Phil Mickelson Wins Masters at Augusta National to Make Cinderella Story a Reality – April 2010
Phil Mickelson won this years Masters in dramatic style. During his golf round on Sunday he shot a bogie free 67, not an easy task for any professional golfer. Last year I posted about my disappointment in the major golf tournaments because golf ’s greatest players were never able to seal the deal in the final round. I think we may be in for the best year in competitive golf that we’ve seen in a long while if The Masters is any indication of what we can anticipate. The last Masters I watched as exciting as this year was in 1986 when golfing legend, Jack Nicklaus rallied on the back nine holes on Sunday to become the oldest player to win a major at age 46. Another fan favorite, Fred Couples and golfing legend Tom Watson set a good precedent for any golfer who thinks there may be an age limit to determine ones golfing skills by playing as well or better than many of the younger players in the field. They accomplished this feat at age 50 and 60 respectively. Tom Watson faltered after the first round but he played well enough to make the cut which is an accomplishment in itself at any age. Fred Couples, a past Masters Champion from 1992, is now dominating the senior tour and he led the field after the first round. Fred, at 50, played better than the majority of his peers finishing alone in sixth place at -9, just two shots back of Tiger Woods and K. J. Choi. Tiger and K. J. Choi were paired together and matched each others score for all four rounds and finished at -11, tied for fourth place. When Tiger Woods was interviewed on camera he expressed disappointment in his performance in this years Masters Tournment. His only goal was to win the tournament as his competitive nature will not allow him to settle for anything less than victory.
Tiger Woods made his first appearance on the PGA Tour in 1997 and I immediately became a fan. The events that transpired last Thanksgiving were the beginning of a traumatic period in the life of the worlds most renowned golfer, Tiger Woods. Although he put on a smile for his fans and the camera and was received well by his peers, the media and his golfing fans, he seemed distant during this tournament and justifiably so having his dalliances and indiscretions during his marriage being so blatantly exposed for public scrutiny. Tiger Woods is an incredible golfer, and I know of no other who could have performed so well after a four month plus hiatus from golf and with his personal life turned upside down since last November. As remarkably as he played he had opportunities to score better but seemed distracted as he made some un- Tiger like mental errors down the stretch. On one of the final golf holes he took a two foot par putt for granted, missed and had to settle for bogie. If not for this error in judgement he may very well have contended for a possible second or third place finish. The miss was uncharacteristic of Tiger’s normal performance especially when the competition is heating up down the stretch.
Phil Mickelson, on the other hand, was a man on a mission as he brought home the Green Jacket for himself, wife Amy and his mom and family. His performance during the tournament and especially in the final round on Sunday showed the world the golfing skills that make him the greatest player on tour in the present day era of golf, maybe second only to Tiger Woods. Tiger exposed himself to the world as the mere mortal that he is and not the superman who some perceived him to be before the incident last year. He has left the door open for Phil to move into his # 1 slot as Phil is a spectacular player who is coming into his own and is finally believing in himself. Unfortunately, it may have taken a family crisis to make that happen. His wife Amy was courageous as she made her way to the tournament with their children to be by her husbands side despite her illness. She wanted to share in this historic moment as she played an important role by inspiring Phil to win his third green jacket. Phil Mickelson now shares this honor with some of the most renowned names in golf, Jimmy Demaret, Nick Faldo, Gary Player and Sam Snead. Arnold Palmer, another golf legend has four wins along with Tiger Woods. Jack Nicklaus leads with an incredible six victories at this prestigious golf tournament, The Masters. I thoroughly enjoyed this years Masters and I look forward to seeing Phil Mickelson, Tiger Woods and the other great players on tour, hitting golf balls and competing in the rest of the majors in 2010. Happy Golfing to All!
I agree, it was nice to see the Masters live up to the pre-tournamant hype and deliver some great golf. Phil Mickelson’s win for me showed two important things; courage and enjoyment.
Mickelson’’s courage was cystallised in his second shot at the 13th. From in the woods his bold shot landed a few feet from the pin. It was a shot and a moment worthy of a champion, and send a strong signal to Westwood that is he wanted to challenge, then Phil was up for the fight.
And just like when he won the Masters the first time Mickelson did so with a smile on his face. It is refreshing to see a professional who actually looks like he is enjoying his work. I’m sure that contributed positively to his mental state as the final few holes were played out.
For the rest of us golfers it is a clear example that at times we need to step-up and play at the shot that has risk but can offer great reward, particularly in matchplay where the consequences of making a mess are only the loss of one hole. Timidity, especially on the greens can cost us dearly.
And to play and enjoy ourselves is important. Oftentimes we make everything too serious. Most of us took up golf in the first place for pleasure, and it is important we don’t forget that.
Thank you for your comment and I agree with all you wrote. I think this is Mickelson’s year! Let’s enjoy golf in the meantime as it is important to remember that as you so stated.