Golf's 10 Biggest Disappointments of 2011

Graeme McDowell McDowell earned his first major title at the 2010 U.S. Open and entered 2011 as arguably the hottest player in pro golf. He finished third at the season-opening Hyundai Tournament of Champions at Kapalua, and it would turn out to be his best worldwide result of the year until finishing third again at the WGC-HSBC Champions in November.

Ernie Els Coming off a 2010 season where he won twice and earned more than $4.5 million to finish third on the PGA Tour money list, Els was a major dud in 2011. He recorded just one top-10 finish in 21 PGA Tour events and failed to earn $1 million on tour. He began the season ranked No. 12, and finished No. 56.

Jim Furyk Furyk won the 2010 FedEx Cup, but toppled from No. 5 to No. 50 in the rankings and failed to win an event in 2011. His one highlight: finishing 5-0 for the U.S. team at the Presidents Cup.

Jeff Overton Overton was a stalwart on the 2010 U.S. Ryder Cup team, but he recorded just five top-25 finishes in 26 PGA Tour events in 2011, with his best result a T3 at the AT&T National. He also became a “bust” in a new sense of the word when he was arrested outside an Indiana University sports bar on Dec. 10 and charged with three misdemeanors: resisting law enforcement, public intoxication and disorderly conduct.

Phil Mickelson Mickelson did win one event in 2011 –- the Shell Houston Open. But overall, his 2011 was a disappointment, as he floundered on Sunday at Royal St. George's while in contention to win his first career British Open (pictured), and he failed to threaten in the season's other majors. By season's end, he slipped from No. 4 to 14 in the World Ranking.

Michelle Wie While juggling college classes at Stanford with life on tour, Wie notched seven top-20 finishes but failed to win an event in 20 starts. Wie’s best result was a T2 in August’s Canadian Open, which she won in 2010.

Camilo Villegas Fresh off a $3 million 2010 season on the PGA Tour, Villegas recorded just five top-25s in 25 PGA Tour events and earned $1.2 million. He dropped from 37th to 89th in the rankings.

Paul Casey In 2010, Casey earned more than $3.6 million in just 17 PGA Tour events and finished T3 at the British Open. But in 2011 Casey mustered just one top-10 in 15 PGA Tour starts and banked just $590,386. He did win the European tour’s Volvo Golf Champions in January and the Korean tour’s Shinhan Donghae Open to salvage his season.

Retief Goosen After earning more than $3.2 million on the PGA Tour in 2010, the Goose went winless around the world in 2011, earned just $796,360 in 16 PGA Tour events, and sank from 16th to 53rd in the World Ranking.

Tiger Woods Woods ended his year by winning his own tournament, the 18-man Chevron World Challenge. But overall, the season was a huge disappointment for the former No. 1, as he failed to win his 15th major and briefly toppled out of the top 50 in the world before winning the Chevron.