The Masters was high drama.
Tiger Woods shaved four strokes over three holes to become relevant. K.J. Choi briefly tied for the lead. Anthony Kim almost broke free. The green jacket nearly doubled as a red cape given the relentless charges.
The crowd regularly roared throughout the course Sunday, letting Phil Mickelson know he couldn’t let down. While third-round leader Lee Westwood wasted several shots, Mickelson wouldn’t let a tree block his birdie attempt on 13 or water sink another on 15.
“I needed to make birdies,” Mickelson told CBS. “There was a lot of fireworks going on in front of me.”
Ultimately, it was Mickelson whose victory earned him a hug on the 18th from his wife, who survived breast cancer last year, and not Woods, whose wife understandably stayed away from the circus her husband created.
This isn’t saying good triumphs over evil. That’s way too deep. But karma certainly favored Mickelson and bedeviled Woods.
When Woods was caught behind a tree on 13, his next shot bounced off its trunk and cost him a stroke. Mickelson’s tree line attempt threaded an opening and ultimately led to victory.
Woods’ 14 major titles and four Masters have never included a comeback after 54 holes. The streak’s continuation was ensured when Woods cavalierly tried to tap in a missed putt. The second attempt lipped out, turning a birdie into a bogey and essentially eliminating Woods, who finished tied for fourth.
“Not what I wanted. I wanted to win this tournament,” Woods said. “As the week wore on, I kept hitting the ball worse. … I made too many mistakes on the greens.”
Woods seemed out of sync much of the day, far from the opening-round 68 on Thursday that made the past five months of scandal melt quickly. Golf fans figured their king was back.
The stress seemingly caught up to Woods on the first tee, producing a bad start. A bunker shot on the second hole stayed in the sand. Another bogey two holes later dropped Woods to 5 under.
And then Woods eagled No. 7. He raised his arms; the smile returned. Two more quick birdies energized the gallery, hopeful Woods was ready for his greatest comeback while Westwood and Mickelson methodically parred away.
But Woods and Mickelson soon detoured into the forest, and only the latter escaped.
Woods doesn’t know when he’ll return to the PGA Tour, his rehab continuing and all. The tour will breathlessly wait, considering Woods is its rainmaker. Meanwhile, Mickelson soaks in another breathless moment.
Rick Snider has covered local sports since 1978. Read more at TheRickSniderReport.com and Twitter @Snide_Remarks or e-mail [email protected].
