Kupelian's top 10 who exceeded expectations

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J.B. Holmes didn't win two majors. He didn't win two Playoff events. But he had a very good year.

Nov. 13, 2008
By Vartan Kupelian, PGATOUR.COM Contributor

Defining success on the PGA TOUR is a dicey proposition because there are different levels of achievement.

A mediocre year for Tiger Woods or Vijay Singh would be a banner season for a large majority of the golfers who teed it up in 2008.

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On the flip side, very few golfers have the game and the mind to aspire to what would be a great year by Woods' standards. Even dreamers don't go there.

Kevin Streelman, a relative unknown when the year began, finished 2008 with an impressive rookie resume. He's a golfer who can look back proudly on his accomplishments and say, "Hey, that was a very good year."

Streelman is on my list of 10 golfers who exceeded expectations -- those of others and, most likely, even their own.

THE LIST

• Streelman arrived on the PGA TOUR via 2007 q-school, where he tied for 14th. A few weeks later, he announced his presence with solid play at the Buick Invitational. Rounds of 67-69 at Torrey Pines put him in a pairing with Tiger Woods for Saturday's third round, where it started to go downhill.

It didn't matter. On the golf course, Streelman demonstrated he had game. In the Media Center and around the galleries, he showed he had personality. Best of all, it wasn't the last we saw of Streelman.

Back at Torrey Pines for the U.S. Open, Streelman shared the first-round lead before slipping. Again, it didn't matter all that much. The Illinois native just kept getting better and finished the year with $1,352,705 in earnings and a best finish of a tie for fourth at The Barclays, one of his four top 10s. The first came at the Travelers Championship, where he shot a tournament-record 63-62-125 in the second and third rounds.

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• Padraig Harrington. He isn't a stranger to good years, but even the Irishman had to redefine the standard. That's what winning two major championships will do. It will make any year very, very good.

Harrington won the British Open at Royal Birkdale with a brilliant final nine holes to reel in Greg Norman. A month later, Harrington put on a display of clutch putting seldom before seen in major championships when, this time, he reeled in Sergio Garcia to win the PGA Championship at Oakland Hills.

Harrington became the first European-born golfer in 78 years, since Tommy Armour in 1930, to win the PGA Championship.

• Greg Norman. He likely won't want a recount of 2008. His best days are behind him, and nobody expected the timely spark the Australian discovered at the British Open.

His excellent season started when he was named in February to captain the International team at next year's Presidents Cup. In April, Norman was honored by the Golf Writers Association of America with the Charlie Bartlett Award for contributions to the betterment of society.

In June, Norman married tennis superstar Chris Evert, who walked every step of the way during Norman's glorious bid to win a third Claret Jug a few weeks later.

• Vijay Singh. A sluggish start to 2008 didn't discourage Singh.

Just when it looked like his career might be on the decline, all he did was dominate the PGA TOUR Playoffs for the FedExCup by winning the first two events (The Barclays, the Deutsche Bank Championship) and the $10 million bonus. He also won the World Golf Championships-Bridgestone Invitational. All three of those victories came in August and September.

Singh led the 2008 PGA TOUR Money List with $6,601,094.

• Kenny Perry. A 47-year-old isn't supposed to have a career year in any sport, but that's what Perry did. He won three times (the Memorial Tournament, the Buick Open and the John Deere Classic) and posted his best-ever finish on the money list with $4,663,794 for fifth.

The Kentucky native started the year with a single, urgent goal -- to make the Ryder Cup team for the match in his home state at Valhalla Golf Club. His entire campaign was mapped out with Valhalla in mind, and week-in and week-out, Perry played terrific golf. It was the victory at the Buick Open that locked up a spot on the Ryder Cup team.

At Valhalla, Perry posted a 2-1-1 record and was among the leaders of the American side.

• Dudley Hart had six top-10 finishes, including a runner-up at the BMW Championship and a tie for third at the AT&T Pebble Beach National Pro-Am.

Hart started the season on a Major Medical Extension, due to concerns with his wife's health, and ended the year with career-best season earnings ($2,209,203) for 29th on the money list.

The pinnacle came at the BMW Championship, where he shot four rounds in the 60s and produced his best finish in four years, since the 2004 EDS Byron Nelson. It helped him earn a spot in THE TOUR Championship.

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Anyone ready to see these two face off at next year's President's Cup?

• Anthony Kim and Camilo Villegas. It was a special year for the twentysomethings, with 13 winning on the PGA TOUR. Among that group, two stood out.

But it's not entirely correct to say Kim and Villegas exceeded expectations. From their first days on the PGA TOUR, each was expected to be something special. It happened in 2008.

The 23-year-old Kim picked up the first two victories of his career on two of the PGA TOUR's toughest courses, Quail Hollow (Wachovia Championship) and Congressional (AT&T Championship). There were several near-misses, which would have made Kim's breakthrough season even more remarkable.

Of course, it ended with Kim dusting Sergio Garcia, 5-and-4, in the Sunday singles match at Valhalla. A more mature and introspective Kim let his game speak for him, and the decibel level was high.

Villegas, 24, waited a little longer for his two victories. He won the final two events of the Playoffs, including THE TOUR Championship. He moved to No. 7 in both the Official World Golf Rankings and the PGA TOUR money list.

• Trevor Immelman readily admitted he didn't know what to expect in 2008 or whether he'd even be playing golf.

Just five months after having a benign tumor removed from under his rib cage, the South African returned to Augusta National Golf Club and stunned the field by winning the Masters for his first major victory.

• J.B. Holmes won the FBR Open for the second time, was the 36-hole leader at the PGA Championship and topped it off by being selected as a Ryder Cup captain's pick.

Like Perry, Holmes, also a Kentucky native, had the Ryder Cup as his primary goal. Once at Valhalla, he didn't disappoint and wasn't disappointed. He gave Paul Azinger energy-plus and critical points, including a singles victory over S�ren Hansen.

In 10 months, Holmes went from No. 208 in the world rankings to No. 63 and added $2,166,131 (32nd on the money list) to his bankroll. His performance included a top 10 at THE PLAYERS Championship.

Vartan Kupelian is a freelance columnist for PGATOUR.COM. His views do not necessarily represent the views of the PGA TOUR.