Had his Phil of second

AUGUSTA — Phil Mickelson isn’t always the bridesmaid — he’s won three Masters — but he’s played the runner-up role far more often than he’d like. This was his 10th second-place finish at a major, which is 10 too many times as far as Mickelson is concerned.

Mickelson shot a 69 on Sunday for a 274 total, tying him with Justin Rose but four shots back of Jordan Spieth, who simply wouldn’t wobble.

“I needed to do something spectacular,” Mickelson said. “I would have taken 14-under at the start of play, but I got outplayed. This course is never a pushover. He played some amazing golf.”

Mickelson certainly had his moments in the fourth round, including a trademark chip for an eagle on No. 15 to get to 14-under. Even then, though, Spieth was four strokes ahead and about to record yet another birdie on the same hole. Every time it appeared Mickelson was about to reel him in, Spieth escaped.

“(Spieth) birdieing a few holes early like that, it just gives him a little bit of confidence that the round is going to go smoothly,” Mickelson said. “I thought that was going to make it for an uphill battle. If he made a mistake, it was a bogey; and he usually followed that up with a birdie, and that’s what you need to do to win major championships, that style of play.”

Mickelson’s performance here was still a good one, somewhat unexpected considering his recent struggles. He’d come here way off form, having finished no better than 17th in seven tournaments this year.

Like Tiger Woods, however, Mickelson has usually thrived at the majors.

“I don’t have a great explanation other than I really focus on those events,” Mickelson said. “It’s not my motivation to go try to grind out wins week after week. I want to zero in on the four or five biggest events, and I’ve been fortunate in that I’ve been able to get some of my best golf there.”

On Sunday, Mickelson birdied No. 2, then stalled on the front nine. He came alive late, though, keying off the eagle chip and catching Rose for that second place tie.