Top 10 in 2012: Breakout players

Not many could have predicted this year, and when the dust settled several players had 'arrived.' Here are the top 10 breakout players of 2012.
Stacy Lewis

1 / 10

10. Stacy Lewis

Stacy Lewis' consistent play throughout the 2012 season culminated in four victories, and she became the first American to win the LPGA Player of the Year award since Beth Daniel in 1994. (Getty)

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Rory McIlroy

2 / 10

9. Rory McIlroy

Aside from winning his second major at the PGA Championship by 8 strokes, the 23-year-old won back-to-back events in the FedEx Cup playoffs, and claimed both the PGA Tour and European Tour money titles in the same season. (Getty)

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Phil Mickelson and Keegan Bradley

3 / 10

8. Phil Mickelson and Keegan Bradley

Neither had an unbelievable year individually, but paired, they were the U.S. Ryder Cup team's best combo. As a team they went 3-0 before sitting out the afternoon matches on Saturday and looked like a force for years to come. (Getty)

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Tommy Gainey

4 / 10

7. Tommy 'Two Gloves' Gainey

The former Big Break winner finally became known for more than wearing two gloves while on the course. Tommy Gainey surged from seven strokes back at the McGladrey Classic, narrowly missing out on a 59, but picked up his first PGA Tour win. (Getty)

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Brandt Snedeker

5 / 10

6. Brandt Snedeker

Brandt Snedeker collected his third career PGA Tour victory at Torrey Pines, then capped off his season by winning the Tour Championship to claim the FedEx Cup and the $10 million prize that comes with it. (Getty)

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Bubba Watson

6 / 10

5. Bubba Watson

With an epic, hooking gap wedge from the pine straw on the second playoff hole at Augusta, Bubba Watson claimed his first green jacket in what turned out to be one of the best Masters of all time. (Getty)

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John Huh

7 / 10

4. John Huh

The PGA Tour's Rookie of the Year earned the honor by picking up his first Tour win in a playoff at the Mayakoba Golf Classic, and he was the only rookie to advance to the Tour Championship, the final event of the FedEx Cup playoffs. (Getty)

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Branden Grace

8 / 10

3. Branden Grace

At just 24 years old, Branden Grace became the first player in European Tour history to claim his first four victories on the tour in the same season. The South African surged up the rankings, finally settling in at No. 36 in the world. (Getty)

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Lydia Ko

9 / 10

2. Lydia Ko

Amateur Lydia Ko, 15, stole the show in August when she upstaged some of the LPGA's elite at the CN Canadian Women's Open. The win made her the youngest winner ever on the LPGA Tour. (Getty)

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Jason Dufner

10 / 10

1. Jason Dufner

Jason Dufner rode early-season momentum that included a share of the 36-hole Masters lead to his first two PGA Tour victories. Dufner claimed the Zurich Classic and the HP Byron Nelson just four weeks apart, getting married during the break. (Getty)

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