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2010 in review: Major moments

“What time is it back in the UK right now? It’s 10 (minutes) to 4 in the morning? If anyone is partying right now, fair play to them. I think I might catch them all up with beer next week. Harbor Bar, Portrush, pint of Guinness. I think there will be a few of those in my future.” - Graeme McDowell after winning the U.S. Open at Pebble Beach, his first major victory.
“I lost my temper quite a bit four or five years ago on the course. I got to the stage where I realized it’s not helping anything. It’s a matter of just enjoying yourself.” - Louis Oosthuizen on his change in approach on the course prior to winning his first major at the 2010 British Open
“Walking up and seeing the shot, never once did it cross my mind it was in a sand trap,” Johnson said. “I just thought it was on a piece of dirt the crowd had trampled down. Never thought it was a sand trap. I looked at it a lot, never once thought it was a bunker.” - Dustin Johnson on his second shot on No. 18, where he was penalized for grounding his club in a bunker. Johnson would have made a 3-way playoff for the PGA Championship, but instead watched Martin Kaymer beat Bubba Watson in the playoff.
“(Phil Mickelson) said, ‘Listen, there’s an opening in the trees and it’s just a 6-iron. All I have to do is execute. It’s not like I have to hit a big hook or big cut. I have to hit a 6-iron on a big ol’ green.’ So I got out of the way.” - Caddie Jim Mackay on Phil Mickelson's gutsy approach shot on the par-5 13th during the final round of the 2010 Masters. Mickelson won his third green jacket.
“I’ll probably sleep with an ice bag on. I’m afraid to take the tape off – my thumb is going to explode out of it. But the more I think about making pars, the less the thumb bothers me.” - Paula Creamer on the pain in her thumb after the third round of the U.S. Women's Open at Oakmont. She led by 3 strokes heading into the final round. Above, Creamer Creamer hugs her caddie, Colin Cann, after winning the tournament.
“She said, ‘I’m very happy to see you on top, that’s where you belong,’ and wished me good luck for today.” - Yani Tseng on a text message she received prior to the fourth round at the Women's British Open at Royal Birkdale, which Tseng won.
“I told my caddie, ‘I don’t know how to swim, can you help me to get on the top?’ It was a little scary.” - Yani Tseng on celebrating in Poppie's Pond after winning the Kraft Nabisco Championship, the LPGA's first major of the year. It was the first of two major victories for Tseng in 2010.
“It’s been such an amazing week. To play here well on a golf course this tough and to win by that many shots in a major championship – that’s just unreal.” - Cristie Kerr on winning the LPGA Championship by an eye-opening 12 strokes at Locust Hill Country Club in Pittsford, N.Y. She became No. 1 in the world with the victory.
“I'm not sure I've ever experienced anything like that. I turned to my caddie and I said, ‘how many shots have they taken?’ I didn't know if -- I thought that maybe Fred had taken an unplayable, but I wasn't sure and he wasn't quite sure. And I think he did, didn't he? I started thinking, ‘well, he had an unplayable, these guys are both making double, I think.’ Because, I have to be honest, I was nervous,” he admitted. “In having, kind of getting right there to the threshold of winning, it was the most nervous I had been all day. And unfortunately for them and they -- you drive it in the left there, you just, nothing good happens on that hole.” - Tom Lehman on Senior PGA Championship victory after a 3-way playoff with Fred Couples and David Frost at the Colorado Golf Club. Couples and Frost had errant tee shots on the first playoff hole.
“I have always wanted to win the British Open. I didn’t. Now this is the next best thing.” - Bernhard Langer, on winning the Senior British Open, holding off Corey Pavin for a 1-stroke win at Carnoustie.
"It's never much fun, but I've had it before. When you play in the same group with Tiger Woods or Jack Nicklaus or Arnold Palmer or any of the big names in America, certainly the Ryder Cups, I've played 10 Ryder Cups, five on American soil, you get a lot more of this. So I knew what was coming, which doesn't make it any easier." -Bernhard Langer on not being the fan favorite during his victory over hometown hero Fred Couples at the U.S. Senior Open at Sahalee Country Club (Sammamish, Wash.). Here, Langer celebrates his birdie on No. 18 at the end of the third round.
“Nobody was taking off. I thought that Tom or Bernhard (Langer) would get to 13 or 14 under, but nobody did. Guess it was a testament to how tough the golf course was playing.” - Fred Funk on winning his third major, the Tradition at Sunriver Resort’s Crosswater Golf Club. Funk won at 12 under, the highest winning score since 2002.
“Winning with Nick (Price), that was a win, but it was a team win. Not to take anything away from that, but sooner you’ve got to win individually. I’ve come so close. Going through my divorce, getting remarried, having all the personal stuff going on off the course, I was the guy that was there, down, up, all over the place. And it’s just finally great to have one come my way and come out on top.” - Mark O'Meara on winning his first Champions title and the final major of the year, the Senior Players Championship at TPC Potomac at Avenel Farms in Potomac, Maryland.
"That's false reporting... I am trying to say this nicely … Yes, he made it up." - Corey Pavin on Jim Gray's reporting that Tiger Woods would be named to the Ryder Cup
"It’s a changing of the guard over to Europe." - Ryder Cup European captain Colin Montgomerie on the shift in golf dominance.

Photo detail

December 27, 2010

Photo by Getty Images

“Walking up and seeing the shot, never once did it cross my mind it was in a sand trap,” Johnson said. “I just thought it was on a piece of dirt the crowd had trampled down. Never thought it was a sand trap. I looked at it a lot, never once thought it was a bunker.” - Dustin Johnson on his second shot on No. 18, where he was penalized for grounding his club in a bunker. Johnson would have made a 3-way playoff for the PGA Championship, but instead watched Martin Kaymer beat Bubba Watson in the playoff.

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