Mickelson Wins 3rd Green Jacket

Phil Mickelson was asked after shooting 67 in the Final Round at The Masters what is the difference between a great shot and a smart shot. His answer paraphrased was 'a great shot is one you execute well, and a smart shot is a shot you don't have the guts to take.' That sentence right there just sums up Phil Mickelson. If you've followed Phil over the years, gone through all the ups and downs, you know he always goes for it. And that is exactly what he did on the par 5 13th on Sunday from the pine needles behind a tree. He went for it. And he made it.

Phil doesn't always make it. There have been breakdowns. There was the breakdown in the 2006 U.S. Open at Winged Foot on the 72nd hole where he drove the ball off the merchandise tent. The 2009 U.S. Open where he 3 putted the par 4 15th at Bethpage Black, along with another 3 putt on 17 at Shinnecock Hills in 2004. The moments haven't always been great.

When I could tell from hearing Phil talking to his caddy that he was going for the green on 13, I thought that it was the beginning of the end. Here we go again, classic Phil has to go for it. He's got a 2 shot lead with 6 holes to play, and I'm thinking to myself, "What are you doing, Phil?" But Phil was doing what he does. He hit a 6 iron to 5 feet.

Mickelson had a blemish free 5 under par 67 on Sunday to win his third Masters. He had to scramble a lot though. After driving the ball beautifully the first three rounds, Phil drove the ball very inconstantly today, even pulling out 3 wood on several occasions on holes he had pulled Driver on earlier in the week. His chipping and putting helped him get through the front nine today with no bogeys. On the latter part of the back nine he got a little more consistent and drove the ball in better positions to go after some pins and make more birdies.

Blemishes were plentiful for a lot of other players on Sunday. Fred Couples dreams of a green jacket were washed away when he put his tee shot on the par 3 12th in the water and went on to make double-bogey. For a 50 year old though, he had an outstanding week and he is going to tear up the Champions Tour for a long time.

Anthony Kim had a huge run on Sunday and shot 7 under, 5 under on the back nine, to shoot 65 to finish at -12. His one over par 73 on Saturday really hurt his chances to catch the leaders, but a remarkable Sunday none the less.

Lee Westwood entered Sunday with a one shot lead looking for his first major. He had or shared the lead all the way to the 12th hole where Mickelson would birdie and take the lead he would never surrender. Westwood's putter let him down this week, especially on Sunday where he missed a couple of short putts at some bad times.

Tiger Woods got off to a horrible start Sunday, bogeying 3 of his first 5 holes. But on 7 he holed out for eagle from the fairway and then proceeded to birdie the next two holes. With the easier back nine, you would think Tiger could go low and catch the leaders. But a bogey on 11 and a 3 putt bogey on 14 took him out of contention.

All in all this was a memorable tournament for a lot of reasons. The product on display and the quality of golf being played by everyone over the weekend was just spectacular. With Mickelson almost having 3 eagles in a row on Saturday, Tiger's return to golf, to the ageless Fred Couples and Tom Watson playing like the days of old, the constant back and forth was just amazing. It will go down as one of the most memorable tournaments in Masters history.



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