Phil Mickelson Wins the 2010 Masters Tournament

Day three of the Masters Golf tournament in Augusta, Georgia, was so exciting that I couldn't wait for the final day. After Saturday's third round, England's Lee Westwood still held the lead at 12 under par. It was not easy for Westwood to keep his focus with all the cheering heard around the course. In two holes, Phil Mickelson shot 4 under par with two consecutive eagles followed by a birdie. He finished one behind the leader at 11 under par.

Playing together for the third day in a row, K. J. Choi and Tiger Woods stayed neck and neck to finish third at 8 under par. They would be playing together again for the final day. Fifty year old Fred Couples was not far behind finishing at seven under par. A chip-in eagle helped him to achieve his position. Tied for fifth place at 6 under par were Hunter Mahan, Ricky Barnes and Ian Poulter. At 5 under par, there were two players tied for sixth place: Y.E. Yang and Anthony Kim.

There were several other players within winning distance. Jerry Kelly, Steve Marino and Bill Haas finished their rounds at 3 under par. Demonstrating that he still has what it takes, sixty year old Tom Watson finished tied for 8^th with Trevor Immelman at 2 under par. The final round promised to be an exciting finish to one of golf's most prestigious tournaments.

Final Round

Tiger Woods showed up for the final round wearing his traditional red shirt. Leader, Lee Westwood, also wore a red shirt. The red shirts did not bring good luck to either player. Woods had a rough start to his round with a bogey on the first hole. By the sixth hole, Woods was only 5 under par and his playing partner, K.J. Choi was 10 under. Woods rallied with an eagle and a couple of birdies. Choi made some great shots and even tied for the lead at one point. Ironically, both players finished at 11 under par tied for fourth place. They played even the entire tournament.

Although the excitement centered around the match between Phil Mickelson and Lee Westwood, several other players made some note worthy shots. Some players even threatened to catch up with the leaders. Ryan Moore and Nathan Green both had a hole-in -one. Nick Watney shot the low round of the tournament, a 65. He finished in sixth place. Anthony Kim made a charge and by the 16^th hole was only one behind the leader. The youngest player to play in the Masters, 16 year old Mateo Manessero from Italy, was the only amateur to make the cut. The senior citizen set was well represented by Fred Couples who finished in fifth place and Tom Watson who finished with a -1.

In spite of the excitement surrounding all the players, it was still the Mickelson-Westwood show. Westwood lead the tournament until the 8^th hole when Mickelson tied him. At the ninth hole Lee missed a short putt and Phil took over the lead. Both players had errant shots on hole 13. Phil made an incredible shot off the pine straw onto the green and birdied the hole. He was now ahead by two. Phil's rally continued and he went ahead by 3 by hole 15. Lee fought back with a birdie on number 17 but it was too little, too late. Phil birdied hole 18 to the roar of the crowd and finished 16 under par, a three stroke win over Westwood.

Phil was joined by his wife, Amy,on the 18th green, for a tearful congratulatory embrace. This was the first tournament Amy has been at since she began her battle with breast cancer. It was a wonderful ending to an exciting performance by all the players.

Sources: Tampa Tribune article by AP columnist Doug Ferguson, "Lefty's surge steals the show"

CBS broadcast of the 2010 Masters.