Players leave Florida's high scores in rearview mirror
By John Maginnes, PGATOUR.COM Contributor
The snowbirds get off the plane in South Florida, walk out into the snarl of curbside traffic and say, "aaahhh." They are oblivious to the drone of taxis and shuttle buses, because they have made the pilgrimage to the sunshine. As they stuff their jackets into their carry-on luggage, their minds are filled with visions of sandy beaches and manicured golf courses, mouse ears and Shamu.
For PGA TOUR players, the images from their stint in the Sunshine State are considerably more foreboding. The modern Florida Swing has become the toughest stretch of golf all year. March is definitely ushered in like a lion at the new Honda Classic at PGA National, which is one of Jack Nicklaus' most devilish masterpieces.
Windswept and treacherous, PGA National has proven to be one of the TOUR's most challenging tests in the three years it has hosted the event with single digits under par winning each time.
The Honda Classic also produced the year's biggest surprise winner in Y.E. Yang. The 37-year-old Korean navigated his way through the Bear Trap successfully and held off a hard-charging John Rollins. In Yang's brief TOUR career, he had only chalked up one top-10 finish -- he tied for ninth last year at the AT&T Pebble Beach National Pro-Am. He went back to q-school in December and regained his card. Now, he's a TOUR winner with a two-year exemption.
There were fewer surprises as the TOUR moved south for the World Golf Championships-CA Championship at Doral. Tiger Woods had dominated throughout his career at the Blue Monster, and he was playing in his first stroke-play event since last year's season-ending knee surgery.
The inevitable rust manifested itself in Tiger's putter, though, and he tied for ninth. But Phil Mickelson was there to become the year's second multiple winner and regain the No. 2 spot in the world. Phil held off a gritty Nick Watney, who left a long putt right on the front doorstep at the final hole, giving Lefty two putts to win his first World Golf Championships event.
As it turned out, Doral's Blue Monster proved to be the easiest test during the TOUR's march through Florida. Phil was the only Florida Swing winner to shoot in the 60s in all four rounds, and his 19 under total blew the rest away on the swing's only par-72 course.
The TOUR then moved to the west coast of Florida and the Copperhead Course at Innisbrook Resort for the Transitions Championship. Another major champion took center stage at perhaps the most underrated course on the PGA TOUR, as Retief Goosen recaptured former glory with an infallible putter and steely resolve.
The two-time U.S. Open champion hadn't won on TOUR title in nearly five years, but he looked like the Retief of old coming down the stretch on Sunday. The four-footer he made for par at the 18th on Sunday left Brett Quigley and Charles Howell III packing their bags and thinking about what might have been. For Quigley, it was his second consecutive runner-up finish after nearly capturing his first TOUR title the previous week in Puerto Rico.
Just a short drive up I-4, Tiger was waiting at the Arnold Palmer Invitational presented by MasterCard. The stage was set for a successful title defense at Arnie's playground, but Sean O'Hair had different ideas, as he took a five-shot lead into the final round over the world's No. 1.
Not even Arnie's famous umbrella could hold off the rain that softened Bay Hill on Sunday and paved the way for one of Tiger's patented charges. In true Tiger fashion, he made his longest putt of the week to draw even with O'Hair at the 15th hole, but they were tied again coming to the final hole in waning sunlight.
Could Tiger do it again? You know the answer by now. For the second year in a row Tiger, playing with Sean O'Hair, made birdie on the final hole at Bay Hill to claim victory, the 66th of his career.
So as the sun set on the 2009 Florida Swing -- literally, as well as figuratively -- the next phase of the No. 1 player in the world's career dawned. One can only look forward to what comes next as he makes his way down Magnolia Lane.
John Maginnes is a columnist for PGATOUR.COM. His views do not necessarily represent the views of the PGA TOUR.
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