PGA TOUR rewind: Counting down the top stories of 2021 (10-6)

While 2020 was an unprecedented year in terms of the COVID-19 pandemic and its lingering effects on the schedule, 2021 will be remembered for its performances, controversies, memes, celebrations, and so much more.

It wasn't only a Ryder Cup year, it was also an Olympic year. Fans returned to the galleries, rivalries were created, and records were broken.

Here is Part II of the top 15 stories of the 2021 PGA TOUR season. Be sure to check out Part I if you missed it.

10. Golden child

Fans haven't been able to foster much of a relationship with Olympic golf, and it's difficult to value something without one. Golf wasn't even included in the Olympic program from 1906-2012.

The sport returned to the Olympics in 2016, but there wasn't much buzz around the event and many stars passed on the opportunity to represent their country.

Xander Schauffele has always had a different relationship with the Olympics.

Schauffele's father, Stefan, who doubles as his mental and swing coach, was once an Olympic hopeful for Germany in the decathlon. In Wiesbaden, Germany, in 1981, a drunk driver slammed into Stefan's car head-on, effectively ending his Olympic dreams.

When the opportunity presented itself for Xander to compete at the 2020 Tokyo Games, there was more at stake than just representing his country.

Schauffele fulfilled his father's dreams in dramatic fashion. Needing to get up and down from 98 yards on the 18th hole for the gold medal, the 28-year-old hit the shot of his life. Schauffele stuck a wedge to just 3 feet and drained the putt to avoid a playoff with Rory Sabbatini.

"Probably more (pressure in this event than others) in all honesty," the World No. 5 told Golf Channel. "I really wanted to win for my dad. I'm sure he's crying somewhere right now. I kind of wanted this one more than any other one."

Schauffele's win wasn't just significant for his family, it also put Olympic golf back on the map. The gold medalist wasn't the only star to express how meaningful their week in Tokyo was either.

In 2024, the Olympics travel to Paris and will be held at the renowned Le Golf National, host of the 2018 Ryder Cup. In 2028, the Olympics return to the United States and will be held at the iconic Riviera Country Club. We've already marked our calendars.

9. Existential Rory

Rory McIlroy is, at the very least, in the conversation for the most talented golfer we've seen since Tiger Woods. He came out of the gates hot, amassing four majors by the tender age of 25. But his career has stalled, and the 32-year-old hasn't won a major since 2014.

It's difficult to identify McIlroy's current place in the game, and 2021 yielded more questions than answers.

In March, McIlroy announced he had officially begun working with a new swing coach, Pete Cowen, in hopes to reignite his career. The early results were far from promising, as McIlroy shot 10-over through two days at The Players Championship then proceeded to miss the cut at the Masters for just the second time.

Yet he teased us with a victory at the Wells Fargo Championship in May, marking his first win in 18 months and planting sky-high expectations for his return to Kiawah Island for the PGA Championship, the site of his 8-stroke victory in 2012.

McIlroy was never a factor at Kiawah, and his Open Championship told a similar story. While he was far more relevant at the U.S. Open, an untimely double-bogey down the stretch effectively ended his bid at a fifth major championship.

Perhaps more meaningful to McIlroy than any personal accolades was representing Team Europe in the Ryder Cup. It was at Whistling Straights where the disappointment cut the deepest.

A vulnerable McIlroy gave a tearful post-round interview after his Sunday singles match, reminding us why he holds an invaluable place in our sport, even when his on-course performance isn't up to snuff.

No one would have faulted the 20-time PGA TOUR winner for taking a much deserved breather this winter, but just a few weeks after looking lost at the Ryder Cup, McIlroy beat a star-studded field at the CJ Cup in October for his second victory of the year.

After a turbulent season, McIlroy, for once, seemed at peace.

McIlroy almost notched win No. 3 at the DP World Tour Championship, but a final-round 74 spoiled his chances. Never lacking in emotion, McIlroy took out his frustration on his shirt. Prior to the tournament, the four-time major winner confirmed he had switched coaches once again; he was back to working with childhood coach Michael Bannon.

McIlroy's season was full of stops and starts, peaks and valleys, moments that confirmed why he is the game's most gifted player, and other moments when he looked like just another guy. Yet what sets McIlroy apart is not just his talent, but his vulnerability. The highs, the lows, the coaching changes, the meltdowns, the disappointments, the wins - we experienced it with him because he lets us in.

Transparency is rare, not just in golf, but in life, and McIlroy remains our sport's exception.

8. Rahm bounces back

Jon Rahm's ascent to the top of the golf world has been remarkable. What's even more astounding is that he received zero credit for his most dominant performance of the season.

Let's rewind to Saturday at the Memorial Tournament in June. Rahm had just put the finishing touches on an 8-under 64 at the difficult Muirfield Village to open up a whopping six-shot lead heading into Sunday.

Just moments after walking off the 18th green, a doctor for the PGA TOUR informed the six-time TOUR winner that he had tested positive for COVID-19 and would be forced to withdraw.

This was indubitably a devastating blow, as the Spaniard would have nothing to show for a near flawless three-day stretch of golf. Even more concerning, the U.S. Open was just two weeks away.

Fortunately, Rahm cleared protocols and was able to compete at the season's third major. But contracting COVID-19 just two weeks before the U.S. Open certainly threw a wrench in his preparation.

Rahm still entered the week as the betting favorite, and for good reason. The 27-year-old had already won the Farmer's Insurance Open at Torrey Pines, the same venue for the 2021 U.S. Open.

Rahm's U.S. Open story was one characterized by patience. The World No. 1 produced steady rounds of 69 and 70 on Thursday and Friday to sit just three shots back of the lead. A disappointing but not disastrous round of 72 on Saturday left him still in contention but behind the likes of Louis Oosthuizen, Rory McIlroy, and Bryson DeChambeau heading into Sunday.

Rahm lingered throughout Sunday but never touched the lead until the 71st hole. Oosthuizen, McIlroy, DeChambeau, and Brooks Koepka all threatened but were ultimately undone by poor play down the stretch.

Playing the par-4 17th hole just a shot behind Oosthuizen, Rahm hit his approach to 25 feet and drained the winding birdie putt to tie for the lead. On the par-5 18th, Rahm found the green-side bunker with his second shot, chipped out to 18 feet, and holed for birdie. Oosthuizen was unable to eagle the finishing hole, and Rahm walked off the 18th green as the U.S. Open champion.

"I'm a big believer in karma," Rahm told NBC following his round. "After what happened a few weeks ago, I stayed really positive. I know I got my breakthrough win here, it's a very special place for my family. I can't even believe I made those final two putts. I don't know how to explain it."

For context, Rahm proposed to his wife, Kelley, on the grounds of Torrey Pines. She greeted him on the 18th green with his baby boy, Kepa, who was born just two-and-a-half months prior.

Everything has a way of working itself out.

7. Royal flush

While a short entry may not do this incredibly complex, nuanced, and at times, confusing, story justice, we'll do our best.

Let's rewind to 2019, when the first professional golf event in Saudi Arabia, the Saudi International, was held just months after the death of Washington Post journalist Jamal Khashoggi. The event was immediately criticized as a blatant attempt to have sports to mask the country's controversial history with human rights.

A handful of big names, including Phil Mickelson, Bryson DeChambeau, and Brooks Koepka, all made the trip, but not without criticism.

The PGA TOUR was among those who weren't thrilled with its members' decision to play. In fact, the TOUR decided that in 2022, members would need to obtain a waiver to compete in the event or be subject to a fine.

While it hasn't been determined how much the fine would be for, players could earn anywhere from $300,000 to $3 million for an appearance at the Saudi International without accounting for potential sponsorship opportunities, a caddie told Golf Digest in 2020.

Where things get even more complicated is that two variations of a rival golf league with Saudi ties, the Premier Golf League and the Super Golf League, have already emerged as alternative options to lure the game's top stars away from the PGA TOUR.

Their plan is roughly centered around a smaller, more centralized format with fewer events. This format could feature a team aspect, and players would be compensated far more based on appearance than performance. Obviously, this is a bit different from the PGA TOUR's model, and it's not hard to see why this would entice some of the game's biggest names.

The Telegraph reported that multi-million-dollar offers, some ranging from $30 million to $50 million, were sent to Mickelson, Dustin Johnson, Adam Scott, Koepka, DeChambeau, Rickie Fowler, and Justin Rose.

Where is all this money coming from? Premier Golf League's CEO, Andy Gardiner, admitted the league would receive backing from Saudi Arabia's Public Investment Fund.

Speaking of enterprises backed by the Public Investment Fund, Greg Norman was also announced as the CEO of LIV Golf Enterprises, as well as the commissioner of another prospective league. This yet-to-be-named league hopes to debut as soon as spring of 2022 and is not to be confused with the other golf league backed by Saudi money.

There's no real way to put a bow on this story, as it's still unclear how this will all play out. But if the Saudis can lure some of the game's top names, men's professional golf might look incredibly different in the next couple of years.

6. Morikawa's encore

When Collin Morikawa won the 2020 PGA Championship at Harding Park in his second-ever major start, he joined a short list of players to catch lightning in a bottle at a major championship in their early 20s. Yet there were still detractors who insisted that a lack of fans meant he didn't face real major championship pressure.

But what Morikawa accomplished at the 2021 Open Championship was something different. It was undeniable. He was now in rarefied air.

Sure, everyone knew the kid could play. He made his first 22 cuts on the PGA TOUR and won the Barracuda Championship in his sixth professional start. He won twice the following season, first at the Workday Championship at the renowned Muirfield Village Golf Club, and then at the aforementioned PGA Championship.

The 24-year-old got off to a quick start in 2021 as well, taking down a world-class field at the WGC-Workday Championship in March.

Still, when Morikawa arrived at the Open Championship, expectations were low. Firstly, he was a debutant in the oldest major championship. Only Ben Hogan, Tony Lema, Tom Watson, and Ben Curtis had won the Claret Jug in their first-ever start. Secondly, Morikawa grew up in California, had never played true links golf before, and even commented that he didn't like the way his irons were interacting with the turf in his warmup at the Scottish Open.

Yet as soon as it became clear that players would be facing more favorable conditions, not dissimilar from what is seen weekly on the PGA TOUR, all doubters quickly turned into fools, as the world's best iron player went to work.

Tiger Woods, Jack Nicklaus, Seve Ballesteros, Bobby Jones - that was the type of company in which Morikawa found himself after holding off a hard-charging Jordan Spieth and Louis Oosthuizen to claim the Claret Jug.

The newly minted two-time major champion capped off 2021 with a dominating performance at the Ryder Cup, a win at the DP World Tour Championship in Dubai, and an engagement to longtime girlfriend Katherine Zhu. Safe to say it was another successful year for the budding superstar.