Mickelson earns heartwarming victory

There's always a danger in labeling the latest thing the greatest thing, but Phil Mickelson's three-shot victory over Lee Westwood yesterday in the Masters has to rank high on the tournament's most memorable list. The fact that Mickelson saw his wife waiting for him behind the 18th green with tears streaming down her face made it perhaps the most heartwarming of them all.

Amy Mickelson had not been at a tournament since she was diagnosed with breast cancer 11 months ago, but she wanted to be there to see her husband win his third green jacket. When he completed his victory with a birdie on the final hole the conclusion became even more emotional when he realized that Amy was there to share the moment.

"I wasn't sure if she was going to be there," Mickelson explained.

Mickelson shared a long embrace with Amy behind the 18th green. Standing behind them was Mary Mickelson, his mother, who was diagnosed with breast cancer in July. As Mickelson walked to the scoring trailer after the long embrace, a tear trickled down his cheek.

"We've been through a lot this year. It means a lot to share some joy together," Mickelson said at the green jacket ceremony, his voice cracking. "It's been such an incredible week, an emotional week. And to cap it off with a victory is something I can't put into words. It's something we'll share for the rest of our lives."

Mickelson spiced his final-round 5-under-par 67 with some wild drives on Nos. 9, 10, 11 and 13, adding more drama than his fans probably wanted to suffer through, but each time he escaped like Houdini in becoming the only player on the day to record a bogey-free round. Determined to win one for his family, Mickelson made two remarkable par saves from the trees, seized control with a 15-foot birdie putt on No. 12 and then made a bold shot with a 6-iron off the pine straw and over Rae's Creek on the par-5 13th to set up a birdie. It was a daring gamble, the kind that has brought him criticism for taking on too much. But he would not be denied.

His finished the back nine with a 32 that left the rest of the field in his rearview mirror. His winning total of 16-under 272 was the fourth best in tournament history and the lowest by a Masters champion since Tiger Woods in 2001.

The final-round fireworks weren't as pronounced as those produced in the third round, during which Mickelson also shot a 67 in making the biggest move on moving day. But the end result was more satisfying for Mickelson, who had entered the Masters without a victory this season for the first time since 2003.

On an entertainment scale of 1 to 5, Oldgolfdawg would toss this year's Masters 5 dog biscuits. The strong leader board, great storylines, numerous eagles and thunderous roars made for great viewing each day of the tournament.

Westwood, a gritty Brit seeking his first major championship after several close calls, played admirably in shooting a 71, but he couldn't prevent Mickelson from winning his fourth major championship.

"Phil being the champion he is hit some great shots coming down the stretch," Westwood said. "He's been through hard times recently, and he deserves a break or two."

Anthony Kim closed with a 65, tying the best score of the tournament, and finished alone in third at 276. He played a stretch of four holes on the back nine in 5 under. Tiger Woods had his second straight wildly up-and-down day, shooting a 69 despite five bogeys, and tied for fourth with K.J. Choi at 277. Fred Couples was next at 279 and Nick Watney shot a 65 for 280.

Woods bogeyed three of his first fives holes, and despite an eagle 2 on the seventh hole, never seriously threatened. All hope of a late charge ended when he three-putted from 6 feet on the 14th hole for a bogey.

“As the week went on I played worse,” Woods said.

He also continued to break his vow to control his temper while out on the course. After hitting a poor 3-wood off the tee at No. 13, he swore loudly and admonished himself in a fit of frustration.

After his round, Woods was interviewed by CBS analyst Peter Kostis. Though not asked directly about the temper outburst on No. 13, Woods was asked about his dour mood as his game got away from him. He responded by saying, "People are making way too much of a deal on this."

Information from ESPN.com, Golf.com and the Associated Press contributed to this post.