5. The slump of Tiger Woods
As I wrote in my ranking of the Top 10 Golfers of 2004, we should all have slumps like Tiger Woods. For most golfers, Tiger's slump year of 2004 would be a career year. But in these matters, Woods is a victim of his own astounding past success. In 2004, Woods won only once. He hasn't won a stroke play event in more than a year. He struggled all season with his driver, missing shots left and right, and mostly just missing fairways. All the commentary and speculation and psychoanalysis and swing analysis would make a person think Tiger was having a terrible year. In fact, he posted 14 Top 10 finishes and wound up fourth on the money list. Alas, when you're Tiger Woods, that's a slump.
4. Europe dominates the Ryder Cup
Can we all agree now to stop calling the U.S. the favorites in every Ryder Cup? Europe has had the upper hand, overall, for more than a decade now, and in 2004 handed Team USA its worst Ryder Cup loss ever. All hail Team Europe! All wail for Team USA, as the hand-writing stateside still continues.
3. 14-year-old Michelle Wie challenges the cut line at PGA Tour Sony Open
When Michelle Wie accepted an invitation to play in the PGA Tour Sony Open, there were a few PGA Tour veterans who publicly expressed their displeasure (and you can be sure there were many more who expressed that displeasure privately). Before the tournament, Scott Hoch said that Wie "... doesn't have a chance in hell of making the cut. She doesn't have a prayer." Hoch didn't have much to say a few days later after Wie had beaten him by a stroke. He was right that she wouldn't make the cut, though: Her 72-68 effort, 140 total, left her a stroke shy of making the cut. Remember: Wie is a 14-year-old girl, shooting par in a PGA Tour event! She beat 48 players in the Sony. And she did it averaging 271 yards off the tee, including three drives of more than 300 yards.
2. Vijay Singh wins nine times on the PGA Tour
Vijay Singh won nine times on the PGA Tour in 2004. Arnold Palmer never won nine PGA tournaments in one year. Neither did Jack Nicklaus, Tom Watson, Lee Trevino or most other golf legends. Vijay did it by playing remarkably well, remarkably consistently, all year long. Among those nine wins was one major (the PGA Championship). Along the way, Singh became the first player to earn more than $10 million in one PGA Tour season (nearly doubling the runner-up's earnings) and took over the No. 1 spot in the world rankings.
1. Phil Mickelson wins The Masters
"The best player never to win a major" finally won one in 2004, and it was a thrill to watch. Lefty is one of the most popular players on the PGA Tour, and despite his greatness he'd come to be cheered as the underdog. He always seemed in contention at majors, but always seemed to find a way to come up short. At the 2004 Masters, that changed. Sure, Mickelson fell behind a charging Ernie Els in the final round. Admit it - you were thinking, "there goes Phil again," weren't you? We sure were. And there went Mickelson, hitting some great shots, sinking some pressure putts to pull into a tie with Els heading to the final tee. One 20-foot, downhill birdie putt later - one joyous leap into the air, one exclamation of "I did it! - Mickelson had shed that "never to win a major" label and provided the indelible image of the 2004 golf season.
