Men's Golf: 8 Golfers Who Showed Us Tiger Woods Is Not Everything

Tiger may not be the top golfer any more, but that doesn't mean golf has taken a break.

This year, we have witnessed great feats and accomplishments that, different from other seasons, didn't include Woods, who once reigned the sport.

Major champions, first-time winners, youngsters who took over the rankings and new names that topped the leader boards.

Therefore, it's only fair to make a recap of those who showed us that Tiger Woods isn't a synonym of golf.

Keegan Bradley

Say hello to the PGA Tour Rookie of the Year. Keegan Bradley won two PGA titles this season: HP Byron Nelson Championship and the PGA Championship, showing that he's one of the most talented players out there.

His great performance throughout the year sent him from the 328th spot (January 2011) in the Official World Golf Ranking up to the 30th (December 2011).

Regarding the ROY announcement, Keegan said that "it was the main goal of mine to start the year."

Jason Day

At age 24, Jason Day has made quite an impression. His two runner-up finishes in major championships, Masters and U.S. Open, helped him get into the Official World Golf Ranking top 10. He currently sits at eighth.

During the Presidents Cup, in his native Australia, Jason didn't perform as expected, yet despite his winless season, he managed to end ninth on the PGA Tour money list after posting 10 top-10 finishes and also ninth in scoring average (69.71).

Luke Donald

History is a word that defines the 34-year-old English. What Luke Donald accomplished in 2011 is one of the most impressive feats ever.

Donald topped the PGA Tour and European Tour money lists, becoming the first player to achieve it. Furthermore, he has led the Official World Golf Ranking for 29 weeks, more than any other golfer, since Woods fell from the top spot.

The recently-named PGA Tour Player of the Year received the Vardon trophy and the Byron Nelson award. Donald won four times in 2011: WGC-Accenture Match Play Championship, Children's Miracle Network Hospitals Classic, BMW PGA Championship and Barclays Scottish Open.

Sergio García

After three years, Spain's Sergio García finally went back to the winners' circle with back-to-back wins in front of his home crowd.

El Niño claimed the Castelló Masters by an impressive 11 shot-advantage and the Andalucía Masters, one clear from Miguel Ángel Jiménez.

García's streak sent him to the Official World Golf Ranking's top 20, and he currently sits at the 16th spot; at the start of 2011 he was 80th.

Bill Haas

Who can forget Haas' shot in the second playoff hole at the TOUR Championship?

The 29-year-old not only won the tourney, after defeating fellow countryman Hunter Mahan, he also claimed the FedEx Cup. His performance resulted in Fred Couples picking him for the Presidents Cup team, where he won one point.

Haas closed 2011 as seventh in the PGA Tour money list and 11th in green in regulation. He posted seven top-10 finishes and jumped from 55 (January 2011) to 26 (December 2011) in the Official World Golf Ranking.

Rory McIlroy

His performance at the 111th U.S. Open was one of the greatest stories of the year.

Rory McIlroy came back from a meltdown at the Master, showed how tough and earth-grounded he is and set several records, including the 72-hole aggregate score (268, 16 under).

After his historic win, Rors claimed the Shangai Masters and the UBS Hong Kong Open, finished second in the European Tour money list and consolidated as No.2 in the Official World Golf Ranking.

Webb Simpson

He won his first two PGA titles this season—Wyndham Championship and Deutsche Bank Championship—which sent him from the 207th position (January 2011) to the ninth (December 2011) in the Official World Golf Ranking.

Simpson also qualified for the first time in his career for the Presidents Cup, where he had a good performance; he won three points.

Webb closed 2011 as second in the PGA Tour money list, second in scoring average, eighth in greens in regulation and posted 12 top-10 finishes.

Nick Watney

In 2011, he added two more PGA Tour titles to his personal count. Nick Watney also jumped from 34 (January 2011) to 12 (December 2011) in the Official World Golf Ranking.

Watney claimed the WGC-Cadillac Championship and the AT&T National, both with a two-stroke advantage over Dustin Johnson and K.J. Choi, respectively.

He finished fifth in the PGA Tour money list and was part of the victorious Presidents Cup team, winning two points, one in four-ball (along with Jim Furyk), and then one more in single matches. He defeated Choi 3&2.