When it comes to great moments of the last 10 years, there’s almost too much to pick from. After appearing to be closer to the end of his career than the start, Tiger Woods rebounded in spectacular fashion. And after turning pro as a teenager, Golf Town athlete Brooke Henderson burst onto the pro golf scene, winning not only multiple times—but also a major championship.
Here’s a look at some of the most talked about players in golf over the last decade:
Brooke Henderson’s First Major
Brooke Henderson won her first LPGA event at the remarkable age of 17, though anyone who paid attention to the teenager’s rise weren’t really surprised by her success. But her win the following year at the KPMG Women’s PGA Championship at Sahalee Country Club near Seattle made her the second-youngest player to win a major championship and cemented her as a major force. She’d win the CP Women’s Open in 2018, and recorded her ninth tournament victory earlier this year, making her the winningest professional Canadian golfer on the LPGA or PGA Tours. It’s no wonder she was recently named a finalist for the LPGA Tour’s Player of the Decade award, which is voted for by fans.
Tiger Woods
Until 2018, it looked like a lost decade for Tiger Woods. Recovering from the fallout over his very public infidelities, followed by numerous injuries and surgeries, Woods won once in 2013 and then … nothing. Back injuries threatened to finish what was once such a remarkable career. Surgeries in 2016 and 2017 seemed to indicate Woods might never return to competitive golf and threatened his legacy. However, in 2018 he returned to the winner’s circle with a victory at the season-ending Tour Championship. But, for many, the highlight of the decade was his win at the 2019 Masters, his first major championship victory in 11 years, becoming the second-oldest golfer to win the tournament.
Brooks Koepka
He only wins the biggest events—that’s Brooks Koepka’s modus operandi. Though he’d go on to win three more major championships before the decade was out, Koepka’s dominating performance at Erin Hills during the 2017 U.S. Open was a clear indication that he would be a force in golf for years to come.
Dustin Johnson
The ball moved, but DJ won anyway. Playing the fifth hole during the final round of the 2016 U.S. Open at the devilishly difficult Oakmont course near Pittsburgh, Johnson, trying to win his first major, made a practice putt. As he set up to make the short putt, the ball appeared to move. Johnson said it didn’t move, but was penalized later in the round regardless. He’d go on to win—but the issue of the putt that did or didn’t move, led golf to reconsider its rules. Of course, it wasn’t DJ’s first near disaster at a major. He opened the decade in 2010 at the PGA Championship at Whistling Straits by narrowly missing a victory after inadvertently grounding a club in a bunker. Regardless, he’ll return to Whistling Straits next year as a leader on the U.S. Ryder Cup squad.
Jordan Spieth
A rookie in 2013, Spieth quickly became recognized as one of the game’s most interesting players. In 2015, wielding an incredible putter, Spieth showed just what he was capable of, winning the Masters with a score of 18-under. Playing on a course that appears to perfectly suit his game, Spieth is now a perennial force at Augusta. A year after his Masters win, Spieth was named by Time Magazine as one of the Top 100 most influential people in the world.
Bubba Watson
No one who saw it will ever forget Bubba Watson’s incredible hooked pitching wedge on the 12th hole at Augusta National during the 2012 Masters. In a playoff against Louis Oosthuizen, Watson hooked a shot into the trees. Having told his caddie that “If I have a swing, I have a shot,” Watson improbably hit an incredible gap wedge that hooked 40 yards and set him up for his first Masters win.
Phil Mickelson
Augusta brings the best out of shot shapers. In 2010, Phil Mickelson hit his tee shot into the trees on the right of the par-5 13th at Augusta National. Despite being over 200 yards to a green guarded by Rae’s Creek, Mickelson blasted a 6-iron off the pine straw to four feet. He’d go on to win his third Green Jacket.
Rory McIlroy
Overwhelmed. That’s what a young Rory McIlroy did to the venerable Congressional Country Club at the 2011 U.S. Open. Demonstrating a mix of power and finesse that very few in golf possess, the Irish superstar took the golf course apart with exacting precision, finishing at 16-under par, an incredible eight shots ahead of his nearest competitor.
Arnold Palmer
In 2015, Palmer, one of the game’s legends, announced “damn right” he’d hit the ceremonial tee shot at the Masters. Despite looking unsteady, he pulled the club make and, like he had a million times previous, executed a fine tee shot. A little over a year later, at the age of 87, Palmer would be gone, though his legacy will always be part of golf’s history.
What’s your most memorable golf moment from the last decade? Tell us in the comments below!