6. Meg Mallon
Meg Mallon had put together a pretty good career, entering 2004 with 13 LPGA victories, including a couple majors. But, at age 41, she wouldn't have been anyone's pick to have a blowup season. Then she won the U.S. Women's Open. She won again the very next week at the BMO Financial Group Canadian. And for good measure, she added a third win at the Jamie Farr Owens Corning Classic. Call it the feel-good story on our Top 10 list: Mallon is one of the nicest, most-liked players in golf, and we're thrilled for her success in 2004.
5. Phil Mickelson
Phil Mickelson finally won a major in 2004. His win at The Masters is included in our list of the year's best golf stories, and it ended years of frustration for Mickelson. With it, Mickelson cast off the label "best player never to win a major." He had one win prior to The Masters in 2004, following a 2003 season in which he failed to win once. The second half of Lefty's season wasn't quite so good. He didn't win again after The Masters, and, in fact, played poorly (by his standards) in the second half of the season. But he also put together a fantastic showing in the majors in 2004. In addition to his Masters victory, he finished second in the U.S. Open, third in the British Open and sixth in the PGA Championship.
4. Ernie Els
Els might consider 2004 a wash, given that he didn't win a major. And winning majors is what players as great as Els are trying to do. But Els had quite a few high-quality wins in 2004. In the U.S., he won the Sony Open and the Memorial. He won the American Express Championship, part of the World Golf Championships, in Ireland. On the European Tour, Els won the Heineken Classic in Australia and the World Match Play Championship (his sixth win in that event). Els was the leading money winner on the European Tour, nearly doubling the runner-up's earnings; and he finished second on the U.S. PGA Tour money list. The lack of majors is surely a sore spot for Els, who came so close. He played fantastic on Sunday at The Masters only to watch Mickelson sink a birdie putt on the final hole; he lost a playoff to Todd Hamilton at the British Open. But, overall, not a bad season.
