We missed Tiger, but what did he miss last year?

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As we contemplate Tiger Woods' return to competition next week at the World Golf Championships-Accenture Match Play Championship, the tendency is to think about what we've missed.

The great shots he would have hit. The energetic fist-pumps that would have punctuated all those clutch putts. The million-dollar smile that illuminates his face.

But maybe we're looking at the last eight months in the wrong way. Yes, Tiger Woods has been missed -- make no mistake about it. At the same time, though, we've gotten to watch a host of other stories unfold.

Who knows? Maybe Woods was doing some channel surfing like the rest of us while he was laid up in Orlando rehabilitating that surgically repaired left knee.

If he did, Woods would have seen one of his peers do a pretty darn good imitation of the game's No. 1 player as he won two straight majors. Another seized the FedExCup Woods won in 2007. And there were some impressive breakthrough victories, as well.

So as excited as everyone is to have Woods return to competition, let's not forget what happened while he was away from the game. PGATOUR.COM takes a look at the five biggest storylines to emerge.

Padraig Harrington wins the Open Championship and the PGA Championship

The Dubliner was magnificent as he fired a 69 on Sunday at Royal Birkdale to beat the 53-year-old Greg Norman and successfully defend his Open Championship title. A month later, Harrington rolled in a 15-footer for par on the 72nd hole at Oakland Hills to edge Ben Curtis and Sergio Garcia at the PGA Championship. The Irishman played the final three holes of the "Monster" in 1 under to win his third major in his last six starts. He was named the PGA TOUR and European Tour Player of the Year and now heads to Augusta National with a chance to win the third leg of the Paddy Slam.

The Americans win the Ryder Cup

An embarrassing stretch of futility that saw Europe win five of six Ryder Cups, including two by record-equaling margins, ended at Valhalla Golf Club last September. The Americans never trailed in their 16 ½-11 ½ victory before a raucous and partisan crowd in Kentucky. U.S. Captain Paul Azinger engineered several key changes to the selection process -- basing the points on money earned and weighing it toward the current year, as well as cutting the automatic qualifiers to eight, which allowed him four Captain's Picks. Azinger also divided his team into pods based on personality traits, and his young team -- anchored by Anthony Kim, Boo Weekley and Hunter Mahan -- responded.

Vijay Singh wins the FedExCup

The big Fijian wasn't really on the radar screen for the $10 million bonus until he embarked on his six-week plan after he won the World Golf Championships-Bridgestone Invitational. Singh simply convinced himself he was the best putter in the world and embarked on a torrid run that saw him win the first two events of the PGA TOUR Playoffs for the FedExCup. By the time the top 30 in the FedExCup standings arrived at Atlanta's storied East Lake Golf Club for the finale, all Singh had to do was complete 72 holes to win the coveted prize.

Anthony Kim and Camilo Villegas each win two times

Style, flair and talent -- these two twentysomethings had it all. Except for an elusive PGA TOUR victory, that is. Anthony Kim showed his mettle, though, as well as that diamond-studded AK belt buckle, on two of the TOUR's toughest tracks in Quail Hollow and Congressional. His victory at the AT&T National came complete with a personal phone call from his idol and the tournament host, Tiger Woods, as Kim awaited the trophy celebration by the 18th green. Villegas, on the other hand, waited until the final two events of the season to break through and went on to finish second to Singh in the FedExCup race as a result.

Veterans Davis Love III and Kenny Perry realize big goals

Kenny Perry wanted dearly to make the Ryder Cup team that would be played in his native Kentucky at a course where he once squandered a chance to win the PGA Championship. He admittedly took a calculated risk by skipping last summer's major championships -- where more money and thus, more Ryder Cup points were offered -- to play at courses where he'd had success. The gamble paid off as the 47-year-old Perry won four times and played his way onto the Ryder Cup team. Love, meanwhile, ended a two-year victory drought with a win at the season-ending Children's Miracle Network Classic presented by Walmart. The victory gave Love a total of 20 wins in his career and a lifetime PGA TOUR exemption.