Retief Goosen's victory in the Tour Championship confirmed golf's transformation into a truly global game again in 2004, with the balance of power tilting away from the USA. Fiji's Vijay Singh and South Africa's Ernie Els, temporarily, moved ahead of Tiger Woods in the world rankings, while Europe's Ryder Cup team delivered a record 18�-9� thumping to the Americans in their own back yard.
Only four of the world's top 10 at the end of the season were American, alonside the Fijian, two South Africans, a Canadian, an Irishman and a Spaniard, despite more world ranking points on offer at US Tour events.
Even six of the top 10 on the US money list were non-American.
 | 2004 TOP 10 1 Vijay Singh (Fij) 2 Tiger Woods (USA) 3 Ernie Els (SA) 4 Retief Goosen (SA) 5 Phil Mickelson (USA) 6 Mike Weir (Can) 7 Padraig Harrington (Ire) 8 Davis Love (USA) 9 Sergio Garcia (Spa) 10 Stewart Cink (USA) |
Singh became the first man to topple Woods for five years when he took over as world number one in September. He won nine tournaments, including his third major, the USPGA, to become the first man to pass the US$10m earnings barrier in a season.
Els' six wins worldwide also swept him past the American, who failed to win a strokeplay event for the first season since 1995.
Woods conceded defeat and took time off to get married and go on honeymoon, though he bounced back with second in the final event of the year to regain second place in the standings.
| 2004 MAJORS |
The Surrey-based Els tightened his grip on European golf with a second Order of Merit title, with countryman Retief Goosen, the US Open champion, over �1m adrift in second.
And it was Els who hinted at the changing power base in world golf.
Known as the "Big Easy" for his manner as much as his golf swing, Els was outraged at PGA Tour demands, since retracted, that he play more in America.
He said: "There's a world outside America and I'm part of it. They can't restrict me from playing where I want."
This season looked like being the year of Phil Mickelson after his stunning Masters success finally rid him of the tag "best player never to have won a major".
He was also second to Goosen at the US Open, third at the Open at Royal Troon and sixth at the USPGA behind Singh at Whistling Straits.
| MOST US TOUR WINS IN A SEASON 18 B Nelson, 1945 13 B Hogan, 1946 11 S Snead, 1950 10 B Hogan, 1948 9 P Runyan, 1933; T Woods, 2000; V Singh, 2004 |
For the left-hander, though, his season imploded at the Ryder Cup when he struggled in the dream pairing with Woods and contributed one point out of four.
But the story of the majors was Els' near misses in all four.
He finished second at Augusta, ninth in the US Open after a final-round 80 at the infamous Shinnecock Hills, second to American Todd Hamilton after a play-off in the Open and was one shot off a three-way play-off for the USPGA.
He took several weeks off after the Whistling Straits event to repair his shattered psyche but hit back to win the WGC in Ireland and claim a record sixth World Match Play at Wentworth.
Europe ended the year with only Ireland's Padraig Harrington and Spain's Sergio Garcia inside the world's top 10.
 Woods was without a strokeplay win for the first year since 1995 |
And another year went by without a European major winner - the last was Paul Lawrie at Carnoustie in 1999.
Since then, Americans have won 16 of the 21 majors played with South Africa winning three (two for Goosen, one for Els), and Fiji (Singh) and Canada (Weir) winning one each.
But despite Europe's continuing lack of success in the major strokeplay events, a spirited and united team landed a devastating blow to a star-studded American side bereft of unity, organisation and confidence at the Ryder Cup at Oakland Hills, Detroit.
As much as Woods struggled in the team format, though, his resurgence at the Tour Championship suggests the 2005 season will be a shoot-out to savour.
MMIX
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