Tiger Woods had an answer for everything.
When he missed the cut at the US Open for the first time in a major -- his first tournament after his father died of cancer -- some questioned whether he could rekindle his desire. But he never finished worse than second in stroke play the rest of the season.
Phil Mickelson emerged anew as a serious threat to Woods' domination by winning his second straight major at the Masters and nearly making it three in a row at the US Open. Woods responded by winning the next two majors without breaking a sweat.
Woods put skepticism about his latest swing change to rest by a year that ranked among his best on the PGA Tour. He won eight times in 15 starts, six in a row to close out his season and two more majors to reach 12 for his career.
About the only thing he couldn't answer was how he was voted AP Male Athlete of the Year.
Woods won the award in voting by US sports editors over San Diego Chargers running back LaDainian Tomlinson, with tennis great Roger Federer a distant third. The 31-year-old Woods won for the fourth time in his career, tying the record set by Lance Armstrong, who won the last four years.
While pleased to hear he had won the award, Woods was perplexed it did not go to his good friend Federer, who continues to dominate tennis.
"What he's done in tennis, I think, is far greater than what I've done in golf," Woods said. "He's lost what ... five matches in three years? That's pretty good."
Federer actually has lost a few more than that, but not many. His record this year was an amazing 92-5, including 12 singles titles.
Woods received 260 points from sports editors around the country. Tomlinson, who already has set an NFL record of 31 touchdowns with one regular-season game left, was second with 230 points. Federer, who won three Grand Slam titles and lost in the final at the French Open, had 110 points.
Rounding out the top of the list were Miami Heat guard Dwyane Wade (40 points) and St. Louis Cardinals slugger Albert Pujols and NL home run champion Ryan Howard of the Philadelphia Phillies (20 points each).
Woods made it look routine, winning at least eight PGA Tour events for the third time in his career and becoming the first player in history to capture multiple majors in consecutive seasons.
"Any time you're over 50 percent winning in our sports, it's probably a good year," Woods said.
"I know how hard it is," he said. "I know what it takes to get to that point. I hate to say it, but people in the media and fans don't understand how hard it is. Players do. The things players have said to me over the years, that means a lot."
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