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Luke Donald
Considered by many an underachiever, Luke Donald became the No. 1 player in the world in 2011 and is on the verge of becoming the first player to win the PGA Tour and European Tour money titles in the same year. (Getty Images)
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Rosie Jones picks Ryann O'Toole
U.S. Solheim Cup captain Rose Jones used one of her two wild-card picks on Ryann O'Toole, who had only seven LPGA starts at the time of her selection. O'Toole went 2-0-2, but her singles halve helped seal the American's defeat. (Getty Images)
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Ted Potter, Jr. earns PGA Tour card
Ted Potter, Jr. began 2011 playing on the Hooters Tour and ended up with a PGA Tour card thanks to some successful Monday qualifying and a pair of victories on the Nationwide Tour. (Getty Images)
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Sergio Garcia wins back-to-back
Winless for nearly three years, Sergio Garcia captured back-to-back titles in Spain. He first won the Costello Masters on his home course by 11 strokes and then the Andalucia Masters the following week at Valderrama. (Getty Images)
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Erik Compton wins, earns PGA Tour card
Playing on his third heart, Erik Compton won his first Nationwide Tour event at the Mexico Open and ultimately finished 13th on the money list to earn his 2012 PGA Tour card. (Getty Images)
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Bill Haas wins Tour Championship and FedEx Cup
Thanks to an incredible up-and-down in a playoff against Hunter Mahan, Bill Haas was able to win the Tour Championship and the FedEx Cup, despite starting the week 25th in the points standings. (Getty Images)
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Europe wins the Solheim Cup
The underdog Europeans won the Solheim Cup for the first time in eight years, defeating the U.S., 15-13, at the wire in Dunsany, Ireland. (Getty Images)
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GB&I wins Walker Cup
Despite facing an American squad dubbed 'The Dream Team,' Great Britain & Ireland defeated the favorites 14-12 in Aberdeen, Scotland. (Getty Images)
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Webb Simpson
After just six top-10s in his first 71 PGA Tour events, Simpson notched 12 in 2011, including a pair of wins. He finished second on the money list with $6,347,353. (Getty Images)
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The rise of the belly putter
Belly putters became a controversial rage in 2011 as Keegan Bradley won a major with one, Webb Simpson emerged as a Player-of-the-Year candidate using one and even Phil Mickelson gave one a try. (Getty Images)
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Keegan Bradley wins PGA Championship
Five down with three to play, and fresh off a triple bogey at the 15th, Keegan Bradley rallied to win the PGA Championship in a three-hole playoff over Jason Dufner. (Getty Images)
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Darren Clarke wins the British Open
Darren Clarke, winless in two decades of major championship play, held off Phil Mickelson and Dustin Johnson to claim the Open Championship at age 42. (Getty Images)
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So Yeon Ryu wins U.S. Women's Open
So Yeon Ryu birdied the treacherous par-4 18th at the Broodmoor and then defeated fellow South Korean Hee Kyng Seo in a three-hole playoff to win her first LPGA event at the U.S. Women's Open, which spilled over into Monday. (Getty Images)
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Rory McIlroy's record U.S. Open
Rory McIlroy winning the U.S. Open wasn't a huge surprise, but the dominating manner in which he won was. Coming off a devastating Masters collapse, McIlroy set 12 U.S. Open records. His 16-under 268 total was eight shots clear of second place. (Getty Images)
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Harrison Frazar wins FedEx St. Jude
After 354 career PGA Tour starts, Harrison Frazar finally became a champion, capturing the FedEx St. Jude Classic in his 13th year on Tour. (Getty Images)
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David Toms wins Colonial
One week after missing a 3 1/2-foot putt to lose The Players Championship in a playoff, 44-year-old David Toms won his first PGA Tour event in five years at the Colonial. (Getty Images)
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Amateur success in the pros
Two amateur players, including Russell Henley (above), won on the Nationwide Tour, while UCLA sophomore-to-be Patrick Cantlay shot 60 on the PGA Tour. (Getty Images)
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Charl Schwartzel wins Masters
South African Charl Schwartzel defeated Adam Scott, Tiger Woods and others at the Masters by making birdie on his final four holes Sunday at Augusta. (Getty Images)
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Stacy Lewis wins Kraft Nabisco
Stacy Lewis defeated defending champion and world No. 1 Yani Tseng head-to-head at the Kraft Nabisco Championship to become the fourth player to maker her first LPGA win a major. (Getty Images)
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Steve Williams and Tiger Woods split
After winning 13 majors together, Tiger Woods fired caddie Steve Williams in July. The split was acrimonious and led to Williams directing a racial slur at Woods in November. (Getty Images)
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Jhonattan Vegas wins Bob Hope
The 26-year-old Venezuelan rookie defeated Bill Haas and Gary Woodland in a playoff at the Bob Hope Classic. In just his fifth start on Tour he collected $900,000. (Getty Images)
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