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Monday, April 10, 2006 

It's Phil!

Posted by: Bradley McDonald

Phil Mickelson took home the Master's trophy, winning for the second time in three years at Augusta. Mickelson, who started at 0 for 42 in majors as a professional, has now won 3 of the last 9 major tournaments he's played in.

The top scores were a little higher than last year, but it didn't look like the toughened course took too much of a toll on the players. Mickelson made sure there wasn't any drama, winning by 2 strokes with a bogey on the final hole.

It's good to see Phil get another victory. If you saw him in the final round paired with Fred Couples, you would've thought it was just two friends playing a friendly game, not playing in the biggest golf tournament for a $1.2 million purse.

The defining characteristic of Mickelson's victory in the 2006 Masters had nothing to do with adrenaline. Chased by a leaderboard that included four former Masters champions and assorted other major winners, Mickelson sucked all the drama out of Augusta National Golf Club. There would be no leap, no roar from the crowd. Mickelson finished this one with every professional golfer's favorite shot -- the tap-in bogey putt to win by two.

You want a defining characteristic? Try dominance.

Before his get-it-home-safely bogey, Mickelson strung together 13 pars and four birdies. On a day when one after another of the best golfers in the world succumbed to the dangers of Augusta National, Mickelson played 31 nearly flawless holes. He made two bogeys in the morning, when he moved into the 54-hole lead at 4 under. His final-round 69 gave him a 72-hole score of 281, two strokes higher than his winning score two years ago, and about 100 times better.

Mickelson looked like Greg Maddux painting the corners, or maybe Jason Kidd leading the fast break. He never made an eagle. He never shot the lowest score in any round.

10:36 AM |

Phil Wins The Field. That is a good headline. For the first time, Phil won a major with all major contenders in the field, most significantly: Tiger Woods. Phil is now THE MAN. Until the U.S. Open anyway.

Posted by Anonymous stu | Mon Apr 10, 03:31:00 PM 2006   

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