It’s No-Major Deal for Tiger

It was Tiger’s year after all. The final voting by the players was not made public, but Tiger Woods must have presented a convincing case for the PGA Tour player of the year award, because he won Monday for the fifth consecutive time.

Most observers believed it was a two-player race between Woods and Vijay Singh, who made $7.57 million -- $900,494 more than Woods -- in winning the money title for the first time.

Although Singh outdistanced Woods in the race to the bank, he also played nine more tournaments than Woods -- and won one fewer. Neither player won a major.

Woods’ victory marks the first time since Greg Norman in 1995 that the PGA Tour’s player of the year failed to win a major.

Singh, 40, had a career year. He won four times, one fewer than Woods, but was remarkably consistent. Singh’s scoring average of 68.65 was his best ever and yet it still didn’t top Woods, whose 68.41 adjusted scoring average was the second-best in history -- trailing only his average of 67.79 in 2000.

In his last eight tournaments, Singh was in the top six each time and won twice. He missed only one cut all year, at The Players Championship.

Ballots were sent out to PGA Tour players Nov. 10 and the pros made their selections. Woods and Singh weren’t the only names on the ballot. Also included were Masters champion Mike Weir, U.S. Open champion Jim Furyk and Davis Love III, who won four times.

Two other award winners were announced. Ben Curtis, who won the British Open, was selected rookie of the year, and Peter Jacobsen, whose victory at Hartford was his first in nine years, was chosen comeback player of the year.

Any drama associated with Woods’ latest victory in the awards arena was caused by Woods himself because of his failure to win a major. It was the first time since 1998 that Woods won neither the money title nor a major championship.

It was Woods’ sixth PGA Tour player-of-the-year selection in seven years. The only one he missed was in 1998, when Mark O’Meara was selected after winning the Masters and the British Open. Other than Woods, no one has won more than twice since the award was first given in 1990.

Woods won at Torrey Pines, Bay Hill, the Western Open and two World Golf Championship events -- at La Costa and Atlanta. He won the Vardon Trophy for the lowest scoring average for the fifth consecutive year. He also surpassed Byron Nelson’s streak of making the cut in 114 consecutive tournaments.

Woods was in the top 10 in 12 of his 18 tournaments and was out of the top 20 only twice -- at the PGA Championship and the Tour Championship.

Woods, who turns 28 this month, has already won for the fifth consecutive time the PGA of America’s player-of-the-year award, which is not as subjective as a player vote and is instead based on points accumulated in tournament results and scoring.

Although Singh won the money title, it’s possible the players who voted noticed that Singh averaged $280,515 each tournament and Woods’ average was $370,745. They may have also recognized that Woods won five of the 18 tournaments he played -- 27.7%. Singh won four of 27 -- 14.8%.

Woods plays host to his own tournament this week at Sherwood Country Club in Thousand Oaks, the $5-million Target World Challenge. Singh is also playing.

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Comparing Tiger Woods’ season with Vijay Singh’s:

*--* Category Woods Singh Money $6.6 mil. $7.5 mil. Wins 5 4 Top 10s 12 18 Scoring average 68.41 68.65 Masters finish T15th T6th U.S. Open T20th T20th British Open T4th T2nd PGA Championship T39th T34th

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