Maginnes: Florida Swing provided high drama again

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The PGA TOUR's endless pursuit of perpetual summer always includes what Jimmy Buffet dubbed "Floridays." March in Florida is not a bad place to be. Ultraviolet rays, sundresses and the absence of state income tax make that state an ideal setting for the world's best players. Regardless of the venues, the players have always shown up in Florida. One of the reasons is the fact that a large number of players on TOUR call Florida home these days.

John Maginnes (WireImage)

Over the last couple of years, the new Florida Swing has become something more than it once was. The move of The Honda Classic to PGA National a year ago made the quartet of courses that make up the run through Florida as tough a stretch of golf that the players will see all year. Ernie Els' victory at The Honda Classic this year was his first win on U.S. soil since the 2004 Memorial Tournament. It was a long fight back from knee surgery and a lack of confidence that kept Ernie out of the winner's circle for the longest stretch of his career since winning the 1994 U.S. Open.

As Ernie waited on the practice range at PGA National, staying loose in case of a playoff, he got the news that he had, indeed, made it all the way back. He was uncharacteristically emotional as he accepted congratulations on the victory. The emotions were of a man who may not have known if that day would ever come again.

The following week at the PODS Championship, Sean O'Hair won for the second time in his career. It is hard to believe that it had been nearly three years since the 2005 PGA TOUR Rookie of the Year won the John Deere Classic. With the victory, Sean became one of just seven players under the age of 30 with two or more wins in his TOUR career. Don't expect his total to stop there. Sean has more than four years before he reaches his 30th birthday.

Tiger Woods, now a couple of years into his 30s, was back in action at Arnie's playground. Unless you have just awakened from a coma, you undoubtedly know of his heroics that Sunday afternoon on the 18th green at Bay Hill with the King watching. With the birdie and the victory at the Arnold Palmer Invitational presented by MasterCard, Tiger etches his name once again into the record books -- this time tying Ben Hogan for third on the all-time victories list.

It was assumed that Tiger would continue his dominance at Doral where he had won the three previous tournaments. Riding a win streak that dated back to the 2007 playoffs and included eight victories worldwide, it looked as if nothing could derail the world's best player.

But someone forgot to tell that to Geoff Ogilvy, Vijay Singh, Jim Furyk or Retief Goosen. These four major championship winners are fully aware of who the No. 1 player in the world is. They have all felt his wrath and looked on in awe throughout the many runs of his career.

History will show that World Golf Championships-CA Championship ended another Tiger streak that leaves everyone in the modern game scratching their heads. At one point, just after the restart on Monday morning, an Australian was leading by one over a Fijian and two over an American. A South African and an Englishman were tied three shots back. None of those players were named Tiger.

What we saw again this year on the Florida Swing were four golf tournaments that offered high drama, late heroics and great theater. There will be more, of course -- the TOUR circles back to Florida for three more events throughout the year. May has proven to be a wonderful date for THE PLAYERS Championship, the PGA TOUR's signature event, and the season ends in the Sunshine State in November.

The TOUR will be "changing in latitude, changing in attitude" as it heads for the Big Easy this week. Of course, "nothing remains quite the same" but for all of our running and all of our cunning, if it wasn't for golf we would all go insane. Or, is that what is making us insane?