Philadelphia, PA (My Sportsbook) - The 2008 European Tour season was balanced with seven players winning two events and five players finishing in the top 20 in the Order of Merit race without a victory.

Overall, there were 41 different winners in the 2008 season. Tiger Woods was credited with three titles -- one was a major, one a World Golf Championships event and the other was the Dubai Desert Classic.

With the Ryder Cup taking place in September, many of the stalwarts were expected to shine this season, but that was not the case. A couple of Europe's best not only struggled, but captain Nick Faldo also opted to not bring a couple of the continent's best to the event.

PLAYER OF THE YEAR - The dual major winner

There were seven players who won more than one event in 2008, but nobody won more than twice. So, with seven two-time winners, the Player of the Year race boiled down to the Order of Merit winner versus a two-time major champion.

Padraig Harrington repeated as champion at the British Open, then won his second straight major championship crown at the PGA Championship. With that, he garners Player of the Year honors for the European Tour.

One year after knocking off Sergio Garcia in a playoff in the British Open, Harrington fought off Ryder Cup teammate Ian Poulter to successfully defend his title and keep the claret jug.

The Irishman was a remarkable four-under on the back nine Sunday to rally and cap a one-under 69 in the final round.

Harrington then headed to the PGA Championship as the two-time defending British Open winner. He was five-over through two rounds at Oakland Hills, but rallied with back-to-back 66s to hold off Garcia and win his third major championship title in the last six majors played.

With three majors titles under his belt, Harrington soared to a career-high ranking of No. 3 in the world.

The one mark against Harrington was his play at the Ryder Cup. Possibly worn out from winning back-to-back majors, the 37-year-old stumbled to an 0-3-1 mark. He finished his season with a pair of 13th-place ties in his final two starts on the European Tour.

Apologies to the other two-time winners: Richard Finch, Darren Clarke, Martin Kaymer, Graeme McDowell, Miguel Angel Jimenez and Order of Merit champion Robert Karlsson.

Though he finished only 21st in the Order of Merit race, Poulter deserves special mention for his 4-1 record in the Ryder Cup. He was a controversial captain's pick and along with Justin Rose (3-1-0) represented Europe's best at Valhalla.

TOURNAMENT OF THE YEAR - The wind-blown Open Championship

Not only did we have a repeat champion at the British Open, but there were multiple feel-good stories at Royal Birkdale.

The first major played without Tiger Woods since the 1996 PGA Championship had it all. There was a 50-something controlling the tournament for three days, an amateur lurking near the top of the leaderboard and, oh by the way, a steely Irishman hitting all the great shots when he needed them.

Greg Norman, the 53-year-old two-time champion, was in control of this championship for long stretches as he was just two-over par through three rounds. He trailed by one stroke after two wind-blown rounds, then posted a 72 on Saturday to take the lead.

Norman entered the final round with a two-stroke lead and in doing so, became the oldest man to lead a major through 54 holes. He fell to six-over after nine holes, but still led heading to the final nine.

That was when Harrington took over. In worsening conditions, Harrington fired a remarkable four-under on the back nine to storm from behind to repeat as champion. He was just the fourth repeat winner in the last 50 years.

Though never seriously in contention, then-amateur Chris Wood made a name for himself as he shared fifth place with former U.S. Open champion Jim Furyk.

SHOT OF THE YEAR - A stunning five-wood

After making birdie on the 15th to take a two-shot lead, Harrington parred 16 and headed to the par-five 17th.

With the wind howling, Harrington hit five-wood off the tee and then pulled the same club out of the bag for his second shot. He stuffed the approach shot within three feet of the cup.

Harrington drained the eagle putt to head to the last with a comfortable four- stroke cushion. He closed out the win with a par at the last, but the five- wood approach was the shot that will be remembered.

"I would have been quite happy with it on the green and take my chances with two putts," said Harrington. "Once it was three feet away, I made sure I holed it. You can't have enough of a lead going down the 18th in a major."

ROOKIE OF YEAR - Another young Spanish sensation

As the season played out, there were just four players who were in the picture as far as the Rookie of the Year race went. Only one of those four won a tournament this year.

Spain's Pablo Larrazabal finished 20th in the Order of Merit race and won the Open de France, helping him claim Rookie of the Year honors.

Larrazabal's season was not overwhelming by any means. He missed the cut in 10 of his 28 starts, but along with his victory, he posted seven top-25 finishes. He also notched a third-place finish at the Madrid Masters.

"Obviously the main reason I won the award was for winning the Open de France, and I'll never forget that victory," said Larrazabal, who won the tour's Sir Henry Cotton Rookie of the Year award. "To win such a big tournament the way I did, with guys like Lee Westwood and Colin Montgomerie chasing me on the last day, was just amazing."

His main competition came from Rory McIlroy. The young Irishman missed 11 cuts in 27 starts, but also posted six top-10 finishes, including a runner-up finish at the European Masters.

Unlike Larrazabal, who competed in two major championships, McIlory did not qualify for any of the four majors. McIlroy finished 38th in the Order of Merit race, thanks in part to making the cut in his final six starts in which his worst finish was a tie for 39th.

The other two players that had a chance were Ross McGowan and Robert Dinwiddie.

GOOD YEAR

Karlsson - Two wins and topped the Order of Merit. Also finished in the top eight at the first three majors, before tying for 20th at the PGA Championship. Worldwide, he posted 12 top-10 finishes, including a stretch of six straight tournaments -- from the Masters to the U.S. Open -- where his worst finish was a tie for eighth at the Masters.

Jimenez - Another of the two-time winners during the '08 season, Jimenez finished alongside Karlsson in eighth place at the Masters and tied for sixth at the U.S. Open. Collected nine top-10 finishes.

McDowell - Earned his first Ryder Cup selection and was one of Europe's better players that week, posting a 2-1-1 record. Picked up two wins among his eight top-10 finishes. Only qualified for the British Open and PGA Championship, but finished in the top 20 at both majors.

Kaymer - The German collected his first two European Tour titles, at the Abu Dhabi Golf Championship and the BMW International Open. Tough season in the majors, but did ring up eight top-10 finishes, including three in his last four starts.

BAD YEAR

European Ryder Cup team - The 12-man team was trounced by the United States squad to the tune of a five-point win for the Americans. Europe's streak of three straight Ryder Cup wins came to a crashing halt.

Simon Wakefield and Garry Houston - Tied for most events played, 32, without a victory. Both players are still looking for their first European Tour titles. Houston even lost his card, finishing outside the top 117 on the Order of Merit.

Sam Walker, Ariel Canete, Carlos Rodiles - Each player started more than 30 events, but like Houston, all finished outside the top 117 on the Order of Merit.