Top 10 in 2015: Major moments
1 / 10
1. Jordan Spieth wins the Masters
Most of the attention going into the 2015 Masters was on Rory McIlroy, who needed to win at Augusta to complete a career Grand Slam. But Spieth stole the show on Thursday, jumping out to a three-shot lead with a 64 while McIlroy shot a nondescript 71. Spieth followed with a 66 for a tournament and major-championship record 130 and then shot 70-70 on the weekend, winning by four and equaling Tiger Woods' Masters scoring record of 18-under 270. Only a 5-foot par-putt miss at the final hole kept Spieth from establishing a new record. But it didn't matter - a new superstar was born.
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2 / 10
2. Jordan Spieth wins the U.S. Open
While the golf course - first-time Open host Chambers Bay - was the center of attention, the spotlight was on Masters champion, Jordan Spieth at the year's second major. He didn't disappoint, shooting a 5-under 275 that seemed to be enough to put him in a playoff with Dustin Johnson, but produced a stunning victory when DJ three-putted the 72nd hole from 12 feet. Spieth, at 21, became the youngest U.S. Open champion since Bobby Jones in 1923.
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3 / 10
3. Jordan Spieth's Grand Slam bid ends at St. Andrews
The hype that accompanied Jordan Spieth to St. Andrews for the Open Championship was off the charts. He was attempting to do something that hadn't been done since Ben Hogan did it in 1953 - win the first three majors of the season. If Spieth accomplished it, he would be staring at uncharted territory - the opportunity to win all four professional majors in a single season. He gave it a run, but finished a single shot out of the three-man playoff. All he could do was shake winner Zach Johnson's hand.
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4 / 10
4. Jason Day wins the PGA Championship
Jason Day was major-less going into the PGA Championship at Whistling Straits, but there were plenty of signs indicating his drought might be about to end. In 2015 he had won the Farmers Insurance Open and had been a 54-hole co-leader in the U.S. and British Opens. The week after the Open Championship, he had won the RBC Canadian Open. In the PGA, Day won his first major with a final tally of 20 under, the lowest score in relation to par ever recorded in a major. Day would go on to win two FedEx Cup Playoff events and ascend to No. 1 in the world ranking for the first time before finishing the year at No. 2.
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5 / 10
5. Dustin Johnson three-putts final hole to lose U.S. Open
Talk about anti-climaxes. Dustin Johnson had reached the green of Chambers Bay’s par-5 finishing hole in two, and had run his eagle bid 4 feet past the cup. Needing to make that for birdie and to force a playoff with Jordan Spieth, Johnson missed, leaving Spieth, the gallery and TV audience stunned. "I did everything I was supposed to do,” Johnson said. “I hit the ball really well. I'm proud of the way I handled myself and the way I played. I really struggled getting it in the hole today.”
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6 / 10
6. Tiger Woods struggles in majors
After missing the first two majors of 2014 while recovering from back surgery, Woods hoped to play all four in 2015. Another back injury, sustained in the Farmers Insurance Open, clouded his future, but he returned to competition in the Masters. He played well enough in the middle two rounds, shooting 69-68, but first- and fourth-round 73s relegated him to a tie for 17th. That would be the highlight of his majors season, as he missed the cut in the U.S. Open, Open Championship and PGA Championship. Woods hasn’t won a major since the 2008 U.S. Open.
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7 / 10
7. Jason Day contends in the U.S. Open despite collapse
Usually when you hear or read the phrase “disaster struck” in relation to a golf tournament, it refers to a wayward shot or a putting misadventure. But in the case of Jason Day and the U.S. Open at Chambers Bay, the phrase had a much more serious meaning. On Day’s last hole of the second round, No. 9, he collapsed from what was later revealed to be vertigo caused by an ear infection. Unsure if he could even finish the tournament, Day nevertheless teed it up in Round 3, and wound up tied for the 54-hole lead. He faded in the final round, finishing T-9, five shots behind winner Jordan Spieth.
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8 / 10
8. Lydia Ko wins her first major
When Lydia Ko teed it up in the Evian Championship in September, she already had eight LPGA wins and had been ranked No. 1. About the only thing missing from her resume was a win in a major. Four rounds later, Ko had filled in that hole, becoming, at 18 years, four months and 20 days, the youngest woman to win a major. Her final-round 63 was the lowest final round ever played in a women’s major.
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9 / 10
9. Zach Johnson wins the Open Championship
When the 144th Open Championship began, all eyes were on Jordan Spieth, who was trying to keep his Grand Slam hopes alive after winning the Masters and U.S. Open. But when it was all over, it was Zach Johnson making history, becoming only the sixth player to win at St. Andrews and Augusta, joining Sam Snead, Jack Nicklaus, Seve Ballesteros, Nick Faldo and Tiger Woods. Johnson prevailed in a four-hole playoff with Louis Oosthuizen and Marc Leishman. There was a certain irony to Johnson's win - in January, he had proclaimed St. Andrews his least favorite course in the Open Championship rotation.
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10 / 10
10. Inbee Park triggers Grand Slam debate
When Inbee Park won her first Ricoh Women's British Open for her seventh major title, she also opened a huge can of worms, touching off a debate over what constitutes a Grand Slam on the LPGA tour. In 2013, the LPGA added the Evian Championship as a fifth major. Park won the Evian in 2012, before it was designated a major, and she also has won the other four majors. The LPGA said that meant she has won the career Grand Slam, and if she wins the Evian it's a "Super Career Grand Slam." Golf Channel and The Associated Press disagreed. Park’s view? "'I feel like I've won all the majors in women's golf.''
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