Golfers Who Had the Best and Worst Month of September

The month of September was a huge one for golf.

Golfers competed in the FedEx Cup Playoffs, and that culminated in Brandt Snedeker winning the championship.

The month concluded with the Ryder Cup. Europe won a memorable competition as the U.S. golfers had a significant lead going into the singles matches, but the Europeans asserted themselves on the final day to retain the highly regarded trophy.

Here's a look at the golfers who had the best and worst of it in the month of September.

Best: Rory McIlroy

Rory McIlroy is the No. 1 ranked golfer in the world and the top money winner on the PGA tour.

He had a spectacular year, and he played sensationally in September.

McIlroy won the Deutsche Bank Championship and the BMW Championship in the FedEx Cup playoffs.

He finished tied for 10th in the TOUR Championship event, and he was one of Europe's key players in the Ryder Cup. He went 3-2 in the competition and defeated Keegan Bradley 2 and 1 in the singles event.

Best: Brandt Snedeker

Brandt Snedeker stepped up and played his best golf when it mattered most in September.

Snedeker had an excellent year overall, winning the Farmers Insurance Open in January and finishing third in the British Open.

However, the 32-year-old Snedeker turned it on in September. He finished sixth in the Deutsche Bank Championship and then shocked the golfing world when he won the TOUR championship with a 10-under score of 270.

Snedeker was only 1-2 in the Ryder Cup, but his TOUR championship made it a stellar month.

Best: Keegan Bradley

Keegan Bradley had a very solid year on tour, and while he and his U.S. teammates came up short in the Ryder Cup, his performance was memorable in that competition.

Bradley participated in the FedEx Cup playoffs, and his best showing came in the Deutsche Bank Championship when he tied for 13th.

However, he turned it on in the Ryder Cup competition. He won two foursomes and one fourball matches while teamed with Phil Mickelson. He also lost his singles match to Rory McIlroy.

Bradley's energetic performance turned on the crowd at Medinah Country Club in suburban Chicago. His high fives and body bumps with Mickelson as well as his fist-pumping style allowed the crowd to feed off his energy.

Best: Ian Poulter

If Keegan Bradley was the most energetic player on the U.S. side in the Ryder Cup, Ian Poulter provided much of the energy for the victorious Europeans.

Prior to the Ryder Cup, Poulter participated in the Fed Ex Cup playoffs and finished tied for 12th in the BMW Championship.

Poulter may have been Europe's Most Valuable Player in the Ryder Cup. He was 4-0 in the competition, including a 2-up victory over Webb Simpson in the singles event. He was also victorious in two foursomes and one fourball match.

Worst: Tiger Woods

When you are Tiger Woods, good is simply not enough.

During the month of September, he was a prime contender for the FedEx Cup championship. He finished third in the Deutsche Bank Championship, tied for fourth in the BMW and tied for eighth in the TOUR Championship.

For most golfers, that would be sensational, but not for Woods.

However, the month turned dramatically in the Ryder Cup. He was teamed with Steve Stricker in foursomes and fourball, and the team lost three events. In singles, Woods halved with Francesco Molinari.

Woods' disappointing performance was considered a key reason for the U.S. defeat in the Ryder Cup.

Worst: Jim Furyk

Jim Furyk had a decent run in the FedEx Cup playoffs. After failing to make the cut in the Barclays Championship (in late August), he was in the top 15 in the Deutsche Bank Championship, BMW and the TOUR championship.

In the Ryder Cup, Furyk went 1-2. He split his fourball and foursome matches while teamed with Brandt Snedeker, but he lost his singles match to Sergio Garcia.

Not only did he drop that important match, Furyk had a 1-up lead on Garcia going into the 17th hole and he dropped the last two holes to lose the match.

He appeared shaken badly by the defeat.

Worst: Steve Stricker

Steve Stricker started the month of September with a 13th place finish in the Deutsche Bank Championship. He was tied for 26th in the BMW event and then finished 22nd in the TOUR championship.

Stricker was teamed with his good friend Tiger Woods in the Ryder Cup, and the pairing struggled against the Europeans.

Stricker and Woods dropped their three foursome and fourball competitions, and Stricker's poor play continued in the final day of the Ryder Cup. He lost the penultimate match to Germany's Martin Kaymer, and that loss clinched the victory for the Europeans.

Worst: Graeme McDowell

Graeme McDowell had a memorable year on the golf tour, finishing tied for second in the U.S. Open and tied for fifth in the British Open.

However, September was not very kind to him. After failing to make the cut in the Barclays in late August, he finished tied for 74th in the Deutsche Bank Championship. It wasn't much better in the BMW the following week, as he finished tied for 34th.

While McDowell was on the victorious European Ryder Cup team, he was just 1-3 in his events. He was one of the few Europeans to lose a singles match, dropping a decision to American Zach Johnson (2-up) on the final day.