The 2020 ANA Inspiration gets underway this week, and down the years it has consistently thrown up some of the most unforgettable golf moments of the year.

Ahead of this year’s event at Mission Hills CC, we thought we’d take a look back at 5 of the most dramatic moments from what has always proven to be, a must-watch major championship.

The Horrible Horseshoe – 2012

Back in 2012, In-Kyung Kim was poised to win her first major at the then-named ‘Kraft Nabisco Championship’.

The Korean needed just a par on the par 5 final hole to clinch the title, and left with little over a foot for victory, the win looked inevitable. That was until one of the most shocking and significant horseshoes in major championship history occurred:

That 14-inch miss ended up placing Kim in a playoff which she lost on the first extra hole to Sun Young Yoo.

Five years later, Kim would finally win her first major at the Women’s British Open. Half a decade on from that incredible miss in California, Kim stated: “I’m finally at peace.”

Lincicome Stuns Lewis – 2015

Stacy Lewis looked almost certain to win the third major of her career at the ANA in 2015, holding the lead on Sunday for nearly the entirety of the back 9.

Looking confident, the Ohio native seemed set to take a minimum of a two-stroke lead down the 18th, before Brittany Lincicome hit one of the shots of her life, knocking a 5-iron from 188 yards to inside 10-feet.

She then converted the eagle putt to tie Lewis.

That 5-iron ended up being a championship-winning shot, as Lewis would agonizingly miss putts from 13 feet in regulation, 15 feet on the first extra hole and 12 feet on the second. All which, had they gone in, would have given her the title.

Lewis’ bogey on the third extra hole sealed her fate, and she has been searching for her third major championship ever since.

Lydia The History Maker – 2016

Lydia Ko became the youngest women’s major champion in history back in 2016, but the win was anything but straightforward for the then 18-year-old. 

The Kiwi trailed Ariya Jutanugarn by two for the majority of Sunday and kept herself within touching distance thanks to some clutch par saves on the back 9 – the most notable being a lengthy par save on the 13th.

Still down by two with three holes remaining, the plot thickened as Jutanugarn stumbled home, leaving the door ajar for Lydia, who nervelessly stiffed her final approach on 18 to win by one and create history.

Lexi’s Stolen Major – 2017

One of the most controversial major moments in the sport’s history came at Mission Hills CC back in 2017 with Lexi Thompson seemingly cruising towards her second major title, holding a healthy lead on the back 9 on Sunday.

However, that lead eradicated when a rules official informed her that she was being assessed a four-shot penalty for not marking her ball correctly during round three.

An email from a viewer prompted officials to act a day late, and Thompson was hit with a two-stroke penalty for improper ball placement and a further two-stroke penalty for signing an incorrect scorecard.

“Is this a joke?” asked Thompson. It wasn’t.

Fighting back the tears and cheered on by the fans, Thompson bravely managed to force a playoff by birdieing three of her last six holes. But she was defeated by Ryu So-Yeon on the first extra hole.

A year later at the 2018 ANA, Thompson revealed to media members that 12 months on she still suffered nightmares from the incident:

“I was screaming, crying. You know, I’ve relived it for a while. I had nightmares about it — I still occasionally do.”

The 2014 edition of this week’s event remains her sole major victory.

Marathon In The Desert – 2018

2018 saw a playoff for the ages, with Inbee Park, Jennifer Song and Pernilla Lindberg all birdieing the final hole in regulation to reach extra holes.

In the dying light, Park and Lindberg both eliminated Song with birdies, and it looked set to be another major for the Korean who had seven majors to her name, while Sweden’s Lindberg had never before even won on the LPGA Tour.

Artificial light was brought to the playoff to attempt to prevent a Monday finish, but that effort was in vain, and both Park and Lindberg returned for the dreaded Monday morning resumption.

Defying every golf fan’s expectations, it was Lindberg who made the breakthrough on the eighth playoff hole, holing a 30-foot putt to stun Park.

Lindberg’s unlikely win that week remains her sole triumph on the LPGA Tour, while for Park, despite continuing to feature on Sunday leaderboards at the majors, her drought at golf’s biggest events now extends to five years.