2004 Masters Tournament: Mickelson Wins It
For years Phil Mickelson was tagged as the "best player without a major." But at the 2004 Masters, the 68th played, Mickelson won and shed that label.
Winner: Phil Mickelson, 279
Where it was played: Augusta National Golf Club, Augusta, Georgia
Tournament dates: April 8-11, 2004
Leader after first round: Justin Rose, 67
Leader after second round: Justin Rose, 138
Leader after third round: Chris DiMarco and Phil Mickelson, 210
What Happened at the 2004 Masters Tournament
Finally, after years of winning on the PGA Tour but without any wins in one of the four major championships of professional golf, Phil Mickelson claimed his first win in a major at the 2004 Masters. He did it with a downhill birdie putt on the 72nd hole, an 18-footer. When the ball dropped, Mickelson leaped into the air, pumped his fists, and said to his caddie, "I did it!"Mickelson entered the final round with a 2-stroke advantage. Ernie Els, starting the day three strokes behind Mickelson, in fourth place, became Mickelson's biggest challenger. In fact, Els, seeking his first win at The Masters, held the lead at different points on the back nine, closing with a round of 67 that included two eagles.
But Mickelson surged to the finish line, birdying five of the last seven holes. Els, playing a couple groups ahead of Mickelson, posted 8-under, and it appeared a playoff might be necessary. Els was on the practice putting green preparing for a playoff when Mickelson dropped the winning putt on the last hole.
Chris DiMarco began the final round tied with Mickelson in the lead, but shot 76 and was never a factor in Round 4.
Mickelson was the sixth player in tournament history to birdie the 72nd hole for the win, and the fourth to win it by making birdie on the tournament's final putt. Mickelson had won 22 "regular" PGA Tour titles before his first major; this was win No. 23 for Mickelson.
The 2004 Masters is remembered for more than just Mickelson's first win in a major, however. This is also the year of Arnold Palmer's final playing appearance in The Masters. It was the King's 50th time playing the Masters, and his 50th consecutive appearance. The latter remains the Masters record; the former was later surpassed by Gary Player.
2004 Masters Final Scores
| Phil Mickelson | 72-69-69-69=279 |
| Ernie Els | 70-72-71-67=280 |
| K.J. Choi | 71-70-72-69=282 |
| Sergio Garcia | 72-72-75-66=285 |
| Bernhard Langer | 71-73-69-72=285 |
| Paul Casey | 75-69-68-74=286 |
| Fred Couples | 73-69-74-70=286 |
| Chris DiMarco | 69-73-68-76=286 |
| Davis Love III | 75-67-74-70=286 |
| Nick Price | 72-73-71-70=286 |
| Vijay Singh | 75-73-69-69=286 |
| Kirk Triplett | 71-74-69-72=286 |
| Retief Goosen | 75-73-70-70=288 |
| Padraig Harrington | 74-74-68-72=288 |
| Charles Howell III | 71-71-76-70=288 |
| a-Casey Wittenberg | 76-72-71-69=288 |
| Stewart Cink | 74-73-69-73=289 |
| Steve Flesch | 76-67-77-69=289 |
| Jay Haas | 69-75-72-73=289 |
| Fredrik Jacobson | 74-74-67-74=289 |
| Stephen Leaney | 76-71-73-69=289 |
| Stuart Appleby | 73-74-73-70=290 |
| Shaun Micheel | 72-76-72-70=290 |
| Justin Rose | 67-71-81-71=290 |
| Tiger Woods | 75-69-75-71=290 |
| Alex Cejka | 70-70-78-73=291 |
| Mark O'Meara | 73-70-75-74=292 |
| Bob Tway | 75-71-74-72=292 |
| Scott Verplank | 74-71-76-72=293 |
| Jose Maria Olazabal | 71-69-79-75=294 |
| Bob Estes | 76-72-73-74=295 |
| Brad Faxon | 72-76-76-71=295 |
| Jerry Kelly | 74-72-73-76=295 |
| Ian Poulter | 75-73-74-73=295 |
| Justin Leonard | 76-72-72-76=296 |
| Phillip Price | 71-76-73-76=296 |
| Paul Lawrie | 77-70-73-77=297 |
| Sandy Lyle | 72-74-75-76=297 |
| Eduardo Romero | 74-73-74-77=298 |
| Todd Hamilton | 77-71-76-75=299 |
| Tim Petrovic | 72-75-75-78=300 |
| a-Brandt Snedeker | 73-75-75-77=300 |
| Jeff Sluman | 73-70-82-77=302 |
| Chris Riley | 70-78-78-78=304 |
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