Kim, Villegas face down year in 2009 after success in 2008

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Stan Badz/PGA TOUR

Camilo Villegas (left) and Anthony Kim were paired together at the Mercedes-Benz Championship at the start of the year.

What will you remember about the 2009 season? That was the simple question we asked PGATOUR.COM staffers and writers, who responded with a series of short essays. As we finish up November, we'll post several each day. Click here for next essay

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They adorned multiple covers on various golf publications in 2009. They were sought after by tournament directors all over the world. They played in The Presidents Cup, THE PLAYERS Championship, the majors, you name it.

But they didn't win. And that was among the biggest surprises of the year.

When it comes to Anthony Kim and Camilo Villegas, one has to wonder what the 2009 season meant for each of them. They started the year off in the same group of the season-opening, winners-only event at Kapalua, ironically, as their respective alma maters battled in the BCS National Championship Game. Villegas' Florida Gators won the title over Kim's Oklahoma Sooners, but it was Kim who nearly won the actual golf tournament. As it turns out, it was one of only a handful of times that Kim threatened to win in 2009.

It wasn't supposed to be that way. Kim and Villegas each won twice in 2008, breaking through the barriers of expectation that have hounded them since their entry on TOUR. Kim was expected to win right away on TOUR, and when he didn't, he faced questions about his work ethic. Villegas built a brand for himself long before he won on TOUR, and he faced questions about that as well.

But both players won -- and won big in 2008. Kim won at Quail Hollow and Congressional against two strong fields, and Villegas very nearly claimed the FedExCup after winning the final two events of the PGA TOUR Playoffs in 2008. For both men, the dual victories were supposed to serve as a springboard to greater things in 2009 even as Tiger Woods returned from injury to claim his inevitable multiple victories in the big events.

It was the big events that drove Kim and Villegas in 2009. Both joined the European Tour and its Race to Dubai while keeping PGA TOUR membership. In doing so, they started playing tournaments in every corner of the globe. It's a schedule that places great demands on body and mind.

In addition, Kim dealt with nagging injuries early in the year that took its toll on his greatest strength -- long, straight driving. His driving accuracy plummeted, but a world-class short game kept him in the hunt for victories that never arrived. Villegas' problems were the opposite. His performance on the tee improved markedly, but his putting suffered a mysterious decline.

Kim ended the year with an unofficial victory in the Kiwi Challenge, and his second-half improvement is evidence that his career stall was more injury-based than performance. Villegas admitted he was tired by the time The Presidents Cup rolled around, and he hinted that adjustments to his schedule -- coupled with the experiences he had in 2009 -- would translate into a return to form.

Ryan Smithson, a PGATOUR.COM producer, appears to have a smaller waistline than Camilo Villegas', despite his penchant for take-out food and free desserts.