CLEVELAND – Lydia Ko, who earned an exemption to join the LPGA Tour in October as a 16-year-old, has signed with management company IMG.

Born in South Korea and raised in New Zealand, Ko is already No. 4 in the rankings and won the Swinging Skirts World Ladies Masters last week in Taiwan in her second start as a professional.

She won the Women’s Canadian Open at 15 last year to become the youngest winner in tour history and defended the title this year.

Paula Creamer and Michelle Wie are among the golfers represented by IMG.

Guy Kinnings, global head of golf at IMG, says in a statement on Thursday that Ko “is an incredibly impressive young lady and an astonishing player.”

OAKVILLE, Ont. – The Golf Canada Foundation’s Trustee program offers individuals, organizations and golf clubs the opportunity to partner with the Foundation and leave a legacy in the Canadian golf community.

Launched this year, the Trustee program enables golf enthusiasts who are passionate about Canadian golf to donate as an Individual Trustee, a Major Gift Trustee or a Corporate Trustee.

Trustees can contribute to any of the five programs supported by the Golf Canada Foundation – Women’s Golf (Junior girls programs and the Golf Canada Women’s Fund), Junior Golf (Golf in Schools and CN Future Links), High Performance (Team Canada and Amateur Championships), Heritage (Canadian Golf Hall of Fame & Museum) and Collegiate Golf (Scholarships, grants and the Canadian University/College Championship).

The Foundation is excited to announce its first three trustees – the Canadian Seniors’ Golf Association (CSGA), Andrew Cook and Anne Jewett and the Choquette family. Each Trustee is uniquely helping to support the game across the country through substantial contributions to grassroots programming and scholarship funds.

Canadian Seniors’ Golf Association

As a longstanding partner of the Foundation, the Canadian Seniors’ Golf Association (CSGA) will continue their Scholarship fund that assists four young Canadian men and women annually with scholarships in the amounts of $3,000 and $5,000. In addition, the CSGA has initiated an annual donation campaign, contributing more to the Golf Canada Foundation in 2013 than ever before. This increase in funds will allow the CSGA to support a number of grassroots programs under the Foundation as a trustee. The CSGA’s contribution is a vital component of the Golf Canada Foundation’s focus to support and promote programs that increase participation in golf by engaging players of all ages and abilities across the country.

Cook Family Golf Grant

As Trustees, Andrew Cook and Anne Jewett’s funds will be placed in a Collegiate Grant Matching Fund. Grants awarded to golf programs at Canadian colleges and universities will be matched up to $25,000 by the Cook Family Golf Grant. The Golf Canada Foundation is actively encouraging more supporters to contribute and help grow the matching fund, furthering the development of Canadian collegiate golf programs and allowing Canadian student/athletes to combine the pursuit of a high quality education with playing golf at a reasonable cost.

The Choquette Family Foundation

The Foundation is pleased to welcome the Choquette Family Foundation as a Trustee. The private foundation’s purpose is to fund scholarship programs for individuals pursuing post-secondary education. Four scholarships of $5,000 will be awarded annually to student golfers, who not only excel on the academic level but also best exemplify the ideals of global fellowship. The Choquette Family’s primary focus is to help students become better global citizens by enhancing both the student’s own experiences, as well as the lives and cultures that they touch. In addition, the Choquette Family Foundation Scholarship will donate to $1,250 to each of the selected student’s university golf programs.

To find out how to leave a legacy by becoming a Trustee, click here.

For more information on how to access grants and scholarships please contact Spencer Snell by email at ssnell@golfcanada.ca or via phone 1-800-263-0009 Ext. 265.

(Oakville, Ont. and Ponte Vedra Beach, FL) – PGA TOUR Canada’s second season will include 12 $150,000 events in 2014, with the race for Web.com Tour status for The Five going coast-to-coast from May to September.

The season will begin with the PC Financial Open, a new event May 26th to June 1st at Point Grey Golf and Country Club in Vancouver and conclude at the TOUR Championship of Canada presented by Freedom 55 Financial September 8th to 15th at Sunningdale Golf & Country Club in London, Ont.

“Thanks to the tremendous support of our sponsors and the great work of our host organizations, we’ve been able to grow our schedule and develop an exciting presence of strong, established events and exciting new tournaments from coast-to-coast,” said PGA TOUR Canada President Jeff Monday. “We look forward to building upon our successful first season in 2013 and making the 2014 season even bigger and better.”

After kicking off the season with PGA TOUR Canada’s first event in Vancouver, the Tour will head to Victoria, B.C. for the 32nd playing of the Bayview Place Island Savings Open presented by Times Colonist, June 2nd to 8th at Uplands Golf Club. Following an off week, the Tour will resume at the Syncrude Boreal Open presented by AECON, June 16th through 22nd at Fort McMurray Golf Club in Fort McMurray, Alta.

The SIGA Dakota Dunes Open presented by SaskTel will mark the first of three events in as many weeks, returning to Dakota Dunes Golf Links outside Saskatoon, June 30th to July 6th, followed by The Players Cup, July 7th through 13th at Pine Ridge Golf Club in Winnipeg, and the inaugural Thunder Bay Golf Classic July 14th to 20th at Whitewater Golf Club in Thunder Bay, Ont., after which the top three players on the PGA TOUR Canada Order of Merit will earn exemptions into the RBC Canadian Open on the PGA TOUR.

The season will resume when the ATB Financial Classic moves to a new date, taking place July 28th through August 3rd at Sirocco Golf Club in Calgary. Players will then compete at the inaugural Forces and Families Open, a new event supporting the men and women of the Canadian Armed Forces and their families, August 4th through 10th at Hylands Golf Club in Ottawa.

The 2014 season will make an exciting run to the finish with four events in four weeks, starting with The Great Waterway Classic at Loyalist Golf and Country Club just outside of Kingston, Ont. August 18th through 24th, followed by The Wildfire Invitational presented by PC Financial August 25th to 31st outside Peterborough, Ont., where the top 128 players on the Order of Merit will compete in a unique pro-am format. The Tour will then head east for the Cape Breton Celtic Classic presented by PC Financial September 1st through 7th at The Lakes Golf Club outside Sydney, N.S.

The 2014 season will conclude by returning to Sunningdale Golf and Country Club in London, Ont. for the TOUR Championship of Canada presented by Freedom 55 Financial, taking place September 8th through 14th and concluding the race for The Five.

To view PGA TOUR Canada’s full 2014 schedule, click here.

The PGA of Canada‘s 2013 national award winners have been announced and will be honoured next month at the association’s Canada Night celebrations in Orlando, Fla., as part of the PGA Merchandise Show.

This year’s winners are:

• Billy Walsh (Fairtree Golf Centre) – Mike Weir Player of the Year
• Scott Kolb (Victoria Golf Club) – Pat Fletcher Retailer of the Year
• Pierre-Luc Darveau (Académie de golf Lévis) – Moe Norman Apprentice of the Year
• Rob Houlding (Rob Houlding Golf Academy) – George Knudson Teacher of the Year
• Glen Sirkis (The Meadows at East St. Paul Golf Course) – Jack McLaughlin Junior Leader of the Year
• Robert Ratcliffe (Crown Isle Resort & Golf Community) – Ben Kern Coach of the Year
• Sheryle Rowland (Silver Springs Golf & Country Club) – Murray Tucker Golf Professional of the Year
• Henry Brunton (Henry Brunton Golf) – Tex Noble Award for Professional Development
• Jack Nicklaus – George Cumming Distinguished Service Award

“This year’s crop of national award winners are truly great golf professionals and on behalf of the national board of directors’ and the association’s 3,700 members, I’m proud to congratulate them today on their achievements,” says the PGA of Canada’s president Gregg Schubert.

Each year a national selection committee evaluates application submissions from zone award winners and recognizes winners in each of the categories.

The winners will receive their award and be honoured in January at the association’s Canada Night celebrations at the PGA Merchandise Show in Orlando, Fla.

“The upcoming Canada Night at the PGA Merchandise Show promises to be an amazing evening,” Schubert says. “Not only is it an opportunity to mix and mingle with others in the golf industry, but it’s also a chance to celebrate this wonderful group of PGA of Canada professionals who have been recognized as national award winners” he says, adding, “not to mention we’ll also be unveiling the inaugural class of the PGA of Canada Hall of Fame as well, so that’s very exciting.”

Canada Night takes place in Orlando, Fla., on Jan., 23, 2014 at the PGA Merchandise Show (Orange County Convention Centre).

Toronto – Nike Golf has introduced the Nike Lunar Clayton, a shoe celebrating the heritage and history of golf while providing athletes with exceptional comfort, supportive fit and an aesthetic appeal that’s just right both on and off the course.

The inspiration for the Clayton came to Nike Golf Footwear Product Line Manager Ryan Bucci while he was window-shopping in Florence, Italy.

“Handmade, Italian leather shoes are the essence of premium footwear,” Bucci says. “We saw that there was an opening in the marketplace for a high-quality, handcrafted golf shoe that we could marry with Nike technology to make it lighter, more comfortable and more wearable.”

To achieve the ultimate combination of craftsmanship and comfort, Nike Golf footwear designers combined a handcrafted, waterproof leather upper with lightweight Nike Lunarlon technology in the outsole for maximum responsive cushioning. A leather welt, often used in traditional methods of making shoes, joins the upper to the outsole while protecting from the elements.

“In the past, wearing a high-end leather golf shoe meant you had to take the time to break it in,” Bucci says. “The Nike Lunar Clayton is a handcrafted leather shoe built to last but ready to wear. We obsessed the details, from the leather upper to the contrast stitching to stability and fit.”

A new Internal Dynamic Fit System provides a secure fit and stability in the midfoot through a lacing system that Nike Golf designers moved to the inside of the upper. A molded rubber outsole (Integrated Traction) makes the Nike Lunar Clayton a versatile, wearable shoe on and off the golf course.

Additional design features include a Nike-crafted Swoosh on the upper, premium sock liner, contrast stitch details and two sets of laces with each pair of shoes.

The shoes – expected to retail for around $250 – will be available in stores February 1, 2014. They’ll be available in Black/Black-Sail; White/White-Venom Green-Cool Grey.

Vancouver – PGA TOUR Canada will be coming to Vancouver in 2014 with the PC Financial® Open. The PC Financial Open will be the first event of the 2014 PGA TOUR Canada season, taking place May 26th to June 1st at Point Grey Golf and Country Club.

“Adding the PC Financial Open as our first event of the season is very exciting, and we’re thrilled to be adding a PGA TOUR Canada event in Vancouver,” said PGA TOUR Canada President Jeff Monday. “Sports fans in Vancouver will have the opportunity to watch some great golf as our players compete on the superb Point Grey golf course as they begin their quest to be one of The Five that earn Web.com Tour status.  PC Financial’s support of this tournament, along with the other events they are involved with, is indicative of their goal to provide opportunity for people to succeed.”

“For the past 15 years, PC Financial has been committed to supporting the communities we serve from coast-to-coast.  We are proud to be the Title Sponsor of the new PC Financial Open in Vancouver and excited to build on the success of our PGA Tour Canada partnership which began last year,” said Barry Columb, President, President’s Choice Financial.

The full field event will see 156 players take on the 6,801-yard Point Grey Golf and Country Club, which has hosted several major events in the past including the RBC Canadian Open and Canadian Pacific Women’s Open.

The First Tee of Greater Vancouver YMCA, where youth ages 7-18 years learn the fundamental skills of the game as well as life-enhancing values through the game of golf, will be the official charitable benefactor for the PC Financial Open.

“The members and staff at Point Grey are excited by the prospect of being a regular stop on PGA TOUR Canada’s schedule through 2016, a development which is very positive for golf and golf fans in the Lower Mainland,” said Peter Altridge, Director, Point Grey Golf and Country Club. “Having hosted the BC Open for many years, we look forward to our association with PGA TOUR Canada and the support that this event will provide to The First Tee of Vancouver.”

SDI Marketing, which helped make The Wildfire Invitational and the Cape Breton Celtic Classic, presented by PC Financial, successful events on PGA TOUR Canada’s inaugural season, will be the host organization for the tournament.

“We are extremely excited about extending our partnership with PGA Tour Canada, and establishing a strategically important event in Vancouver. PC Financial has really stepped up to the plate and the event is lucky to have such an engaged, family-focused, Title Sponsor,” said Geoff Conant, Senior Vice President of SDI Marketing. “Along with their involvement as presenting sponsors at SDI Marketing’s other PGA TOUR Canada events, The Wildfire Invitational and Cape Breton Celtic Classic, PC Financial is really looking forward to being a part of an event that provides great entertainment and gives so much back to the community.”

SDI Marketing has also hired Linx Marketing, which operates the ATB Financial Classic and Syncrude Boreal Open presented by AECON, in a consulting role for the event. Based in Vancouver, Linx brings a wealth of expertise to the event as well as close ties to The First Tee of Greater Vancouver YMCA.

The top five players on the PGA TOUR Canada Order of Merit earn Web.com Tour cards for the following season. The full 2014 PGA TOUR Canada schedule will be announced at a future date.

Eleven Canadians will begin their quest at securing or improving playing status for the Web.com Tour’s 2014 season this week at PGA West’s TPC Stadium and Nicklaus tournament courses in La Quinta, Calif., December 12-17.

This year marks the beginning of the PGA TOUR’s new qualifying format that will see players given status solely on the Web.com Tour for the 2014 season at the conclusion of 108 holes. In past years, the top-25 players were awarded a direct ticket to the PGA TOUR.

Canadians in the field at Final Qualifying:

• Yohann Benson, Montréal, Que.
• Cam Burke, New Hamburg, Ont.
• Devin Carrey, Surrey, B.C.
• Albin Choi, Toronto, Ont.
• Max Gilbert, St-Georges, Que.
• Derek Gillespie, Oshawa, Ont.
• Justin Shin, Maple Ridge, B.C.
• Roger Sloan, Merritt, B.C.
• Nick Taylor, Abbotsford, B.C.
• Riley Wheeldon, Comox, B.C.
• Eugene Wong, North Vancouver, B.C.

The 11 Canadians in the field this week will look to finish inside the top-45, which will give them exempt status until the Web.Com Tour’s second periodic re-order of the 2014 season. Below is a breakdown of how Web.com Tour membership will be awarded at the conclusion of play.

Web.com Tour membership

After the conclusion of play in the Final Qualifying Stage the contestants in the Final Qualifying Stage will be eligible for 2014 Web.com Tour membership, unless the PGA TOUR, in its sole discretion, elects not to award a membership based on other factors. Contestants who are; under the age of 18; an amateur; or do not become members will be included to determine the following categories as described in the Web.com Tour Tournament Regulations.

– Category 2a: Winner and ties of the Web.com Tour Qualifying Tournament Medalist – exempt for the 2014 season and from periodic re-order.

– Category 4: Players finishing after the Winner and ties through tenth and ties position – exempt until the third periodic re-order of the 2014 season.

– Category 4a: Players finishing after the tenth and ties position through forty-fifth and ties position – exempt until the second periodic re-order of the 2014 season.

– Category 18: Players after the forty-fifth and ties position – conditional status for the 2014 season, alternating with seventy-sixth through one-hundredth (76-100) positions from the Web.com Tour Regular Season.

For scoring, pairings and information on Web.com Final Qualifying, click here.

FAIRHAVEN, Mass. – Titleist has introduced a new putter into the marketplace. The new Scotty Cameron Futura X Dual Balance mallet, a product of comprehensive putting research and golfer testing, is designed to provide maximum stability through the stroke and at impact from a high moment of inertia, counterbalanced design.

“We’ve found, through our last 20 years of high speed video research with tour players, that the best putters in the world point the butt of their putter at their midsection throughout the putting stroke,” said Master Craftsman Scotty Cameron. “From address, to the backstroke, at impact and through the forward stroke – the butt of the putter remains pointed to about the same 1- or 2-inch circle in their belly area.

“With Futura X Dual Balance, the goal was to slow down the butt end of the putter and keep it stable. If you have quick hands, drag the butt away, or you struggle to make a consistent stroke with a conventional putter, Futura X Dual Balance is a great option.”

The proper length of a Dual Balance putter is three inches longer than a golfer’s conventional putter length. Accordingly, the standard length of Dual Balance is 38 inches, three inches longer than the standard length of a conventional 35-inch Scotty Cameron putter. The 15-inch grip length also allows for multiple hand placement options and the ability to grip up or down, depending on the player’s preference.

“The higher we can get the butt weight, the more counterbalance effect there is,” Cameron said. “The additional three inches provides stability but keeps the putter unanchored.”

Precision milled from high-grade 6061 aluminum, the Futura X Dual Balance head utilizes a heavy stainless center section and stainless heel and toe to deliver a precise counterbalance with an extra 50 grams in the head and a 50-gram weight in the shaft. The overall headweight is 400 grams, 50 grams heavier than the standard Futura X.

The Futura X Dual Balance head also features advanced perimeter stability weighting with four stainless heel-toe weights, two 20-gram weights on the rear balance bar and two 10-gram sole weights in the front corners of the putter. The resulting deep centre of gravity, plus the perimeter weighting under the face, creates forgiveness and solid feel for a great roll.

The putter has a Frozen Titanium finish that helps reduce glare, two black sightlines and red cherry-dot weights in the sole and balance bar. The mid-milled face texture draws a crisp sound from the aluminum face and body.

A double-bend, stepless steel shaft with one shaft of offset provides a square, technical visual at address.

The original Futura X head design was the direct result of Cameron’s extensive work with Titleist Brand Ambassador Adam Scott, who used a prototype version of the putter in winning the 2013 Masters Tournament. Scott, who has been using Cameron putters for more than a decade, calls his Futura X “the most stable putter I have ever played.”

Futura X Dual Balance is now available worldwide through Titleist authorized golf shops.

THOUSAND OAKS, Calif. – Tiger Woods said long ago he would give up golf when he felt he could play his best and still not win.

That includes his lifetime invitation to the Masters.

“Let me put it to you this way,” Woods said last week at his World Challenge. “I’m not going to beat Arnold’s record. I’m not playing that long, that’s for sure.”

Palmer set a record in 2004 by playing in his 50th consecutive Masters. Woods won his first green jacket when he was 21, and with reasonable health (a big assumption considering his injuries), he would seem to be in the best position to break that record. Even with his injuries, the Masters is the one major Woods has never missed.

He just doesn’t appear the least bit interested in that kind of a record.

“For me, I always want to win,” he said. “So if I can’t win, why tee it up? That’s just my own personal belief. And I know what it takes to prepare to win and what it takes to go out there and get the job done, and there’s going to become a point in time where I just can’t do it anymore. We all as athletes face that moment. I’m a ways from that moment in my sport, but when that day happens, I’ll make a decision and that’s it.”

But for Woods or any golfer, it’s tough to know when that day happens.

Palmer never won another PGA Tour event after the Bob Hope Classic in 1973, though he remained competitive for many years. Several players eligible for the Champions Tour are hesitant about moving on.

When is it time?

“In golf, you can still win golf tournaments in your 50s, and guys have done it,” Woods said. “Probably the more difficult thing is that you can still finish top 10, top five, but you’re probably just not quite as efficient as you need to be to win golf tournaments. But you can still be there.”

Might he change his mind about the Masters as he gets older? It doesn’t sound like it.

“Mellowing on that? No. I’ll be on that first tee starting out the event, I’m sure,” he said with a smile and a dose of sarcasm. “So I mean, you hit a good drive and you can’t get to where you can see the flag? I don’t know why it’s even fun.”

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STENSON AWARD: Henrik Stenson has won the Golf Writers Trophy from the Association of Golf Writers, awarded to the top golfer who was born or lives in Europe, along with European teams. Stenson became the first player this year to win the FedEx Cup on the PGA Tour and the Race to Dubai on the European Tour.

Nearly two-thirds of the AGW members made Stenson their first choice on a ballot that included U.S. Open champion Justin Rose and Europe’s Solheim Cup team that won on American soil for the first time.

Stenson was the first Swedish male to win the award. Annika Sorenstam won the award twice.

“I’m looking forward to getting a few of these trophies I’ve won into the summer house in Sweden,” said Stenson, who primarily lives at Lake Nona in Orlando, Fla. “It has been such a great year that I can have a few in Europe and a few in my house in America. What a great thrill it is going to be over Christmas to sit by the fire with my family and take stock of the season, look at trophies such as this one and reflect on the year of my life.”

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IN THE BAG: Jack Nicklaus won’t have a bouquet of head covers in his bag when he plays the PNC Father-Son Challenge this weekend, though the 14 clubs in his bag have changed from his prime.

Nicklaus said when he played on the PGA Tour he carried a driver and a 3-wood, a 1-iron through a 9-iron, pitching wedge, sand wedge and putter.

“Now I’ve got a driver, a 3-wood, a 4-wood and a 5-wood,” he said last week in a conference call. “I’m not a big hybrid guy, although I’m playing with one right now and I took out the 2-iron. That’s pretty much where I am. I’m usually a 3-iron through 9-iron, pitching wedge and sand wedge. I don’t know if that’s 14 or 15 (clubs), but it’ll be 14 when I tee it up.”

No other player hit more memorable shots with a 1-iron than Nicklaus, a club that featured in three of his majors _ the 1972 U.S. Open at Pebble Beach, the 1975 Masters and the 1967 U.S. Open at Baltusrol.

But there were times when he benched the 1-iron.

“I used to even go to Augusta when I carried a 1-iron a lot, and sometimes I’d put in maybe a 4- or 5-wood, simply because you needed some elevation to stop it on the greens and some of the lies you played,” Nicklaus said.

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THE HANEY SHOW: Hank Haney has gone from writing a book on his years with Tiger Woods to hosting his own radio show on SiriusXM.

The radio network continues to beef up its programming. It already has shows for Henrik Stenson and Ian Poulter, along with two-time Masters champion, architect and golf savant Ben Crenshaw. Haney will host “Hank Haney Golf Radio,” an instructional-based show that will air Saturday and Sunday at 10 a.m. ET starting on Jan. 3.

The program will be geared around Haney’s teaching philosophy, and he will take calls from listeners who want help with their games. Haney also will offer his analysis on today’s players and take on current topics, which are sure to include Woods.

“This show will be truly interactive and I’m eager to speak with golfers across the country,” Haney said.

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TWEETING TIGER: Jason Dufner jokingly tweeted to Tiger Woods that the schedule of the World Challenge be changed so Dufner could watch Auburn in the SEC title game last week. Woods replied on Twitter, “Petition denied.”

@JasonDufner Petition denied.

— Tiger Woods (@TigerWoods) December 3, 2013

It was a significant only because it was Woods’ first tweet in more than a month. It was his 35th tweet in the span of a year, most of them commercially related. And that Dufner tweet was the first of – get this – FIVE tweets in two days.

“I’m hot, aren’t I?” Woods said.

Woods said girlfriend Lindsey Vonn is trying to persuade him to tweet more. Progress remains slow.

“I grew up in a different era, and it’s a little bit different for me,” Woods said, who is 9 years older than the downhill ski champion. “I’m still a little bit old-school. I’m kind of getting it, but still not grasping the whole concept yet. But I’ll get there eventually.”

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DIVOTS: K.J. Choi donated his $100,000 from the World Cup to help with relief efforts in the Philippines. “I wanted to represent Korea in sharing the sentiment of my fellow countrymen to our friends in the Philippines,” Choi said. “I send my deepest condolences to the people of the Philippines who have lost their families and homes. The donation from the KJ Choi Foundation was sent to the American Red Cross. … Redstone Golf Club is now called ”Golf Club of Houston“ under a contractual requirement when it changed ownership. It still is host of the Shell Houston Open, the final PGA Tour event before the Masters. … Cal coach Steve Desimone has been selected U.S. captain of the Palmer Cup next year. The Palmer Cup, matches between college players from the United States and Europe, will be June 26-28 at Walton Heath.

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STAT OF THE WEEK: The 19 tournaments Tiger Woods played this year offered an average of 72.7 world ranking points to the winner.

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FINAL WORD: “Driving accuracy far outweighs distance. And I sleep better at night knowing that.” – Zach Johnson. He was No. 8 in driving accuracy on the PGA Tour last year and No. 153 in driving distance.

THOUSAND OAKS, Calif. – Wanting to return among the elite in golf, Graeme McDowell mapped out a plan last fall. He figured out how many ranking points he would need to get back into the top five in the world.

And he went about it the right way. It started with his win at the World Challenge a year ago. He won at Hilton Head on the PGA Tour. He won the World Match Play Championship and the French Open on the European Tour. He was third at World Golf Championships in Doral and Shanghai.

“I’ve got to say, I got pretty close to that target that I set myself,” McDowell said.

Little did he know how much the target would be moving in an extraordinary year for golf.

McDowell ended last year at No. 15 in the world. Now he is all the way up to No. 12.

“I wasn’t really factoring on how many great players around me were going to have incredible seasons,” McDowell said. “So making an impact in that top 10 in the world has been very difficult to do this year because you just get so many guys playing incredibly well.”

Call it bad timing for McDowell, and happy days for golf.

Rarely has the golf season – men and women – felt so rewarding for so many players. Perhaps that explains why Tiger Woods could win five times – more than any other player in the world – capture the PGA Tour money title and the Vardon Trophy for the lowest scoring average, and then listen to people discuss the definition of player of the year and whether he is worthy without having won a major.

Woods won the vote as the best player on the PGA Tour.

He is used to playing under a different set of standards, a victim of his own success. Anyone else with five trophies from the courses where he won – Torrey Pines, Doral, Bay Hill, TPC Sawgrass and Firestone – and there would be a debate.

But this wasn’t just any other year.

Adam Scott became the first Australian to win the Masters, and along the way earned redemption from blowing the British Open nearly nine months earlier. He had the outright lead on the back nine at the British Open this year before faltering. A month later, he won The Barclays during the FedEx Cup playoffs, arguably one of the strongest fields of the year with the tour’s top 125 players who are all on form.

When he finally went home to show off his green jacket, Scott won the Australian PGA Championship and the Australian Masters, and then teamed with Jason Day to give Australia its first World Cup title in 24 years. He was poised to capture Australia’s Triple Crown until Rory McIlroy beat him on the last hole in the Australian Open.

A better year than Woods? Probably not, though it depends how much weight is given a major.

Perhaps a better question: Did he have a better year than Phil Mickelson?

Lefty came within a cruel lip-out of shooting a 59 in the Phoenix Open, which he wound up winning. Showing off a short game like no other, his chip on the 18th hole at Castle Stuart gave him a victory in the Scottish Open. And his Sunday at Muirfield gets little debate over the best round of the year. Mickelson made four birdies on the last six holes for a 66 to capture the one major that not even he thought he could win.

Who won the most meaningful major this year? Mickelson or Scott? Best to save that argument for the bar.

Not to be forgotten is Henrik Stenson, who in April wasn’t even eligible for the Masters. He finished one shot behind in the Shell Houston Open, which got him to Augusta National. But it was the summer when the Swede began to shine.

A tie for third in the Scottish Open. Runner-up at the British Open. Runner-up at Firestone (by seven shots to Woods), third at the PGA Championship. He won two FedEx Cup playoff events to win the $10 million FedEx Cup. And for good measure, he won the final event in Europe to become the first player to win the FedEx Cup and Race to Dubai in the same season.

Missing from the equation this year was the guy who started the year at No. 1 – McIlroy. He still had a good view.

“You’ve got Tiger with five wins this year. Adam breaks through for his first major. Phil wins the major he thinks he’s never going to win. Henrik comes back,” McIlroy said. “Yeah, it’s deep. You’ve got to play really well to win. … But I think golf is in great shape.”

On the LPGA Tour, the points-based player of the year came down to the next to last week, even though Inbee Park had won three straight majors among her six titles. Suzann Pettersen and Stacy Lewis won the other majors. Lewis won the Vare Trophy for lowest scoring average. Pettersen had a chance to win the money title until she faltered in the Titleholders.

That’s what inspired LPGA Commissioner Mike Whan to say, “Sports are at their absolute best … when the best athletes in that sport are having the best years of their lives.”

It’s hard to say with certainty that Woods was at his absolute best, and not just because he didn’t win a major. It used to be that when Woods was at his best, there was not enough wealth to go around. Now there is.

What a year.