Golfers Darren Clarke and Rory McIlroy receive awards in the New Year Honours list while there are also MBEs for taekwondo world champion Sarah Stevenson and rugby union players Chris Paterson and Martyn Williams.
BBC Sport | Golf | World Edition
BBC Sport golf correspondent Iain Carter peers into his crystal ball and sees major wins for Donald, Westwood and McIlroy in 2012
BBC Sport | Golf | World Edition
1. David Feherty learns the true meaning of a “stinger”
2. Wildlife at the Players Championship doesn’t mean a night out in Jax Beach with Anthony Kim
3. Charles Barkley fixes his swing
In that second clip, Barkley apparently out-drove Michael Jordan. (According to Hank Haney's wife, Suzanne.)
4. Miguel Angel Jimenez has the world's most interesting stretching routine
5. Shakira golfs? Shakira golfs!
6. 8-year-old Rory McIlroy chips into washing machine on TV
7. Tiger’s biggest fan cheers recovery shot at PGA Championship
8. Sharks at Australia golf course are the ultimate water hazard
9. Sergio throws a 5-iron farther than you can hit it
10. ‘Mama, take this mic from me.’ John Daly performs Dylan song in Thailand
Try your luck with our quiz looking back at the year 2011
BBC Sport | Golf | World Edition
Golfer Lauren Taylor, the 2011 British Ladies’ Open amateur champion, is named as BBC Young Sports Personality of the Year.
BBC Sport | Golf | World Edition
Could Rory McIlroy's Masters meltdown, not his U.S. Open win, be the defining moment of his career? And did the fallout from Augusta factor into his decision to leave his former agent Chubby Chandler? McIlroy looked back on his rollercoaster year with the Irish Golf Desk.
Reflecting on the series of disasters that cost him the title, he said: “If that hadn’t happened and if I’d coasted and won the Masters, I’d never have learned the things I did learn about myself that day.”
He even concedes that his public humiliation may have played a part in his ditching of manager Chubby Chandler for Dublin based Horizon and a move to make more decisions for himself.
He said: “It might have set the wheels in motion in some way. I was getting advice from left, right and centre after the Masters. From people I was close to and from people that just wanted to offer some sort of help.
“I really had to filter everything through and try and make decisions myself. Sometimes I felt I let people make decisions for me instead of taking my career into my own hands and deciding this is what I want to do, this is where I want to go. That day at the Masters helped me do that.
Looking Back at 2011
With the holiday season in full swing, and no tournaments to speak of, everyone is rolling out their year-end features. Some highlights:
*Steve Elling at cbssports.com on the biggest developments of 2011
*ESPN's writers share their favorite memories of the year
*Golf Digest's Bill Fields says 2011 favored the young guns
Rory's PR Stunt
As someone with a fear of heights, my palms started to sweat just watching this …
Tweet of the Day
When I woke up this morning… I had no idea I'd be going to Vegas…@PatPerezGolf @MikeyPerez oh boy…
— Jason Gore (@JasonGore59) December 22, 2011