I know what you're thinking; when has professional golf ever been intriguing? Well, ever since Tiger Woods entered the pro ranks all the way back in 1996, the game of golf has literally exploded onto the global sports scene, attracting younger players from diverse socioeconomic and ethnic backgrounds as well as corporate sponsors who have allowed the game to grow into a monetarily relevant business. As the game continued to grow, so did the legend of Tiger Woods. His ultimate triumph came earlier this year at the U.S. Open, when he beat the best players in the world on one knee (yeah, and golfers aren't athletes).

As I sat and watched one of the greatest achievements in athletic history, I couldn't help but wonder where the game would go after this tournament. I knew I would still love the game, but without Tiger in the next two majors, the FedEx Cup or the Ryder Cup, what would happen to golf's mass appeal? And yes, golf had mass appeal after the '08 Open. I spoke with numerous people who didn't have the slightest clue who Rocco Mediate was (or what GIR means for that matter) and still watched Tiger's historic triumph.

Almost without missing a beat, a series of new stars immediately emerged to fill in for Him. Padraig Harrington, Sergio Garcia and Camilo Villegas all provided the youthful exuberance that Tiger's emergence onto the tour had provided the game 12 years earlier. Harrington took the next two majors, a feat that is reserved for only Tiger these days. Sergio provided us with some classic Sergio moments, once again failing to capitalize on a Sunday chance at the PGA. And Villegas (well what's not exciting about him, with the spiderman and his Seve-esque flair -- get well Seve) finished the year with consecutive victories, the second coming against Sergio in a playoff.

And then there was Boo at the Ryder Cup. Oh Boo Weekley, the lovable simpleton of the PGA Tour who would rather be fishing or riding a 460cc horse down the first fairway. The Ryder Cup was proof positive that golf could and would survive without Tiger. The U.S. captivated the sports world with an emotional performance under captain Paul Azinger, beating the mighty Europeans (huh?) for the first time since 'Leonard's putt' in 1999 at Brookline. The group (but mostly Boo) did this without the help of golf's savior or his mangled knee.

For a while, golf was code-named 'Tiger Woods,' but thanks to Boo, Camilo, Sergio and Pardraig (among others), golf will be more than a one man show when Woods finally does find his way back to the tour...but still, hurry back Tiger!