At long last, there was magic in the air
‘I believe I won in a way that would have made [Arnold Palmer] proud.’
•
Phil Mickelson had endured more heartache in major championships than any player of his generation. And no place had been as unkind to him than the setting that oozes beauty and tranquility, Augusta National Golf Club.
If the Masters were a tragicomedy, Mickelson was its unwitting protagonist, a player who could climb to the brink of triumph with guile and brilliance, only to fall from the precipice in cruel and sometimes untimely fashion.
For three consecutive years, beginning in 2001, he had finished third at the Masters, losing twice to Tiger Woods and another time to Mike Weir. Go back to 1995, in just his second appearance as a pro at Augusta National, and Mickelson had put together a run in which he finished no worse than seventh in seven of the next nine Masters.
That doesn’t even take into account his two runner-up finishes in the U.S. Open — in 1999 and 2002 — or his second-place finish in the 2001 PGA Championship.
And, yet, no green jackets. No major titles.
But, on a cloudy day among the Georgia pines that eventually became known as “One Magical Sunday,” Mickelson was no longer the victim, but the victor. With an 18-foot birdie putt on the 72nd hole that saw him jump off the ground in ecstasy — arms and legs spread wide — he won his first major title by one shot over Ernie Els in one of the most exciting finishes at Augusta National. Only three other players had ever birdied the final hole to win the Masters in the 67-year history of the tournament.
And Mickelson did it, watching his final putt curl halfway around the hole before dropping in and ending a series of painful disappointments that had shadowed his career. “I did it,” he yelled when he leaped in the air. Finally. He shot 31 on the back nine to finish at 9-under 279 and take down Els, who had built a three-shot cushion with five holes to play with the help of two eagles.
“I played as good as I could,” said Els, who was standing on the practice putting green, behind the 18th green, when he heard the birdie roar. “I guess Phil deserved this one.”
In a tournament that saw Arnold Palmer make his 50th and final competitive appearance at the Masters, it was left to Mickelson to add to the emotion and shower even more love among the patrons with his victory. After going 46 majors without a victory, 2004 started a streak in which he won three of the next seven major championships, including another green jacket in 2006.
“It was very meaningful for me to win the Masters during Arnold Palmer’s final competitive appearance here,” Mickelson would say later in his book, “One Magical Sunday,” which detailed, hole by hole, his final round of 69. “Mr. Palmer was known for his charges on the back nine at Augusta — and I believe I won in a way that would have made him proud.”
It looked as if it would be a magical Sunday for Mickelson a day earlier when, showing the short-game
craftsmanship that is unrivaled on the PGA Tour, he got up and down from a steep shaved slope to the right of the 18th green to save par and finish off a third-round 69. That left him tied with his old friend, Chris DiMarco, for the 54-hole lead at 6-under 210. They had a two-shot lead on Paul Casey of England and a three-shot advantage on three other players, including Els, a three-time major winner; and two-time Masters champion Bernhard Langer.
Mickelson’s advantage, though, disappeared quicker than the sun on the final day. He opened with a front-nine 38 while Els made eagle at the par-5 eighth and another at the par-5 13th to take a threeshot lead. But Mickelson, who was on the 12th tee when he heard the roar for Els’ eagle, began his move. He hit an 8-iron to 12 feet on the 155-yard par-3 for birdie, then two-putted for another birdie at No. 13. When he stuck a pitching wedge to inches at the par-4 14th for his third consecutive birdie, Mickelson was within a shot of the lead.
Then on the par-3 16th, scene of many memorable moments, he made a 15footer for birdie to tie Els, sending a thunderous roar through the valley that could be heard on the course’s highest peak — the 18th green, where more magic would soon unfold.
“When I made that putt on 16, as I was walking to the green, I really thought it didn’t seem overwhelming,” Mickelson said. “I’ll make this putt and I’ll birdie one of the last two.”
Only three players have ever birdied the 18th hole to win the Masters — Palmer in 1960, Sandy Lyle in 1988 and Mark O’Meara in 1998. Mickelson became the fourth, fortuitously getting a read from his playing partner, DiMarco, who was on the same line inches behind Mickelson’s ball.
The drought was over. Mickelson, finally, was a major champion.
“I have a memory or an experience that I’ll remember for the rest of my life,” he said.