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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Who's gonna win? Masters 2010 preview

The first Major Championship of the year begins tomorrow at the storied Augusta National Golf Club in Augusta, Georgia. With all the distractions that have gone on off the course the last few months, its nice that the attention is now on golf.

Phil Mickelson has not gotten off to a promising start this year in Tiger's absence. He has 1 top 10 and has had at least 1 round in each tournament where he put up a monster number that took him out of contention. But at Augusta, where he has won 2 green jackets, Phil could be back in business by Sunday.

Tiger has looked a little rusty in the practice rounds this week, spraying drives left and right. Tiger has never been known to be deadly accurate off the tee, so he is going to have to rely on his irons and short game if hes going to win this week.

Ernie Els leads the Fed Ex Cup standings and has won twice already this year. If the Big Easy keeps up how hes been playing, hes gonna be in good shape.

The putting of Geoff Ogilvy is just outstanding. He averages 28.72 putts per round, more than 1 putt under tour average. With his short game, watch for him to be a contender this week.

Fred Couples has been lighting up the Champions Tour this year, becoming the first golfer to win three of the first four Champions Tour events he played in. He is not the longest guy in the field, but with a swing like his, there is no way he can't do what Tom Watson almost did last year at the Open Championship.

Defending Champion Angel Cabrera has gotten off to a rocky start of the 2010 season with only 1 top ten finish. If hes accurate, he could be in contention over the weekend.

Padriag Harrington has been playing well so far this year. Even though he has yet to win, hes been in contention on the weekend several times resulting in 2 top ten finishes. Look for him to be be in contention this weekend as well

My Pick: Geoff Ogilvy

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Tiger Woods to make return at The Masters

Tiger is back. He will return next month at The Masters. This will be Tiger's first tournament since his accident and subsequent fallout from last Thanksgiving.

The choice makes total sense from his standpoint. TMZ and the like do not have credentials to the Masters and won't be there to hound Tiger with questions not pertaining to golf. He may get some non-golf questions from the regular golf media but nothing that will make Tiger uncomfortable.

The fans are another distraction Tiger must face on his return. Another advantage for him in choosing the Masters is they are strict about golf etiquette. They will escort off the grounds anyone they deem is disrupting either other fans or the players. This is something only done at Augusta and no other PGA tournament or USGA tournament. No one will be yelling in Tiger's swing or chanting any obscenities. The following clause appears on the Masters website:

"In golf, customs of etiquette and decorum are just as important as rules governing play. It is appropriate for spectators to applaud successful strokes in proportion to difficulty but excessive demonstrations by a player or his partisans are not proper because of the possible effect upon other competitors."

"Most distressing to those who love the game of golf is the applauding or cheering of misplays or misfortunes of a player. Such occurrences have been rare at the Masters but we must eliminate them entirely if our patrons are to continue to merit their reputation as the most knowledgeable and considerate in the world."

Tigers return will do wonders for ratings for The Masters, which always usually have high ratings.

More on The Masters as it gets closer. Comments