The best performance that went largely unnoticed

Northern Ireland's Rory McIlroy made the cut in all four major championships and finished in the top 20 in three of them and the top 10 in two of them, including a tie for third in the PGA Championship.

McIlroy is 20 and clearly has established himself as the best young player in golf.

"I have a lot to build on," he said. "I have a lot of momentum going into the majors next year. This is only my first year in the majors, so I learned a few things on my way this year, and that should help me next year to build on them and hopefully get in a couple better finishes than just the top-10 or top-five."

-- John Strege