This article summarizes the highlights of professional and amateur golf in the year 2008.

Men's professional golf

The Masters The Masters Tournament (usually referred to as simply the Masters, or as the U.S. Masters outside North America) is one of the four men's major golf championships, men's major championships in Professional golf tours, professional golf. Schedul ...

- South African Trevor Immelman won his first major by a three-stroke margin. *12–15, 16 June: U.S. Open - American

Tiger Woods Eldrick Tont "Tiger" Woods (born December 30, 1975) is an American professional golfer. He is tied for first in List of golfers with most PGA Tour wins, PGA Tour wins, ranks second in List of men's major championships winning golfers, men's m ...

won his 14th major by making birdie on the 72nd hole in regulation, and forcing an 18-hole playoff with Rocco Mediate on Monday, 16 June. They each finished the playoff at even par 71, and then went to a sudden death playoff. Woods made a par to Mediate's bogey on the first hole for the win. *17–20 July:

The Open Championship The Open Championship, often referred to as The Open or the British Open, is the oldest golf tournament in the world, and one of the most prestigious. Founded in 1860, it was originally held annually at Prestwick Golf Club in Scotland. Later th ...

Pádraig Harrington Pádraig Peter Harrington (born 31 August 1971) is an Irish professional golfer who plays on the European Tour, PGA Tour and the PGA Tour Champions. He has won three men's major golf championships, major championships: The Open Championship in 2 ...

won his second consecutive Open Championship in a four stroke victory over

Ian Poulter Ian James Poulter (born 10 January 1976) is an English professional golfer who plays in the LIV Golf League. He has previously been ranked as high as number 5 in the world rankings. The highlights of Poulter's career to date have been his two ...

. Fifty-three-year-old

Greg Norman Gregory John Norman (born 10 February 1955) is an Australian former professional golfer who spent 331 weeks as List of World Number One male golfers, world number one in the 1980s and 1990s. He won 88 professional tournaments, including 20 PGA ...

who led after three rounds, finished tied third. *7–10 August:

PGA Championship The PGA Championship (often referred to as the US PGA Championship or USPGA outside the United States) is an annual golf tournament conducted by the Professional Golfers' Association of America. The PGA is one of the four men's major golf champi ...

won his second consecutive major by two shots over Ben Curtis and Sergio García.

FedEx Cup The FedEx Cup is the championship trophy for the PGA Tour. Its introduction in 2007 marked the first time that men's professional golf had a playoff system. Since its inception, the competition has been sponsored by FedEx. In 2022, the PGA Tour ...

playoff events - see 2008 FedEx Cup Playoffs *21–24 August: The Barclays - Vijay Singh won in a playoff against Sergio García and Kevin Sutherland. *28 August – 1 September: Deutsche Bank Championship - Vijay Singh won his second consecutive playoff event with a tournament record 22 under par. *4–7 September: BMW Championship - Camilo Villegas won his first

PGA Tour The PGA Tour (stylized as PGA TOUR by its officials) is the organizer of professional golf tours in North America. It organizes most of the events on the flagship annual series of tournaments also known as the PGA Tour, the PGA Tour Champion ...

event. Vijay Singh's finish as tied 44th was enough to ensure ownership of the 2008 FedEX Cup, providing he completed 72 holes at the final event. *25–28 September: The Tour Championship - Camilo Villegas defeated Sergio García in a playoff. Vijay Singh won the FedEx Cup. Other leading PGA Tour events *20–24 February: WGC-Accenture Match Play Championship -

won the tournament for the third time, beating Stewart Cink in the final 8 and 7. He also becomes the first golfer to hold all three individual

World Golf Championships The World Golf Championships (WGC) were a group of annual professional golf tournaments played from 1999 through 2023 created by the International Federation of PGA Tours as a means of gathering the best players in the world together more freque ...

titles simultaneously. *20–23 March WGC-CA Championship - Geoff Ogilvy wrapped up the win on Monday after bad weather pushed the tournament into a fifth day. *8–11 May:

The Players Championship The Players Championship (commonly known as simply The Players, stylized by the PGA Tour as THE PLAYERS Championship) is an annual golf tournament on the PGA Tour. Originally known as the Tournament Players Championship, it began in 1974. The ...

- Sergio García outlasted Paul Goydos in a one-hole playoff to claim his first PGA Tour title in three years. *31 July – 3 August: WGC-Bridgestone Invitational - Vijay Singh won his first World Golf Championship event and his 32nd PGA Tour event overall, putting him in the record books for most victories by an international player. ''For a complete list of PGA Tour results see

.'' Other leading European Tour events *22–25 May:

BMW PGA Championship The BMW PGA Championship is an annual men's professional golf tournament on the European Tour. It was founded in 1955 by the Professional Golfers' Association (Great Britain & Ireland), Professional Golfers' Association, and originally called the ...

- Miguel Ángel Jiménez of Spain defeated Englishman Oliver Wilson in a playoff. *30 October – 2 November: Volvo Masters -

Søren Kjeldsen Søren Panum Kjeldsen (; born 17 May 1975) is a Danish golfer who currently plays on PGA Tour Champions. Professional career Kjeldsen turned professional in 1995. Kjeldsen's success on the second tier Challenge Tour in 1997, which included his f ...

''For a complete list of European Tour results see 2008 European Tour.'' Team events *18–21 September:

Ryder Cup The Ryder Cup is a biennial men's golf competition between teams from Europe and the United States, with hosting duties alternating between venues in Europe and the United States for each edition. The cup is named after the English businessman S ...

- Team USA regains the trophy with a 16½–11½ win over Team

Europe Europe is a continent located entirely in the Northern Hemisphere and mostly in the Eastern Hemisphere. It is bordered by the Arctic Ocean to the north, the Atlantic Ocean to the west, the Mediterranean Sea to the south, and Asia to the east ...

. Tour leaders *

- Vijay Singh ( $6,601,094) *

European Tour The European Tour, currently titled as the DP World Tour for sponsorship reasons, and legally the PGA European Tour or the European Tour Group, is the leading men's professional golf tour in Europe. The organisation also operates the European ...

- Robert Karlsson (

€ The euro sign () is the currency sign used for the euro, the official currency of the eurozone. The design was presented to the public by the European Commission on 12 December 1996. It consists of a stylized letter E (or epsilon), crossed by t ...

2,732,748) *

Japan Golf Tour The Japan Golf Tour () is a prominent professional golf tour. It was founded in 1973 and as of 2006, it offered the third-highest annual prize fund out of the regular (that is not for seniors) men's professional tours after the PGA Tour and the ...

- Shingo Katayama ( ¥180,094,895) *

Asian Tour The Asian Tour is the principal men's professional golf professional golf tours, tour in Asia except for Japan (which has its own Japan Golf Tour). It is also a full member of the International Federation of PGA Tours. Official money events on ...

Jeev Milkha Singh Jeev Milkha Singh (born 15 December 1971) is an Indian professional golfer who became the first player from India to join the European Tour in 1998. He has won four events on the European Tour, becoming the most successful Indian on tour. H ...

( $1,452,707) *

PGA Tour of Australasia The PGA Tour of Australasia, currently titled as the Challenger PGA Tour of Australasia for sponsorship reasons, is a professional golf tour for men, owned and operated by the PGA of Australia. Official events on the tour count for World Golf ...

- Mark Brown ( A$440,027) *

Sunshine Tour The Sunshine Tour is a men's professional golf tour based in Southern and East Africa. For much of its early history it was known either as the Southern Africa Tour or Sunshine Circuit; through sponsorship deals, it has also been known as the F ...

- Richard Sterne ( R5,599,265) Awards *

– Vijay Singh ** PGA Player of the Year -

** Player of the Year (Jack Nicklaus Trophy) -

** Leading money winner (Arnold Palmer Award) - Vijay Singh ** Vardon Trophy - Sergio García ** Byron Nelson Award - Sergio García ** Rookie of the year - Andrés Romero **Comeback Player of the Year - Dudley Hart * Champions Tour ** Player of the Year - Bernhard Langer ** Rookie of the Year - Bernhard Langer ** Comeback Player of the Year - *

Nationwide Tour The Korn Ferry Tour is the developmental tour for the U.S.-based PGA Tour, and features professional golfers who have either not yet reached the PGA Tour, or who have done so but then failed to win enough FedEx Cup points to stay at that level. ...

** Player of the Year - Brendon de Jonge *

**Player of the Year -

**Rookie of the Year - Pablo Larrazábal Other tour results * 2008 Asian Tour * 2008 PGA Tour of Australasia * 2008 Canadian Tour * 2008 Challenge Tour * 2008 Japan Golf Tour * 2008 Nationwide Tour * 2008 Tour de las Americas Other happenings *18 June –

announced he will miss the remainder of the 2008 season to recover from reconstructive

anterior cruciate ligament The anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) is one of a pair of cruciate ligaments (the other being the posterior cruciate ligament) in the human knee. The two ligaments are called "cruciform" ligaments, as they are arranged in a crossed formation. In ...

surgery on his left knee. *21 November – Jason Hak, an amateur from Hong Kong, became the youngest player ever to make the cut in a European Tour event, at 14 years and 304 days at the UBS Hong Kong Open.

Women's professional golf

LPGA majors *3–6 April: Kraft Nabisco Championship - The number one ranked player in the world,

Lorena Ochoa Lorena Ochoa Reyes (; born 15 November 1981) is a Mexican former professional golfer who played on the U.S.-based LPGA Tour from 2003 LPGA Tour, 2003 to 2010 LPGA Tour, 2010. She was the Women's World Golf Rankings#World number ones, top-ranked ...

, eased to a five-shot win over Suzann Pettersen and

Annika Sörenstam Annika Charlotta Sörenstam (; born 9 October 1970) is a Swedish professional golfer regarded as one of the best female golfers in history. Before stepping away from competitive golf at the end of the 2008 season, she had won 96 international p ...

to claim her second consecutive major. *5–8 June:

LPGA Championship The Women's PGA Championship (branded as the KPMG Women's PGA Championship for sponsorship reasons) is a women's professional golf tournament. First held in 1955, it is one of five majors on the LPGA Tour. It is not recognized as a major by the ...

- Taiwanese teenager Yani Tseng became the youngest ever LPGA Championship winner and the first Taiwanese golfer to win a major. *26–29 June: U.S. Women's Open - Inbee Park notched a 4-stroke victory, becoming the youngest-ever winner in the 63-year history of the tournament. *31 July – 3 August: Ricoh Women's British Open - Jiyai Shin, a member of the KLPGA, won her first major tournament in a three-stroke victory over Yani Tseng. Ladies European Tour major (in addition to the Women's British Open) *24–27 July: Evian Masters -

Helen Alfredsson Helen Christine Alfredsson (born 9 April 1965) is a Swedish professional golfer who played primarily on the U.S.-based LPGA Tour and is also a life member of the Ladies European Tour. She won the LPGA major Nabisco Dinah Shore and twice fini ...

won in the third sudden-death playoff hole over Na Yeon Choi. Alfredsson previously won this event in 1994 and 1998. ''For a complete list of Ladies European Tour results see Ladies European Tour.'' Additional LPGA Tour events *2–5 October: Samsung World Championship - Paula Creamer won the limited field event by one stroke to claim her fourth LPGA Tour win of the season. *20–23 November: LPGA Playoffs at The ADT - Jiyai Shin won the season-ending championship with its $1 million prize. She also became the first non-LPGA member to ever win three LPGA tournaments. ''For a complete list of LPGA Tour results, see 2008 LPGA Tour.'' Team events *18–20 January:

Women's World Cup of Golf The Women's World Cup of Golf was a professional golf tournament contested by teams of two female golfers representing their respective countries. The tournament was played in several incarnations, first in 1992 as the Sunrise Cup World Team Ch ...

- Jennifer Rosales and Dorothy Delasin representing the

Philippines The Philippines, officially the Republic of the Philippines, is an Archipelagic state, archipelagic country in Southeast Asia. Located in the western Pacific Ocean, it consists of List of islands of the Philippines, 7,641 islands, with a tot ...

won the tournament with a winning score of 18 under par 198. The team from Korea was second in the 40-team field. *28–30 November:

Lexus Cup The Lexus Cup was an annual golf tournament played between 2005 and 2008 for professional women golfers contested by a team representing Asia and an international team representing the rest of the world. It was sanctioned by the LPGA Tour,

- The Internalional team defeated the Asian team, 12½ to 11½. Money list leaders *

LPGA Tour The Ladies Professional Golf Association (LPGA) is an American organization for female golfers. The organization is headquartered at LPGA International in Daytona Beach, Florida, and is best known for running the LPGA Tour, a series of weekly ...

– Mexican

( $2,763,193) wins her third straight money title. * Ladies European Tour – Gwladys Nocera of France tops the Order of Merit with

391,840. * Duramed Futures Tour - American teenager Vicky Hurst topped the money list with earnings of $93,107. *

LPGA of Korea Tour The LPGA of Korea Tour is a South Korean professional golf tour for Women's sports, women. LPGA stands for Ladies Professional Golf Association. LPGA of Korea runs this tour, not the American LPGA. It is one of the world's five leading women's golf ...

- Jiyai Shin topped the list for the third straight year with earnings of 765 million won. *

LPGA of Japan Tour The LPGA of Japan Tour is a professional golf tour for women organised by the Japan Ladies Professional Golfers' Association. The tour was founded in 1968. It is the second richest women's golf tour in the world. The U.S.-based LPGA Tour is the mo ...

- Miho Koga won the money list title with earnings of ¥120.85 million. * Ladies Asian Golf Tour - Korean Hee Kyung Seo earned $45,000 to win the money list title. * ALPG Tour - Karrie Webb of Australia topped the 2007/08 money list with A$99,600 in earnings. Awards * LPGA Tour Player of the Year –

* LPGA Tour Rookie of the Year – Yani Tseng *LPGA Tour Vare Trophy –

* LET Player of the Year – Gwladys Nocera * LET Rookie of the Year –

Melissa Reid Melissa Rose Reid (born 19 September 1987) is an English professional golfer who plays on the Ladies European Tour and the LPGA Tour.Corona Championship,

earned enough points to qualify for the World Golf Hall of Fame. Her qualification would have become final when she completed ten years as an LPGA Tour member in 2012, but she chose to retire at the end of the 2010 season in order to start a family. *27 April: 17-year-old rookie Vicky Hurst broke the Duramed Futures Tour 54-hole scoring record with an 18-under par 198 performance at the Jalapeno Golf Classic. The previous record had been set by Grace Park in 1999 at the Betty Puskar Golf Classic.

Senior men's professional golf

Senior majors *22–25 May: Senior PGA Championship - Jay Haas won his second Senior PGA title. *24–27 July:

Senior British Open The Senior Open Championship, or simply The Senior Open (and originally known as the Senior British Open), is a professional golf tournament for players aged 50 and over. It is jointly owned and run by The R&A, the same body that organises The O ...

- Bruce Vaughan won his first Champions Tour event. *31 July – 3 August: U.S. Senior Open - Eduardo Romero finished four strokes ahead of

Fred Funk Frederick Funk (born June 14, 1956) is an American professional golfer. He currently plays on the PGA Tour Champions. He previously played on the PGA Tour, where he was an eight-time winner. Funk's signature win came at The Players Championship ...

, becoming the second Argentinian to win the Senior Open. *14–17 August: JELD-WEN Tradition - American

won his fourth Champions Tour event and his first major tournament on any tour. *9–12 October:

Senior Players Championship The Senior Players Championship, stylised by the PGA Tour as The SENIOR PLAYERS Championship, is one of the five major championships on golf's PGA Tour Champions. The inaugural event was played in 1983 and the age minimum is 50, the standard f ...

- American D. A. Weibring won his fifth Champions Tour event and his first major tournament on any tour. Full results * 2008 Champions Tour * 2008 European Seniors Tour Money list leaders * Champions Tour - German Bernhard Langer topped the money list with earnings of $2,035,073. * European Seniors Tour - Welshman Ian Woosnam topped the Order of Merit with earnings of

320,120.

Amateur golf

*20–23 May: NCAA Division I Women's Golf Championships -

USC USC may refer to: Education United States * Universidad del Sagrado Corazón, Santurce, Puerto Rico * University of South Carolina, Columbia, South Carolina ** University of South Carolina System, a state university system of South Carolina * ...

won its second team championship. Azahara Muñoz of Arizona State won the individual title on the first hole of a playoff with UCLA's Tiffany Joh. *28–31 May: NCAA Division I Men's Golf Championships -

UCLA The University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) is a public land-grant research university in Los Angeles, California, United States. Its academic roots were established in 1881 as a normal school then known as the southern branch of the C ...

swept the team and individual titles, with Kevin Chappell earning the individual title. *30 May – 1 June: Curtis Cup - Team USA won the Cup for the sixth consecutive time, defeating Team Great Britain & Ireland 13–7. *16–21 June:

The Amateur Championship The Amateur Championship (sometimes referred to as the British Amateur or British Amateur Championship outside the UK) is a golf tournament which has been held annually in the United Kingdom since 1885 except during the two World Wars, and in 19 ...

- Reinier Saxton of the Netherlands defeated Tommy Fleetwood of England, 3 & 2. *4–10 August: U.S. Women's Amateur - Amanda Blumenherst of the United States defeated Azahara Muñoz of

Spain Spain, or the Kingdom of Spain, is a country in Southern Europe, Southern and Western Europe with territories in North Africa. Featuring the Punta de Tarifa, southernmost point of continental Europe, it is the largest country in Southern Eur ...

, 2 & 1. *18–24 August:

U.S. Amateur The United States Amateur Championship, commonly known as the U.S. Amateur, is the leading annual golf tournament in the United States for amateur golfers. It is organized by the United States Golf Association and is currently held each August ov ...

- Danny Lee of New Zealand became the youngest winner in the history of the tournament, breaking the previous record set by Tiger Woods in 1994. Other happenings *5 May: Amanda Blumenherst, a junior at

Duke University Duke University is a Private university, private research university in Durham, North Carolina, United States. Founded by Methodists and Quakers in the present-day city of Trinity, North Carolina, Trinity in 1838, the school moved to Durham in 1 ...

, won the Nancy Lopez Award for the second consecutive year. The award is given to the world's most outstanding female amateur golfer.

World Golf Hall of Fame inductees

* Sir Bob Charles (Veterans) * Pete Dye (Lifetime Achievement) * Denny Shute (Veterans) * Carol Semple Thompson (Lifetime Achievement) * Herbert Warren Wind (Lifetime Achievement) * Craig Wood (PGA Tour)

Other

Broadcaster Kelly Tilghman was suspended from

The Golf Channel Golf Channel (also verbally referred to as simply "Golf" or "NBC Golf") is an American sports television network owned by the NBC Sports Group division of NBCUniversal, a subsidiary of Comcast. Founded in Birmingham, Alabama, it is currently ba ...

for two weeks in January after discussing Tiger Woods's dominance on the PGA Tour and saying that young players should "lynch him in a back alley." The comment came during the final round of the Mercedes-Benz Championship.

Table of results

This table summarises all the results referred to above in date order. The following biennial events will next be played in 2009:

Presidents Cup The Presidents Cup is a series of men's golf matches between a team representing the United States and an International Team representing the rest of the world except Europe as that continent competes against the United States in a similar but ...

, Seve Trophy, Solheim Cup,

Walker Cup The Walker Cup is a golf trophy contested in odd-numbered years by leading male amateur golfers in two teams: United States, and Great Britain and Ireland featuring players from the United Kingdom and Ireland. The official name is the Walker Cup ...

References

{{Golf Golf by year