Looking back on the 2006 season, here are my awards and my award winnners:
Breakthrough Player of the Year -- Geoff Ogilvy
Breakthrough Player II -- Lorena Ochoa
Comeback Player of the Year -- Karrie Webb
Comeback Player II -- Se Ri Pak
Most Significant Story -- The passing of Earl Woods
Most Impressive Tee-to-Green Performance -- Tiger Woods at the British Open
Most Inexplicable Meltdown -- Phil Mickelson at the U.S. Open
Inexplicable Meltdown II -- Colin Montgomerie at the U.S. Open
Favorite Leaderboard Mystery Guest -- Kenneth Ferrie at the U.S. Open
Low Point of the Year -- TOUR Championship without Tiger and Phil
Low Point of the Year II -- U.S. blowout loss at the Ryder Cup
Sentimental Moment of the Year -- Darren Clarke holing out at the Ryder Cup
Snapshot Picture of the Year -- Tiger in tears after winning the British, embraced by Stevie
Snapshot Picture of the Year II -- Camilo Villegas in his Spider-Man crouch
Snapshot Picture of the Year III -- Michelle Wie on a stretcher at the John Deere
Most Bizarre Scene -- Tigers roof ball at Firestone
Eye Popping Tournament by Someone Not Named Tiger -- J.B. Holmes in Phoenix
Eye Popping Tournament by Someone Not Named Tiger II -- Phil by 13 at the BellSouth Classic
Eye popping Tournament by Someone Not Named Tiger III -- Stephen Ames at The Players Championship
Eye Popping Tournament by Someone Not Named Tiger IV -- Corey Pavin in Milwaukee
Best In-Your-Face Effort -- Ben Curtis winning not once but twice
Most Surprising Non-Winner -- Sergio Garcia
Most Surprising Non-Winner II -- Retief Goosen
Most Surprising Non-Winner III -- Ernie Els
Most Exciting Finish -- Webb holes out for eagle at Kraft Nabisco
Most Exciting Non-Major Finish -- Chris Couch’s cross-handed chip-in to win in New Orleans
Most Excruciating Miss -- Greg Owen from 40 inches for par at 17 at Bay Hill
Excruciating Miss II -- Greg Owen from 24 inches for bogey at 17 at Bay Hill
Excruciating Miss III -- Loren Roberts from 4 8' for a million in Sonoma
Puzzling Fall -- Justin Leonard, 109th on the money list in 26 starts
Puzzling Fall II -- John Daly, 193rd on the money list in 21 starts
Puzzling Fall III -- Craig Perks, 254th on the money list in 18 starts
Shot of the Year -- Tigers long-iron hole-out at 14 at Royal Liverpool
Shot of the Year II -- Paul Caseys Ryder Cup ace
Clutch Putt of the Year -- Geoff Ogilvys par-save on the 72nd hole at the U.S. Open
Player of the Year -- Tiger Woods
Player of the Year II -- Karrie Webb
Player of the Year III -- Lorena Ochoa
Feel free to e-mail me with your best and worst, your freakiest and favorite moments of 2006. Have a peaceful Thanksgiving. Ill be enjoying with family, missing the laughs and wisdom from Great Grandmom Ethel, the broccoli casserole and encouragement from Aunt Marcia, now sitting round the great turkey day table in the sky.
Email your thoughts to Rich Lerner