Top 10 in 2014: Surprises

Martin Kaymer won his first major in 2010 and became world No. 1 in 2011 but struggled to regain that form for much of the next two seasons. Kaymer came back in a big way in 2014, holding on to win The Players and blowing away the field at the U.S. Open. Another Ryder Cup win was just the icing on the cake. (Getty Images)

It took the mailing of his own wedding invitations for Rory McIlroy to realize he wasn’t ready for marriage. Just after those invitations were sent out, McIlroy announced that he was ending his relationship with tennis star Caroline Wozniacki. That week, McIlroy won the BMW PGA Championship. He would go on to win the British Open, WGC-Bridgestone and the PGA. (Getty Images)

After all this time, it finally happened. After finishing second at the Kraft Nabisco and after breaking her winless drought with a victory at the Lotte Championship, the Big Wiesy won her first major, holding off Stacy Lewis to take the U.S. Open. Wie would miss much of the remainder of the season with injury but still was honored with the inaugural Rolex Major Annika Award. (Getty Images)

Whether his swing was hurting his back, or his back was hurting his swing, Tiger Woods finally decided to end his professional relationship with Sean Foley. Just two weeks after missing the cut at the PGA Championship, Woods announced that he and Foley were done. Enter coach No. 4, Chris Como, who joined Team Tiger thanks to an introduction from Notah Begay. (Getty Images)

If you’re going to come out of nowhere to win your first major, you might as well do it in style. Martin, a 5-foot-2, third-year LPGA member who spent six years toiling on the Symetra Tour, hit her second shot on the par-5 closing hole off the flagstick before tapping in for eagle. Inbee Park and Shanshan Feng couldn’t force a playoff and America had its third major winner of the year in the women’s game. (Getty Images)

It’s officially a leave of absence, but that’s also officially dubious. Dustin Johnson announced a leave of absence from the PGA Tour on July 31 to deal with some “personal challenges.” Just three days later, Golf.com reported Johnson was actually under suspension for failing his third drug test and testing positive for cocaine. As the PGA Tour does comment on discipline, we’ll never know. (Getty Images)

They’ve won a combined 121 PGA Tour events and 19 majors. And in 2014, they won ... zero, zip, zilch. It was not a banner year for the two men who have carried the golf banner the last two decades. Although Mickelson would contend for the PGA on the back 9 on Sunday, the Tiger-Lefty pairing in Rounds 1 and 2 was lacking. (Getty Images)

He withdrew from the Honda and tried to let his back heal with rest after Doral, but it didn’t work. Tiger Woods announced in early April that he had undergone microdiscectomy surgery. Woods would miss the Masters for the first time since he first played as an amateur in 1995 and sit out the U.S. Open as well. (Getty Images)

The news conference was more exciting than the golf. In front of his teammates and his captain, Phil Mickelson called out both Tom Watson and the PGA of America in the United States’ post-Ryder Cup press availability. It was awkward, it was uncomfortable, it was captivating, and it spawned a task force. (Getty Images)

He was so close to the end. Instead, he met his end. Ted Bishop was ousted as president of the PGA of America thanks to ill-advised social media posts referring to Ian Poulter as a “Lil Girl.” In a weird way, it was a fitting, albeit unfortunate, end to Bishop’s unusually public presidency. (Getty Images)