January - The year started quietly for Tiger Woods but it eventually did become another year where he further etched his name in the annals of golf history.

The games most dominant figure opted out of the traditional season opening Mercedes Championship in Hawaii and Stuart Appleby seized the opportunity edging out Vijay Singh after one playoff hole to snare his record-equalling third consecutive Mercedes title.

Tiger Woods replied soon after at his first tournament of the year when he clinched a record fourth Buick Invitational title in San Diego after a three-way playoff.

After initially falling back in the field early on the final day, Woods clawed his way back before ominously dispatching Nathan Green and Jose Maria Olazabal with some ice cool putting at the first and second extra holes respectively.

In the interim American Chad Campbell won his first PGA Tour title in 11 months with a solid three-shot victory over Scott Verplank at the Bop Hope Classic.

Meanwhile in Europe Henrik Stenson held on to a final day one-shot lead to win his third European the Qatar Masters.

Michael Campbell at this stage still held the US open crown and had many looking over their shoulders as they walked the fairways.

Campbell started well leading the Mercedes Championship after two days before eventually fading to fourth and did not feature in January thereafter.

February - The second month of 2006 began when Spaniard Severiano Ballesteros, one of the most talented European players to grace the game, told the world he would retire - in 2011.

Tiger Woods wasn’t too bothered and fought off Ernie Els in a sudden-death play-off to win the Dubai Desert Golf Classic.

Incidently Woods’ victory was his 57th individual career win and his 14th individual play-off victory out of 16.

American Kevin Stadler then flew down under and eagled the 18th hole on the final day of the Johnnie Walker Classic to stave off a strong chasing field in Perth, Australia.

Michael Campbell made a February appearance at the Match Play World Golf Championship in California but was ousted in the opening round.

Australian Geoff Ogilvy used Campbell’s slip up to announce himself as the premier golfer in Australasia when he pulled off an upset victory at the Match Play Championship, beating veteran American Davis Love III 3&2 in a 36-hole final.

PGA Tour rookie J.B. Holmes held off a late and defiant charge from Phil Mickelson to coast to a seven-shot victory at the Phoenix Open in Arizona.

Mickelson, the defending champion birdied five of the last six holes for a 66 and a tie for seventh at 13 under.

The month was rounded out when Kirk Tripplett took the Chrysler Classic in Tucson Arizona, South African Rory Sabbatini won the Nissan Open at the Riviera Country Club and British Ryder Cup representative Ian Poulter escaped disciplinary action after wearing an Arsenal shirt and causing a stir at the Abu Dhabi Championship in the UAE.

March - Tiger kicked off March like he kicks off most months - by winning a PGA title. This time it was win number 58 and the Doral Championship

Britain’s Luke Donald became the third Englishman (behind Nick Faldo and Tony Jacklin) to win two PGA Tour titles, when he held his nerve and won the Honda Classic in Florida.

A second placing for Ogilvy at the same tournament just served to confirmed his rising status in world golf.

Swede Johan Edfors took out the $1 million TCL Classic on Hainan Island to register his breakthrough win on the European Tour and Rod Pampling won the Bay Hill invitational in Orlando, Florida.

Canadian Stephen Ames kept a cool head and easily won The Players’ Championship, the world’s unofficial 5th major at the end of March before the golf world went quiet as the players began gearing up for the first major of 2006; the Masters.

April - Defending champion Tiger Woods served up a Mexican menu at Augusta National.

Perfectly prepared Phil Mickelson coming off a win at the BellSouth classic, must have liked the food because he then powered his way to his second consecutive major title after holding off the likes of Woods and Olazabal on the final day.

Niclas Fasth and Jeev Milkha Singh, the first Indian to qualify for the European tour, won titles and Michael Campbell remained fairly anonymous once again as April rolled into May.

May - The month began with news that Tiger Woods’ father had sadly passed away due to heart problems and this lead to him missing much of the action for the next month, a blessing for the rest of the world.

Chris Couch kicked off May’s on course action by winning in Zurich and Brit David Holwell ended it by winning the BMW championship.

In between times Johan Edfors confirmed he wasn’t just another strange name by winning the British Masters one-shot clear of the field.

Thomas Bjorn won the Irish Open and hometown fave Francesco Molinari clinched the Italian.

Ian Poulter capped off May by finally getting what he wanted, the title of golf’s first bad boy.

Poulter was given a record-equalling $NZ14,600 fine by the European Tour for verbally abusing a marshal at the Irish Open and also picked up the nickname Poultergeist for his efforts.

June - So to mid year when it was announced that Michael Campbell was still an unknown in the US.

Few were surprised as some US citizens may still be unable to name their president.

It would have been positively baffling to them then when Australian Geoff Ogilivy took out the year’s second major the US Open.

Ogilvy had gradually improved his performances over the year until he flew past the fab-five at the right time and immediately added his name to world golf’s elite.

Michael Campbell once again gave us a glimmer of hope as he tried to mount a spirited defence of his title but sadly he fell away on the second day and missed the cut at the unforgiving Winged Foot course.

Carl Pettersson won the Memorial Classic and Robert Karlsson the Wales Open before Ben Curtis finished June by winning the brilliantly named Booz Allen Classic in Potomac, Maryland.

Then it was time once again for the world’s best golfers to prepare British Open.

It had been announced earlier in the year that the 150th Open Championship would be staged at St Andrews and the enormity of the situation would surely have not escaped a still grieving Tiger Woods.

Source: tvnz.co.nz