Even though the spotlight over the last week has shone on Tiger Woods and his return to golf after a five month hiatus, Phil Mickelson is the golfer who walked away Sunday with his 3rd Masters title. Though Woods' first day was all the buzz at the beginning of the tournament with him finishing the day in second place just one shot behind leader Lee Westwood, Phil Mickelson pulled out the stops and finished in the lead on day 5. Tiger tied in 4th place overall.
Mickelson has had a poor season so far, not threatening the leaders in any tournament this year. In last week's Houston Open, Mickelson managed 3 double-bogeys in the first 10 holes on the last day, putting himself too far behind to catch up. It was then that he gave the doctor who is treating both his wife and his mother-in-law for cancer a huge thrill by bringing him onto the course to caddy. The doctor had served as a caddy years before, and actually seemed a good luck charm for Mickelson who then got a record-tying 6 birdies in a row.
At this tournament his wife's oncologist didn't caddy, but his wife, Amy Mickelson, was nearby in Augusta, watching her husband on television. Because of the cancer, she's was unable to walk the course. But she was there at the 18th hole for a celebratory hug after he clinched the green jacket.
With Amy watching him on television, Mickelson even managed to make what will probably go down as the finest shot so far of his entire career. The 13th hole looked to be a bust when he shot the ball into the trees, a full 200 yards away. But he managed to send it out of the trees and drop it a mere 3 feet from the hole, before sinking the putt.
And this came after a shot that was derailed by, of all things, a falling leaf.
In the final day, Mickelson was one of only four that included Woods, Westwood and Choi who managed to get on the fairway with one shot. By hole #2, Mickelson seemed sure to take the lead with an easy, short putt birdie. And as he pulled the club back a leaf fell directly in his putting line and as the ball rolled over it, it veered to the left and required another putt to give him par, but no birdie. Veterans were in disbelief at the back luck.
But his luck and his skill came through, despite his personal turmoil and all of the Tiger Woods drama. At one point, TV cameras picked up Woods cursing at himself over a shot and losing his temper, though in a milder way than fans have seen before.
Despite all the anticipation over Woods return, the day really did belong to not only Phil but his whole family, as they traveled to Augusta for the tournament. He said that it had been an emotional week and after being through so much in recent months it was wonderful to share some joy with his family.
Photo Credits: BillSpruce
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