A lot has happened in the golf world since the calendar changed to Jan. 1, 2010.
At the time, Tiger Woods had recorded 70 PGA Tour wins with zero back surgeries. Rory McIlroy had barely played in America, and Jordan Spieth, one of the best golfers over the last 10 years, was still a junior in high school.
Over the last decade on the PGA Tour, 12 different golfers reached No. 1 in the world, 186 players won at least once, 466 events were played, and over 12 million strokes were taken.
Focusing on only the men's game, here are the decade's top 10 most memorable moments in golf:
10. Bubba's hook wedge
After missing a makeable putt that would have beaten Louis Oosthuizen on the first playoff hole of the 2012 Masters, Bubba Watson found himself in purgatory following a wayward drive on No. 10, the second extra hole.
However, in typical Bubba fashion, the lefty pulled off one of the most remarkable shots in Masters history, hitting a towering wedge that hooked around the trees to settle within 10 feet of the cup. Needing only a two-putt, Watson was able to secure his first of two green jackets.
9. Rory arrives
While no single moment from McIlroy's 2011 U.S. Open stands out from the rest, his entire eight-shot victory led to the then-22-year-old's emergence in North America, which occurred shortly after his collapse in the final round of the Masters.
McIlroy's first of four major victories kicked off a decade's worth of dominance.
8. 'Come on Aussie!'
Adam Scott drained a long putt on 18 to grab a one-shot lead at the 2013 Masters and celebrated with an enormous "Come on Aussie!" scream.
Angel Cabrera witnessed the commotion from the 18th fairway, then stuffed his approach to within a few feet to force a playoff. That exchange preceded Scott's playoff win when he sealed a memorable Masters victory and the first green jacket for Australia.
7. Sergio gets his 1st major
Regardless of your opinion on Sergio Garcia, there's no debating the Spaniard was long overdue for a major championship title when he defeated Justin Rose in a playoff at the 2017 Masters.
With his incredible approach into No. 15 on Sunday helping him, Garcia set a record by playing in 73 majors prior to claiming his first win. Additionally, he broke through at Augusta in his 19th appearance, eclipsing Mark O'Meara's mark (15 attempts).
6. 'Go get that'
Jordan Spieth found himself tied with Matt Kuchar heading to the back nine after entering the final round of the 2017 Open Championship with a three-shot lead.
On No. 13, Spieth blasted his drive left, but he was able to take a favorable drop in the driving range after a lengthy debate. He salvaged a bogey then went on a tear. Spieth nearly aced No. 14 and dropped a bomb on No. 15, telling caddie Michael Greller to "go get that."
Birdies on the next two holes allowed Spieth to cruise to a three-shot victory and his third major championship. Shockingly, he hasn't won since.
5. Koepka goes back-to-back
Brooks Koepka etched his name in the history books with his second consecutive U.S. Open title in 2018, becoming the first to complete the feat since Curtis Strange in 1989.
The then-28-year-old staved off a stacked group pursuing him at the extremely difficult Shinnecock Hills while recording a 1-over winning score. His second U.S. Open trophy was the first of three major titles over his next five starts.
4. Rory vs. Reed
Rory McIlroy and Patrick Reed's battle at Hazeltine will go down as one of the best Ryder Cup matches ever, and possibly the best ever.
The two exchanged shots back and forth all day long, electrifying the crowd along the way. On No. 8, McIlroy drilled a birdie putt (3:00 mark in the video above), and Reed answered with a birdie of his own and celebrated with his now-famous finger wave.
Reed eventually won 1-up to help the United States win the 2016 Ryder Cup.
3. Spieth's epic collaspe
Spieth began the back nine on Sunday of the 2016 Masters with a five-shot lead, and his second straight green jacket all but guaranteed. However, after bogeys on Nos. 10 and 11, Spieth's lead over Danny Willett dwindled to one as he stood on the 12th tee.
Then disaster struck. His first shot found Rae's Creek, and then he chunked it back into the water after taking a drop. Spieth made a quadruple-bogey seven and went from five shots in front to trailing by three in the span of three holes. He remained there to finish T-2 behind Willett.
2. Tiger's 80th win
Tiger Woods hadn't won a golf tournament since 2013. Despite believing his career was over after four back surgeries - resulting in multiple failed comebacks - forced him out of the game for years, Tiger pulled off the unimaginable by winning the 2018 Tour Championship.
Pandemonium ensued on the 18th fairway as fans flooded East Lake Golf Club to catch a glimpse of history. But Tiger's 80th PGA Tour title was only a sign of bigger things to come.
1. Tiger wins the Masters
Does anyone else still get chills?
Woods' fifth Masters victory was hands down the pinnacle moment of the decade. Tiger looked equally as dominant and intimidating in 2019 as he did during his run in the first decade of the 2000s, picking apart Augusta National while those around him on the leaderboard crumbled.
The emotional outburst he let out on the 18th green followed by the embrace with his family will never be forgotten.
Honorable mentions
Stenson vs. Mickelson
Henrik Stenson and Phil Mickelson ran away from the field at Royal Troon Golf Club during the 2016 Open Championship. Runner-up Mickelson beat the next closest competitor by 11 shots in what were two of the greatest Open Championship performances ever. Unfortunately for Lefty, Stenson bettered him by three shots in the same year.
Decade of major disaster for DJ
Dustin Johnson won 18 times during the 2010s but only managed to capture one major championship, which was at the 2016 U.S. Open. Even that wasn't a smooth victory as he played the majority of his round without knowing if he would be penalized for his ball moving on the green. However, it was these three close calls from the 2010s that will surely haunt Johnson:
- 2010 U.S. Open: He entered the final round at Pebble Beach with a three-stroke lead but shot an 11-over 82 to lose by five.
- 2010 PGA Championship: He led by one on the final hole at Whistling Straits but it was determined he grounded his club in a bunker he thought was a waste area on No. 18. He made bogey, plus a two-shot penalty, to miss out on the playoff by two strokes.
- 2015 U.S. Open: He missed a 12-foot eagle putt on No. 18 to win the tournament then proceeded to miss the 3-foot comebacker to hand Spieth the victory.
Miracle at Medinah
The United States led by six points Saturday afternoon at the 2012 Ryder Cup but saw its advantage shrink to four ahead of Sunday's singles matches. Led by Ian Poulter and McIlroy, the Europeans rallied on Sunday to win 14.5-13.5 to match the largest single-day comeback in Ryder Cup history. Francesco Molinari halved the final match with Tiger to seal it.
