After Phil Mickelson lost the 2006 U.S. Open with a spectacular pratfall — a double bogey on the 72nd hole — he said, “I am such an idiot.” That day at Winged Foot, after he teed off on the final hole with the lead and with his sketchy driver, it wasn’t Mickelson’s shot-making that was questioned. It was his decision-making.
But did Mickelson learn anything from his historic brain cramp? Apparently not.
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On Sunday at Augusta National — 15 majors later and still stuck on the No. 3 — Mickelson held a two-stroke lead on the 13th hole when he found his ball on pine needles, behind a pair of trees, on a downhill lie and 207 yards from the pin.
So what does Mickelson do? He tempts fate once more. The man can’t help himself.
Asking caddie Jim “Bones” Mackay for a 6-iron, Mickelson licked his lips and hit the shot of his life.
Splitting the trees and clearing Ray’s Creek by the approximate width of a 2-iron, Mickelson’s shot bounced up on the green and stopped four feet from the hole. Lefty missed the eagle putt but made the comebacker for a birdie, a three-stroke lead and the adrenaline fix he needed to make his 2010 Masters victory complete.
“A great shot is when you pull it off,” Mickelson said. “A smart shot is when you don’t have the guts to try it.”
Mickelson’s gambling spirit is why he is so drawn to Augusta National, the greatest risk/reward course in the world. It also explains why Mickelson — a man with a plasticized personality and smile — is so beloved by fans.
You have to love a player in it for the thrills, who sees two trees in front of him and can’t resist the challenge.
“It was a gap big enough to fit a ball through,” Mickelson said with a smile.
