Phil Mickelson denies Lee Westwood to win third Masters
Phil Mickelson played a flawless round to win his third green jacket at Augusta yesterday, ending Lee Westwood's hopes of claiming his first major.
Westwood had played well all week and had led on the final day, but Mickelson was playing genius golf on Saturday, racing into contention with two eagles in as many holes on the 13th and 14th, and a birdie on the 15th to follow. If Mickelson couldn't quite hit those heights yesterday, he still performed supremely well to deny the Englishman that long-sought first major.
Mickelson hit five birdies on Sunday to finish 16-under-par, three strokes ahead of nearest competitor Westwood. The 36-year-old had hit sub-70 rounds on the first three days - the only player to do so at this year's event - but he could only come home one-under yesterday, four birdies all but undone by three bogeys.
Anthony Kim claimed third place, racing toward the leaders on the final day after starting tied for ninth place, coming home with a round of 65 that included six birdies and an eagle. Korea's KJ Choi tied for fourth place with Tiger Woods on 11-under, the burly Choi just faltering slightly on the back nine with a couple of bogeys on the 13th and 14th.
Woods himself missed several comparatively easy putts, while other areas of the 34-year-old's game showed more than a touch of rust too, with some erratic driving chief among Wood's failings. If Woods had looked dangerously close to his best on the opening day, on Sunday he looked to be less than superhuman.
But he also mixed the sloppy with the sublime, pinging off a pine tree with one shot - and then sending his next effort sailing serenely past the treetops and onto the green. Woods' true talent was on display - it had to be - as he played himself out of trouble on several occasions.
Woods also struggled to conduct himself in a manner befitting the occasion, at one point shouting an infuriated "God! Tiger!" after firing a shot that displeased him. Asked about how he thought he'd controlled his emotions afterwards, Woods said: "I think people are making far too much of this thing," perhaps indicating that the golfer isn't planning on making wholesale changes to his persona. Woods also refused to reveal when we'd see him playing again, saying only that he planned to take some more time out after this weekend.
Fred Couples couldn't quite fulfil the promise of that first day when he led the leaderboard, but he managed to finish in sixth place at nine-under, a bogey on the 11th and a double bogey on the 12th detracting from the six birdies the 50-year-old carded.
Nick Watney was seventh with a round of 65, while England's Ian Poulter lost some momentum, eventually finishing tenth after disappointing rounds on Saturday and Sunday, respectively of 74 and 73.
The day belonged to Mickelson, however. The 39-year-old has sometimes been derided as a phony for his willingness to glad-handle the crowd, but no-one could doubt the true emotion of Mickelson's celebration with his wife Amy, who is currently battling breast cancer. The scene also evoked an unavoidable counterpoint to Tiger Woods' current circumstances. If Woods had won here, you wonder who he would have been embracing.
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