Monday September 6, 2004, was the day when the statisticians and number crunchers eventually confirmed what most of us had believed to be the case for many months, namely that European Tour Honorary Member Vijay Singh was the best golfer in the world.
Victory in the Deutsche Bank Championship on the US PGA Tour eventually saw the 41 year old Fijian move to the top of the Official World Golf Ranking, and his elevation could not have been more appropriate, for the man he replaced, Tiger Woods, was the very player he beat into a tie for second place with defending champion Adam Scott on the TPC of Boston course in Norton, Massachusetts.
Tied with Woods with five holes to play, Singh showed his class to birdie three of the closing four holes for a 69 and a 16 under par total of 268 to take both the title and the World Number One crown, thus ending Woods’s run of 264 consecutive weeks in pole position, a run which began on August 8, 1999.
“Finally, it has turned in my favour,” said Singh. “I’ve worked pretty hard for this and I’ve finally achieved what I wanted to do, starting at the beginning of the year. It was a good win here as well. Coming down the stretch it got pretty tight but I got focused and I played pretty well.”
Playing pretty well is, unquestionably, an understatement when assessing Singh’s record-breaking US PGA Tour season. Quite simply, the 12 time winner on The European Tour International Schedule was sensational in 2004, eight wins in addition to his success in the US PGA Championship at Whistling Straits, Kohler, Wisconsin, seeing him romp to victory in the Money Leaders Category, and in the process becoming the first player in history to break the $10 million barrier in earnings alone. In all his earnings totalled $10,905,166 for number one place on the US PGA Tour Money List for the second successive year, and he amassed a total of 18 top ten finishes from 29 events. He won the Vardon Trophy and the Byron Nelson Award with a stroke average of 68.84, and The Arnold Palmer Award for leading the US Tour Money List.
The Fijian won five times on the US PGA Tour in 2004 prior to his groundbreaking success in the Deutsche Bank Championship. His first victory, in February, came in the AT&T Pebble Beach National Pro-Am in California. Singh went into the final round in the lead and ended all doubts about the destination of the trophy with birdies at the first three holes, his final 16 under par total of 272 being three shots better than runner-up Jeff Maggert.
At that time, it was Singh’s 12th consecutive top ten finish. However, if anyone thought such consistency was a passing phase, they were put right in April when the Fijian won in consecutive weeks, in the Shell Houston Open and the HP Classic of New Orleans, the first player to achieve such a feat on the US PGA Tour since Kenny Perry won the Bank of America Colonial and the Memorial Tournament in 2003.
In the Shell Houston Open at the Redstone Golf Club in Texas, Singh again showed how impressive a front runner he is, posting a final round 68, when the tournament eventually reached its conclusion on the Monday morning, for an 11 under par total of 277 and victory over Scott Hoch by two shots.
Many players find it hard to keep their concentration level high when a tournament spills over its allocated time, but not Singh. Just as in Texas seven days earlier, when the HP Classic of New Orleans at the English Turn Golf & Country Club ran into a Monday finish the following week, he was equal to the task once again, producing a superb 25 foot birdie putt at the 18th for a closing round of 63 and a 22 under par total of 266 to beat Phil Mickelson and Joe Ogilvie by a shot.
Come the end of July and Singh was in the winners’ enclosure again, this time in the Buick Open at the Warwick Hills Golf and Country Club, Grand Blanc, Michigan, where he emerged from a final day shootout with Daly again, to post a final round 67 for a 23 under par total of 265 and victory by a shot.
It was the week before his play-off victory in the US PGA Championship and the beginning of an incredible run of five victories in six outings, because after events at the Deutsche Bank Championship, Singh won on the next two occasions he teed up, in the Bell Canadian Open at Glen Abbey Golf Club, Oakville, Ontario, and the 84 Lumber Classic at the Nemacolin Woodlands Resort, Farmington, Pennsylvania.
In the former, just as had been the case against Daly in Michigan, Singh went head-to-head with the crowd favourite, in this case local hero Mike Weir, but once again came out on top, taking the title at the third play-off hole after both players had finished their regulation 72 holes on nine under par 275.
Two weeks later, after taking a break to enjoy The 35th Ryder Cup Matches on television, Singh won yet again where he led from start to finish, holding off the late challenge of Stewart Cink to win by a shot on 15 under par 273.
As if displacing Woods from the top of the Official World Golf Ranking was not enough, the victory in Pennsylvania removed another of the American’s records from the history books. Until then, Woods’s prize money haul of $9,188,321 in 2000 had been the most attained by any player in one calendar year, before Singh breezed past him.
Still, however, the Fijian was not finished and his quest for titles took him to Florida and the Chrysler Championship at the Westin Innisbrook Resort at Palm Harbor, at the end of October.
One shot clear going into the last round, Singh birdied the final hole for a closing 65 and an 18 under par total of 266 to finish five strokes clear of American Tommy Armour III and Sweden’s Jesper Parnevik. The winner’s cheque of $900,000 also took him past the $10 million mark in earnings alone.
“I’m not one for stats, not one to keep records but I just feel this has been an incredible year for me,” said Singh. “I haven’t really sat down and thought about it, all what I’ve done. The wins just keep coming and I’m enjoying every bit of it.”
Singh, however, was not the only European Tour Member to record multiple victories on the US PGA Tour in 2004, that honour also falling to Ernie Els, Sergio Garcia, Retief Goosen and Adam Scott.
Els won the second event of the season, the Sony Open in Hawaii at the Waialae Country Club for the second year in succession in a play-off, this time the South African triumphing over Harrison Frazar courtesy of a 30 foot birdie putt on the third extra hole after both players had ended on 18 under par 262.
Although a consistent performer after that, The Big Easy had to wait until June for his second success, producing a phenomenal putting display in the final round at Muirfield Village, Ohio, one which even drew praise from tournament host Jack Nicklaus, on his way to victory in the Memorial Tournament.
Els carded two rounds of 66 at the weekend for an 18 under par total of 270 which proved too good for the chasing pack, headed by second placed Fred Couples who finished four shots behind third placed Tiger Woods, who ended six shots adrift of the South African.
Next to notch up a double success was Garcia and although not quite emulating Singh’s feat of winning successive tournaments, the Spaniard did post two wins in the space of four weeks, firstly taking the EDS Byron Nelson Championship at the TPC of Las Colinas in Texas in mid May and following that in mid June with victory in the Buick Classic at Westchester Country Club in New York.
In Texas, the 24 year old carded a final round 71 for a ten under par total of 270 to get into a play-off with Robert Damron and Dudley Hart and proceeded to take the winners’ spoils on the first hole with a par four as Damron bogeyed and Hart double-bogeyed.
In New York a month later, Garcia once again needed extra holes to claim the title after tieing with fellow European Tour Member Padraig Harrington and South African Rory Sabbatini on 12 under par 272. The Irishman was first to drop out of the play-off at the second extra hole, before Garcia won at the next with a seven foot putt for a birdie three.
Following Garcia into the winners’ circle two weeks later was Scott who held off a spirited challenge from Charles Howell III to post a final round 68 and a 21 under par total of 263 to win the Booz Allen Classic at the TPC of Avenel in Maryland.
It was the 24 year old Australian’s second win of the season on the US PGA Tour, his first, in March, being his biggest to date in the United States when he won The Players Championship on the Stadium Course at the TPC at Sawgrass in Florida.
Just as Garcia found in the Buick Classic, his closest challenger for most of the final round was his fellow European Tour Member Harrington but despite a brave closing 66 from the Irishman, Scott’s final round 70, which included a pitch and putt for a bogey five at the 18th after his initial approach had found the water, was enough for a one shot victory on 12 under par 276.
For Goosen there were two huge titles to savour. His second success in the US Open arrived in June then on the final day of the 2004 US PGA Tour season he secured another famous victory when with a last round of 64 he came from four shots behind Woods to win The Tour Championship.
Meanwhile John Daly had claimed his first title on the US PGA Tour since his win in the 1995 Open Golf Championship at St Andrews with victory in the February’s Buick Invitational at Torrey Pines Golf Club in California.
Daly also won in extra time, the 38 year old overcoming European Tour Member Luke Donald and American Chris Riley at the first extra hole after the trio had ended their 72 holes on ten under par 278.
In July England’s Mark James produced one of the individual performances of the year when he won the Ford Senior Players Championship, in the process becoming the first European golfer to win a Senior Major Championship on the US Champions Tour.
Four years ago, golf did not matter that much to James. In fact, understandably, nothing mattered much to the former European Ryder Cup Captain apart from tackling and beating the cancer he had been diagnosed with.
Thankfully for the Englishman, his wife Jane, and his many friends within the game, he did just that and, after having resumed his career at the 2001 Volvo PGA Championship at Wentworth Club, he turned his attention to preparing for life as a Senior golfer after turning 50 in October 2003.
Possessing a dogged determination as well as an undisputed talent for the game, as his 18 European Tour titles testified, James was always going to be a force to be reckoned with in the Senior ranks, but even he could not have envisaged the impact he would make in his first season.
James’s thrilling victory at the TPC of Michigan in Dearborn, alongside Singh’s record-breaking performance on the US PGA Tour, were right up there at the top of the many highlights of another superb season for European Tour Members worldwide which saw a plethora of titles pocketed across the five continents.
From Europe to North and South America, across Africa to Asia and Australasia, wherever golf tournaments were staged there was invariably a European Tour presence high on the leaderboard and more often than not, European Tour hands on the silverware come Sunday night.
In Michigan it was the turn of James to gently cradle the Ford Senior Players Championship trophy in his grasp after holding off the challenge of Spain’s José Maria Cañizares – a Ryder Cup team-mate in both 1981 and 1989 – to triumph.
James had grabbed the tournament by the scruff of the neck over the first three days with rounds of 68-67-67 and although in the testing winds of the final day he could not produce his fourth consecutive round in the 60s, his 73 for a 13 under par total of 275 was good enough to beat the Spaniard, who closed with a 71, by a solitary shot.
“This is the biggest win of my career, without question,” he said. “To win a Major is incredible. I’m lucky that I suddenly produced my best golf of the year here this week. It’s the sort of luck that some people get occasionally although during my regular career, I don’t think I ever quite got it to click like that.”
James’s success was not the only European Tour one celebrated on the US Champions Tour in 2004. In February Mark McNulty, formerly of Zimbabwe but now an Irish citizen, became the 11th golfer to win on his US Champions Tour debut when he won the Outback Steakhouse Pro-Am at the TPC of Tampa Bay, Florida.
The dapper McNulty, a winner of 16 titles on The European Tour, showed his golf was as neat as his dress sense with a tidy one shot victory over Larry Nelson, rounds of 67-65-68 for a 13 under par total of 200 being good enough.
McNulty continued to enjoy himself Stateside for the rest of the year, none more so than in October when he won the last two counting events of the season. Firstly the 51 year old won the SBC Championship at Oak Hills Country Club in San Antonio, Texas, before following it up with victory in the Charles Schwab Cup Championship at the Sonoma Golf Club in Sonoma, California.
In the SBC Championship, he carded a six under par final round of 65 to win by eight strokes over Gary McCord. The European Seniors Tour Member recorded an 18 under par total of 195 to claim the top prize of $225,000.
The winning margin at Oak Hills Country Club was the largest of the season in a 54-hole event and one short of the Champions Tour record. Bobby Wadkins (67) was third on 204, one stroke ahead of Tom Kite (68), Dave Stockton (68) and Bruce Fleisher (70).
In the Charles Schwab Cup Championship, a six under par 66 for an 11 under par total of 277 earned McNulty the title, as he rallied from five strokes adrift to card five birdies in the final eight holes to beat American Tom Kite by one stroke.
McNulty became the fifth rookie to win the end of season event joining Ray Floyd (1992), Gil Morgan (1997), Tom Watson (2000) and Bob Gilder (2001), and his three victories in 2004 saw McNulty finish the season in seventh place on the Money List with $1,423,048.
It was not just in the United States, though, that European Tour success flourished. Across the globe Members triumphed and once again South Africa and the Sunshine Tour in particular proved a fertile hunting ground for trophies.
Darren Fichardt, a two time winner on The European Tour International Schedule, started the ball rolling at the beginning of February in his native country with victory in the Dimension Data Pro-Am at the spectacular Gary Player Country Club.
The 29 year old held off the brave final round challenge of Ulrich van den Berg, birdieing the last for a 68 and a two shot victory and immediately gave credit to McNulty, who imparted some valuable advice to his young opponent after beating him to the 2002 Vodacom Players Championship at the Royal Cape Golf Club.
“Mark told me afterwards to try and be more patient in situations like that and not to force things,” said Fichardt. “I was a bit upset when he told me because he had just beaten me but I never stopped thinking about it. I used his advice when I won the Qatar Masters in 2003 and again today. It was just a case of keeping your ball in play and waiting for your opponent to make the mistakes.”
A week later there was further cause for celebration when Challenge Tour Member Andrew McLardy won the Nashua Masters at the Wild Coast Sun Country Club, carding a final round 67 for a 16 under par total of 264 and victory by three shots.
It was the first of two impressive victories for McLardy, the second one coming two weeks later in the Sunshine Tour Championship at Leopard Creek where he beat European Tour Member Louis Oosthuizen by three shots with a final round 72 for a 15 under par total of 273.
Although a sterling performance, it was not enough to see McLardy take the Sunshine Tour’s Order of Merit crown, that going, in the end, to Fichardt. But McLardy was more than rewarded with a place in the field for both the dunhill links championship and the WGC – American Express Championship later in the year on The European Tour.
The main season in South Africa might have ended, but European success continued apace on the Sunshine Tour’s Winter Tour, with the plaudits going to Challenge Tour Members Justin Walters of England and Titch Moore of South Africa.
Firstly, Walters posted a superb final round 65 for an 11 under par total of 205 to come from behind and win the Parmalat Classic at the De Zalze Golf Club in April, before Moore mounted a similar rearguard action in October to win his second Platinum Classic in three years at the Mooinooi Golf Club, Rustenburg, carding a final round 66 to finish the tournament on 16 under par 200, three clear of Hennie Otto.
As Fichardt, McLardy and Moore found, there is an extra special delight borne from winning in your home country or continent and it was an experience shared by other European Tour winners around the world in 2004.
Australia’s Terry Price travelled even further south than his Hope Island home in early January to claim the Holden New Zealand Open on the Australasian Tour, taming the tough winds at The Grange Golf Club in Auckland for a final round 70 and a one shot win over local amateur Brad Heaven.
Following Price later that month was Thailand’s Thongchai Jaidee who took the Myanmar Open on the Asian Tour, carding a three under par 69 in the final round for a 12 under par total of 276 and a three shot victory over American Andrew Pitts at the Yangon Golf Club.
Further success was garnered on the Asian Tour in September when Challenge Tour Member Charlie Wi of Korea won the Taiwan Open with a closing 68 at the North Bay Golf and Country Club, holding off the challenge of Australia’s Terry Pilkadaris to win by four shots for his sixth Asian Tour career title.
Across in South America in February it was the turn of Argentina’s Angel Cabrera to triumph in his homeland, a ten under par total of 270 good enough for him to take the Abierto del sur de Argentina title at the Mar del Plata Golf Club.
The Roll of Honour was further enhanced by Ireland’s Padraig Harrington, who returned to his native Dublin in April to the St Margaret’s Golf and Country Club on the outskirts of the Irish capital, and won the Irish PGA Championship, overtaking former Ryder Cup colleague Philip Walton on the home straight to win with a five under par total of 287.
Scott Crockett
Reproduced by kind permission of The European Tour Yearbook 2005
