Phil the Thrill gave fans a hint of a magical season to come when he threatened to shoot golf's magic number at TPC Scottsdale. Mickelson's 25-footer appeared to be good before a violent lipout at the last moment. Still, a tap-in 60 led to his first win of the year and cemented his status as the PGA Tour's leading showman.
Sergio Garcia (Arnold Palmer Invitational)
Garcia made a name for himself at the 1999 PGA Championship when he pulled off an incredible shot from the base of a tree. This time, he got even more creative. With his tee shot stuck in one of Bay Hill's trees, Garcia climbed it and hit a one-handed shot backward to the fairway. Unfortunately for Garcia, the pitch-out, eh, tree-out only led to a double bogey, but he gets a birdie for the effort.
Matt Every (Arnold Palmer Invitational)
Not to be out-done by Sergio Garcia, Matt Every pulled off his own trick shot at Bay Hill during the final round. Standing in a lake with his ball in the hazard, Every managed to hole a shot from 124 yards for one of the most unlikely eagles you'll ever see. Tournament host Arnold Palmer had to be impressed.
Angel Cabrera (Masters)
Moments after Adam Scott appeared to hole the winning birdie putt on Augusta's 18th hole ("C'mon, Aussie!!!"), Cabrera added another moment to Masters lore. Needing a birdie to get into a playoff, Cabrera hit his approach shot through the rain to near tap-in range, setting up extra holes with Scott. Which leads us to ...
Adam Scott (Masters)
Scott had to put in a little extra work, but it ended up being well worth it. He drained a 15-footer for birdie on the second hole of a sudden-death playoff (Augusta National's No. 10) to top Angel Cabrera and capture his first major championship. His second clutch putt in a heart-racing three-hole stretch also made him the first Australian to win the green jacket. OK, Adam. Now you can scream all you want.
Billy Horschel (Zurich New Orleans Classic)
Horschel seemed on his way to a first PGA Tour win when play was halted due to weather as he played the final hole. When he came back out, he hit a poor approach, leaving himself a 27-foot birdie putt. But Horschel made it to seal the victory and set off one of the most exuberant celebrations of the year.
Sergio Garcia (The Players)
Garcia makes the list again and again, it's not for a moment he'll particularly want to remember. This time, with a chance to win the Players for a second time -- and top rival Tiger Woods in the process -- Garcia came to TPC Sawgrass' most famous hole and became one of its most famous victims. Garcia dunked not one, but two balls into the water and wound up finishing T-8. Meanwhile ...
Tiger Woods (The Players)
As Garcia was melting down in the group behind him, Woods went to the difficult 18th hole at TPC Sawgrass and hit a perfect draw down the middle. Then, knowing how he stood in the tournament he hit an even better approach shot, walking after it in full Woods swagger. The ball flew right over the flagstick and settled 15 feet away to seal his second Players and the biggest title of a five-win campaign.
Justin Rose (U.S. Open)
He didn't hit Ben Hogan's 1-iron, but Rose authored a longer approach shot at Merion's finishing hole with a 4-iron that would have made the legendary ball-striker smile. Nursing a one-shot lead, Rose found the fairway on No. 18 and then hit a shot from 230 yards right at the pin that just rolled into the back fringe. A two-putt par wrapped up his first major championship and gave him a pressure shot he can draw from for the rest of his career.
Rob Labritz
Jordan Spieth (John Deere Classic)
Spieth didn't just become the first teenager to win on the PGA Tour in more than 80 years, he did it in dramatic fashion. Knowing he needed to hole a bunker shot on the final hole to have any chance, he did just that. When Zach Johnson bogeyed the same hole minutes later, Spieth got into a playoff he'd ultimately win. The poise he showed under pressure certainly didn't hurt when it was time for Fred Couples to make his Presidents Cup captain's picks.
Phil Mickelson (British Open)
After a pair of birdies pulled Phil Mickelson into a share of the lead, he stayed aggressive on Muirfield's lone par 5 on the back nine. Hitting 3-wood from 300 yards into the wind, he managed to find the putting surface. The ensuing two-putt birdie put him in the lead for good as he captured his first British Open title and fifth major overall.
Stacy Lewis, 5-iron to No. 17 at St. Andrews at Women's British Open
Jason Dufner (PGA Championship)
Dufner put on a ball-striking display the entire week at Oak Hill, but we'll focus on the shot that really jumpstarted his tournament. Dufner landed a wedge about 20 feet past on No. 2, spinning it back into the hole for an unlikely eagle. He'd go onto make five more birdies in the round to shoot 63, matching the lowest round ever shot in a major championship. Dufner kept attacking pins after that. Three more near hole outs on Sunday secured him a first major trophy.
Patrick Reed (Wyndham Championship)
After a wayward drive nearly went out of bounds on the second extra hole against Jordan Spieth, Reed would have been thrilled just to extend the playoff. Instead, he ended it moments later in stunning fashion. Reed punched a 7-iron from pine needles under a tree, up a hill and onto the green, seven feet from the hole. After Spieth missed his birdie attempt, Reed rolled his in to capture his first PGA Tour title.
Jim Furyk (BMW Championship)
Needing a birdie on the final hole to record the sixth round of 59 in PGA Tour history, Furyk made it look easy. After finding the fairway on the short par-4 ninth at Conway Farms GC, he hit a wedge to three feet from 105 yards. Furyk wouldn't miss from there, finishing off what he called "the best round of my life." You could make a case for it being the best round ever as well. Furyk's score was more than 12 shots better than field's average that day, the largest differential of any of the 59s ever shot on tour.
Zach Johnson (World Challenge)
In a span of five minutes, Johnson hit one of the year's worst AND best shots. After seemingly blowing his chance to beat Tiger Woods by hitting a half shank into a hazard on the final hole of the World Challenge, Johnson stunned the tournament host with his next attempt from the drop zone. From 58 yards, Johnson's pitch hopped past the pin then spun into the hole for an unlikely par. With another par -- this time, of the conventional variety -- on Sherwood's 18th hole in sudden death, Johnson won the event.
