Still, winning the official championship of the Professional Golfers Association of America counts as one of the season’s big accomplishments, and it has played a major role in Tiger Woods’ pursuit of Jack Nicklaus’ all-time record for major championship wins (18). Woods has claimed four PGAs among his first 14 majors.

Otherwise, the winners list is a mixed bag of big names and one-time wonders. Here it is, highlighting the last 11 (beginning with Tiger’s first), with a little bit about what they did and where they did it:

2009 — Y. E. Yang, a 37-year-old who had gone to Q-school just a year earlier, became the first Asian-born player to win a major championship, defeating Woods by three strokes at Hazeltine. Woods previously was 14-0 when leading a major at the start of the final round.

2008 — Padraig Harrington overcome Sergio Garcia on the back nine on Sunday at Oakland Hills in Michigan to add the PGA to the British Open crown he won earlier in the summer.

2007 — Tiger Woods held off Woody Austin by two strokes at Southern Hills in Tulsa, Okla., to win for the fourth time.

2006 — Tiger Woods shot all four rounds in the 60s and finished 18 under par in Medinah, Ill.

2005 – Phil Mickelson claimed his second major with a tap-in birdie on the par-5 18th hole to win at Baltusrol Golf Club in Springfield, N.J.

2004 — Vijay Singh won a three-way playoff with Justin Leonard and Chris DiMarco at Whistling Straits in Kohler, Wisc.

2003 — Shaun Micheel held off Chad Campbell at Oak Hill Country Club in Rochester, N.Y. for his first career victory.

2002 — Rich Beem blew past Tiger Woods on the back nine on Sunday at Hazeltine National Golf Club in Chaska, Minn.

2001 — David Toms finished with a 15-under 265 to set a major championship 72-hole record at the Atlanta Athletic Club.

2000 — Tiger Woods won as the PGA Championship returned to Valhalla Golf Club in Louisville, Ky.

1999 — Tiger Woods held off 19-year-old Spaniard Sergio Garcia by one stroke at Medinah (Ill.) Country Club.

Advertisement

Special Awards
Arthur Ashe Courage Award: President Nelson Mandela
Jimmy V Award For Perseverance: Don Meyer, Northern State University coach
Best Comeback: Dara Torres, Olympic swimmer.

Best in Sport
Best Female Athlete: Nastia Liukin, Gymnastics
Best Male Athlete: Michael Phelps, Olympic Swimming
Best Moment: US Swim team wins thrilling finish in Olympic relay
Best Team: Los Angeles Lakers
Best Coach/Manager: Phil Jackson, Los Angeles Lakers
Best Game: Steelers vs. Cardinals in Super Bowl XLIII
Best Championship Performance: Michael Phelps, Olympic Swimming
Best Play: Roethlisberger to Holmes Super Bowl Winning TD
Best Upset: US Soccer shocks Spain in the Confederations Cup semifinals
Best Breakthrough Athlete: Matt Ryan, Atlanta Falcons
Best Record Breaking Performance: Michael Phelps, Olympic Swimming
Best Sports Movie: The Express: The Ernie Davis Story
Best Male College Athlete: Tim Tebow, Florida Football
Best Female College Athlete: Maya Moore, Connecticut Women’s Basketball
Best Male Athlete with a Disability: Jason Lester, Ironman Triathlete
Best Female Athlete with a Disability: Erin Popovich, Swimming
Best International Male Athlete: Usain Bolt (Jamaica, Sprinter)
Best International Female Athlete: Lorena Ochoa (Mexico, Golf)

Individual Sports
Best Baseball Player: Albert Pujols, St. Louis Cardinals
Best NBA Player: LeBron James, Cleveland Cavaliers
Best WNBA Player: Candace Parker, Los Angeles Sparks
Best NFL Player: Larry Fitzgerald, Arizona Cardinals
Best NHL Player: Sidney Crosby, Pittsburgh Penguins
Best MLS Player: Landon Donovan, Los Angeles Galaxy
Best Male Action Sports Athlete: Shaun White, Skateboarding/Snowboarding
Best Female Action Sports Athlete: Maya Gabeira, Surfing
Best Bowler: Norm Duke
Best Driver: Jimmie Johnson
Best Fighter: Manny Pacquiao, Boxing
Best Male Golfer: Tiger Woods
Best Female Golfer: Lorena Ochoa
Best Jockey: Calvin Borel

Advertisement

In contrast to the U.S. Open, players at the British contend with links courses and coastal conditions that can make each day a new adventure. Like the U.S., it’s an intense test of golf that produces champions both familiar (Tiger Woods, three times in the past nine years) and relatively obscure (Paul Lawrie, Todd Hamilton).

With Woods missing the cut, 59-year-old Tom Watson flirted with history in 2009, coming within an eight-foot putt of winning on the 72nd hole before losing a playoff to Stewart Cink.

Who preceded him? The list of the last 10 winners includes:

2009 — Stewart Cink

2008 — Padraig Harrington

2007 — Padraig Harrington

2006 — Tiger Woods

2005 — Tiger Woods

2004 — Todd Hamilton

2003 — Ben Curtis

2002 — Ernie Els

2001 — David Duval

2000 — Tiger Woods

To see the rest, visit Opengolf.com

Of golf’s four major championships, the U.S. Open may be the most difficult to win. Having to play an extra 19 holes on a bum knee, as Tiger Woods did in outlasting Rocco Mediate to win the 2008 Open, only adds to the challenge.

Spring weather can be a challenge at The Masters, conditions at the British Open vary wildly, and the PGA Championship often is an endurance contest in the dog days of summer. But the U.S. Open is a grind, as the United States Golf Association combines thick rough and lightning-fast greens to create a demolition derby in which even par is almost always a contending score.

For your weekend hacker, that makes The Open a bit of a guilty pleasure, as the world’s greatest players are brought to their knees by the course and the pressure to avoid the one big mistake that can take them out of the running. That often produces an unexpected winner, the long shot who conjures up just enough magic for 72 (or more) holes.

Who has done the best job of handling it all?

Your Open champions, of course. The list includes:

2009 – Lucas Glover

2008 – Tiger Woods – p

2007 – Angel Cabrera

2006 - Geoff Ogilvy

2005 – Michael Campbell

2004 – Retief Goosen

2003 – Jim Furyk

2002 – Tiger Woods

2001 – Retief Goosen

2000 – Tiger Woods

Advertisement

Despite being sidelined between the 2008 U.S. Open and the Spring of 2009, Tiger Woods still tops Forbes‘ newest list of the World’s Highest Paid Athletes. Who else is at the top of this game when it comes to raking in the cash? According to Forbes, here are the Top 10:

1. Tiger Woods — $110 million

T2. Kobe Bryant — $45 million

T2. Michael Jordan — $45 million

T2. Kimi Raikkonen — $45 million

5. David Beckham — $42 million

T6. LeBron James — $40 million

T6. Phil Mickelson — $40 million

T6. Manny Pacquaio — $40 million

9. Valentino Rossi — $35 million

10. Dale Earnhardt, Jr. — $34 million

To read a little about each of these, and to see a slideshow, visit Forbes.

Forbes is out with its annual listing of the world’s most powerful celebrities, and the formidable Ms. Winfrey is no longer No. 1. That honor goes to none other than Angelina Jolie, equally famous for her roles as Hollywood star and mother to the world.

Who else made the list? Here’s the top 10:

1. Angelina Jolie

2. Oprah Winfrey

3. Madonna

4. Beyonce Knowles

5. Tiger Woods

6. Bruce Springsteen

7. Steven Spielberg

8. Jennifer Aniston

9. Brad Pitt

10. Kobe Bryant

What makes these the elite of the elite? Read all about it, and catch the rest of the list, at Forbes.

Advertisement

The annual pilgrimage to Augusta, Georgia, is the opener for golf’s “major” season, setting the table for the U.S. Open, British Open, and PGA championships that follow in the summer months. The venue, Augusta National, is one of golf’s most breathtaking,  especially when the spring flowers and dogwoods are in full bloom.

Of course, a bad weather day at Augusta can be as miserable as it gets, and many a Masters weekend has offered both extremes. Whatever the conditions, Augusta has produced many of golf’s most memorable moments, humbling some of the game’s greatest players while providing more than a few surprising winners.

Here are the last 10 men to slip on the green jacket, and a little bit of what they did to earn the privilege:

2009 — Angel Cabrera: Beat Kenny Perry and Chad Campbell in a playoff to claim his first green jacket.

2008 — Trevor Immelman: Overcame a shaky final round to beat Tiger by three shots.

2007 — Zach Johnson: Edged three players, including Tiger Woods, for a two-stroke win.

2006 — Phil Mickelson: Grabbed his second green jacket in three years with a two-stroke win over Tim Clark.

2005 — Tiger Woods: Won his fourth green jacket with a 15-foot birdie putt on the first hole of a sudden death playoff, defeating Chris DiMarco.

2004 — Phil Mickelson: Made an 18-foot birdie putt on the 72nd hole to win his first major, beating Ernie Els by a stroke.

2003 — Mike Weir: First Canadian and first lefthander to win the Masters. Defeated Len Mattiace on the first playoff hole.

2002 — Tiger Woods: Defended his title by shooting a 66 on Saturday before cruising to a three-shot win over Retief Goosen.

2001 – Tiger Woods: Finished 16 under par, two shots better than David Duval.

2000 – Vijay Singh: Final round 69 was good enough for a three-shot win over Ernie Els.

Source: Masters.com

Advertisement

Phelps was the star of the Beijing Olympics, winning a record eight gold medals. His 14 career gold medals are the most won by an Olympian.

Phelps is the first swimmer ever to receive the prestigious Sportsman of the Year designation.

Sports Illustrated named its first Sportsman of the Year in 1954, bestowing the honor on Roger Bannister the same year the distance runner become the first man to run a mile in less than four minutes.

Here’s a list of the last 10 winners:

To see the rest, and to look back on the covers from all those years, visit SI.com

Phelps was the star of the Beijing Olympics, winning a record eight gold medals. His 14 career gold medals are the most won by an Olympian.

Phelps is the first swimmer ever to receive the prestigious Sportsman of the Year designation.

Sports Illustrated named its first Sportsman of the Year in 1954, bestowing the honor on Roger Bannister the same year the distance runner become the first man to run a mile in less than four minutes.

Here’s the all-time list:

Source: SI.com

BusinessWeek has ranked the 100 Most Influential People in Sports. A few might surprise you, but most probably won’t.

Here are the Top 10:

  1. Tiger Woods

  2. Roger Goodell, NFL Commissioner

  3. David Stern, NBA Commissioner

  4. George Bodenheimer, President, ESPN

  5. Dick Ebersol, Chairman, NBC Sports

  6. Phil Knight, Chairman, Nike

  7. Allan “Bud” Selig, Commissioner, Major League Baseball

  8. Brian France, Chairman and CEO, NASCAR

  9. Michael Jordan, NBA great, Minority Owner Charlotte Bobcats

10. Sean McManus, President, CBS News and Sports

To read about the rationale behind the rankings, and to see who else made the list, visit BusinessWeek.