Year-end wins make 2012 look even more tantalizing

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Tiger Woods' win over the weekend, along with wins by Rory McIlroy and Lee Westwood, whets the appetite for 2012.

It was a Sunday when everything finally fell into a place.

No more wondering who would one-up who; which player would make us shake our collective heads and realize that it was just one of those years. One where all bets were off; one where the usual suspects were usually MIA.

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Yes, after a season filled with surprises, golf delivered a three-part knockout punch. No majors. No almost majors. Just end-of-the-year events, limited fields, large paychecks and a serious global reach.

Three continents, three wins and, just maybe a glimpse into the future.

Tiger Woods, Rory McIlroy and Lee Westwood are, after all, are the three-fifths of golf's biggest guys and it feels as if they all may be jumpstarting their 2012 seasons. Add Luke Donald and Phil Mickelson and you've got the serious must-haves for any tournament.

And that the stars finally aligned and all three of them won on the same day? The golf gods couldn't have planned that, could they? Regardless, after a season of new faces and surprises on a weekly basis, we started thinking that these guys might just be ready to step up and claim the 2012 season as a group.

It's got the feeling for a perfect storm, doesn't it?

It may take us a full year to figure out what Sunday afternoon meant. It might take four months. Maybe less.

What we do know is what it meant to Tiger, who ended a string of 749 days without a win and two years that have been filled with a divorce, a swing change and more questions than answers.

He was a different player at the Chevron World Challenge -- more relaxed, more focused, more intimidating than we've seen in a while and, quite simply, clutch.

Two birdies down the stretch. Another fist-pump for the highlight reel and a scream that was almost primal. After months of telling everyone he was close, he did it. He got out of his own way, stared down Zach Johnson, took a huge step forward and got everyone talking about what-if.

He's talking swing traj (trajectory in case you're wondering) and exuding the confidence that has to make the rest of the fields think twice. Was that a glint in his eye? Looked a lot like joy, didn't it? The leap up the world rankings to 21st was just icing on the win.

Make no mistake. There was more than a hint of redemption there too. It's been a long road since hitting that fire hydrant Thanksgiving 2009, and since this was the first tournament he missed following the crash, you can bet this was one sweet win.

Who didn't think this meant things really have come together -- finally.

That he celebrated on Twitter by asking who was us for LL Cool J and linked to "Mama Said Knock You Out?" You'd be crazy not to read something into that one.

But he's just the head-snapper. Consider that Rors was thoroughly exhausted, hooked up to IVs during his vacation in the Maldives and tweeted that he needed room service and 12 hours of sleep Saturday night before heading out to win the UBS Hong Kong Open. Then he up and holed out from a bunker on the final hole for a 65 and a comeback win. A must-do because if he doesn't win, he falls to third in the world rankings heading into the season finale in Dubai.

Talk about stepping up. From Masters meltdown to U.S. Open win to this? He's got everyone wondering if he could indeed step up this week and take the European money title away from Donald. He is, after all, a world No. 1 in waiting right?

We never blinked after the U.S. Open. We figured he would take it and run, but he didn't. Not until the past three months when he has turned into a top-five machine and set up this week's showdown.

Westwood can't win the European money title this week, but he sure could make things even more interesting heading into the new year, couldn't he? And it was good to see the former No. 1 snap out of a lull and start making some putts.

Donald? Like Westwood, he's still looking for that major, but he was amazing this year. So consistent that the only surprise was when he wasn't in the top 11. And he wasn't just a quick-hit at No. 1 like Martin Kaymer. When he got there, he stayed there.

Which brings us to Dubai. Tiger and Phil will be interested bystanders stateside, but they will have an eye on the action, trust us. The world's best in a showdown worthy of Augusta's back nine on Sunday or an Open stretch run. Ok. It's Dubai, but you get the idea.

If you can't get pumped to watch a battle for No. 1, we can't help you. But what's even better for us state-siders is Westwood and Rors will be playing a full 15 events on the TOUR in 2012 -- and, safely assuming they qualify, the PGA TOUR Playoffs for the FedExCup -- which could set up even more showdowns with Luke, Tiger, Phil and the boys.

Nothing against all the new faces who popped onto the radar screens in 2011, but can you imagine a 2012 Sunday at Augusta or Royal Lytham with this top-in-the-world perfect storm?

It's been a blast watch Adam Scott, Jason Day and Webb Simpson, to name a few, push their way into the top 10, but how much fun could it be if Sunday's headliners are in the mix too? Figure Mickelson will bounce back from his one-win-and-a-T2-British Open 2011 too.

Just having Tiger on that Augusta leaderboard had us wondering. His game gave us a hint when he stared down the wind at the Australian Open, but came up a poor third-round start short. What if Chevron was really the key that unlocks the next run of inevitable finishes for Tiger? What if Paul Azinger proves prescient with his Sunday tweet -- NAYSAYERS BEWARE?

What if LL Cool J's opening line in Mama -- "Don't call it a comeback. I've been here for years'' -- really does say it all?

It wouldn't surprise the players at all, so it shouldn't surprise us, either. No one expects he'll ever be as dominant as he was before these two life-and-career-changing years, but a serious factor? Absolutely possible and probable.

But before you start considering win streaks or the race for Jack's magic 18 or just about anything else, remember that Sunday wasn't just about Tiger.

It was about the top players in the game stepping up. For big wins. For one last showdown in 2011. And we can't help but think for one giant step toward a perfect storm and what could be a year to remember in 2012.

Melanie Hauser is a columnist for PGATOUR.COM and can be reached at melaniehauser@gmail.com. Her views do not necessarily represent the views of the PGA TOUR. Follow her on Twitter @melaniehauser.