31 days until golf: Phil's stunning closing stretch to capture 2004 Masters

The PGA Tour plans to restart its season June 11 after halting due to the coronavirus pandemic. Each day until then, we'll highlight key moments, people, or facts relating to where we are in the countdown.

By the time the 2004 Masters rolled around, Phil Mickelson was by far the best player in the world without a major championship to his name.

He had collected 22 PGA Tour wins and spent more than two years as the second-ranked player in the world. In his 46 majors played, he had 17 top-10 finishes and nine top-five results.

But it all changed when Mickelson closed the 2004 Masters with a stunning 5-under 31.

Mickelson entered Sunday sharing a two-shot advantage with Chris DiMarco, while Paul Casey, K.J. Choi, and Ernie Els lurked close behind. Mickelson's lead vanished after he played the front nine at 2-over to trail Els by one, but Lefty began his run with a rare birdie on the par-3 12th to briefly draw level with the South African.

Mickelson had some catching up to do after Els eagled No. 13 to pull ahead by two. He did so with birdies on three of the next five.

Tied with Els, who was in the clubhouse at 8-under, Mickelson finished his round in style on No. 18:

Mickelson's victory at the 2004 Masters marked the first of three green jackets for the now-five-time major winner. The U.S. Open remains the only event standing between him and the career grand slam.