 3rd place finish at the WGC-Accenture Matchplay, beating the likes of Ian Poulter, Sergio Garcia and Jim Furyk along the way. He then finished tied for fifth at the Masters. He then followed this up with his best finishes at a major championship, finishing runner-up at both the US Open and the Open Championship. He also finished in a tie for 3rd at the PGA Championship, where he was in the lead entering the back nine. Fowler became only the third man after Arnold Palmer and Tiger Woods to finish in the top-five of all the major championships in one year. He had ten top-10 finishes in total finishing eighth on the US money list, and entering the top-10 of the World rankings for the first time in his career. Fowler also played in the Ryder Cup, but could not help steer the US to victory.
Rory McIlroy
2014 undoubtedly belonged to Rory McIlroy. After an unbelievably sub-par 2013, a lot of questions were raised about McIlroy’s future. Following some decent showings at the Abu Dhabi HSBC Championship (T2), The Honda Classic (T2) and the Masters (T8), McIlroy’s season took off when he won the European Tour’s flagship event, the BMW PGA Championship at Wentworth by one shot. He followed this by winning the Open Championship at Hoylake, where he led from the first round and did not surrender his lead throughout. Following a week off, McIlroy won his first World Golf Championship by winning the WGC Bridgestone Invitational, and then overcame an early collapse in the final round to win the USPGA Championship at Valhalla by one shot over Phil Mickelson. McIlroy then finished second in the FedEx Cup behind Billy Horschel who won the final two events to deny the Northern Irishman his first FedEx Cup victory. He played an integral part in Europe’s success in the Ryder Cup, trouncing American talisman Rickie Fowler 6&5 in the singles’ matches. He placed in the top-25 in every tournament he played on both tours, apart from the Irish Open, where he missed the cut. He won the money list in America and Europe by quite some margin, and returned to World Number One, overtaking Adam Scott. His current form suggests that the sky is the limit for McIlroy, and he could spend a long time at the top of the World rankings, something which hasn’t been achieved since Tiger Woods was at his best in the mid 2000’s.
Losers
Phil Mickelson
What a difference a year makes. In 2013 Phil Mickelson finished the year ranked second in the world, after winning his fifth major championship (The Open Championship), leaving only the US Open to complete the career grand slam. However the 45-year-old had an abysmal 2014 campaign. He registered just one top-10 in 21 starts, a second place finish in the PGA Championship. For the first time in his career he failed to reach the season-ending Tour Championship. He was a part of the American Ryder Cup team contributing with two points, but it was his open criticism of Tom Watson’s captaincy in the press conference afterwards which grabbed the headlines. Perhaps it was a sign of his frustration after a very average season on tour. He finished the year ranked 11th in the world, but unless his form dramatically improves, ‘Lefty’ could slip further down the rankings as the younger generation continue to impress on the worldwide stage.
Tiger Woods
Arguably the greatest player to ever grace the game of golf, Tiger Woods won five times in 2013, suggesting that he was on the verge of dominating the game once again. However 2014 was a disastrous year for the 79 time winner on the PGA Tour. He played just seven times and placed in the top-25 just once, at the WGC Cadillac Championship at Doral. Woods was largely troubled by a back problem which forced him to withdraw from the Honda Classic, as well as the WGC Bridgestone Invitational. He missed both the Masters and the US Open and his best finish in a major was 69th at the Open Championship. Woods failed to make the top 125 of the FedEx Cup standings, and pulled out of the running for a wildcard spot on the US Ryder Cup team. He then split from his swing coach of four years, Sean Foley. He finished the year ranked 24th in the World, and unless he drastically improves under the guidance of new coach Chris Como, we could see Tiger fade into obscurity, which would be an incredible shame, given his previous dominance of the sport for such a long time.
These are five players you should definitely look out for in 2015, and there are a lot of questions to be asked. Can Donaldson push on and establish himself as a star in the world of golf? Will Fowler manage to get that elusive second win, maybe even a Major Championship? Can McIlroy continue his dominance of the sport? Will we see Woods and Mickelson back near the top of the game, or will they continue to fade away? All things considered, 2015 is shaping up to be a very interesting year in the world of golf.
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