Vijay Singh had the most victories by far, but the most popular win of 2004 was surely Phil Mickelson’s Masters triumph. He also won the Bob Hope Classic last year.

A memorable year by any standard, but Mickelson came close to one of the great seasons in the major tournaments in PGA history. In addition to his victory at the Masters, Mickelson missed a playoff in the U.S. Open (where he finished second) by two strokes, the British Open (third) by one shot and the PGA (T-sixth) by two more.

Last year was Mickelson’s eighth top-10 in 12 appearances in Augusta, including six consecutive Masters dating back to 1999.

But it was his 5-under performance on the back-9 last year that proved one of the most popular players on the Tour is also among the best. He threw off all the labels except the one that says “champion” and we can all expect Phil Mickelson to be a major contender for years to come.

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ONES TO WATCH  • Ernie Els  • Sergio Garcia  • Retief Goosen  • Padraig Harrington  • Davis Love III  • Phil Mickelson  • Adam Scott  • Vijay Singh  • Mike Weir  • Tiger Woods

DARK HORSES  • Darren Clarke  • Fred Couples  • John Daly  • Chris DiMarco  • Todd Hamilton  • Charles Howell III