Golf - US Masters:Is there a more cavalier player in golf? With Phil Mickelson, you just never know what will happen next. Yesterday, in this 74th edition of the US Masters, we found out: the left-handed American won his third green jacket, producing a stunning final round 67 - for 272, 16-under-par - which seemed to be played from pine needles as frequently as the manicured fairways. It is, simply, Phil's way!
On an extraordinary final day in the season's first major, Mickelson - seeking release from the cancer battles both his wife and mother are involved in - found solace on the golf course. In claiming a fourth major title, and first his Masters triumph here in 2006, the American finished with a three- shot cushion over Lee Westwood with Anthony Kim a short further back in sole third.
World number one Tiger Woods, who had an up-and-down round, finished tied-fourth with Korean KJ Choi. Woods birdied two of his last four holes for a closing 69, for 277. Fred Couples, who finished alone in sixth, was in the thick of contention until suffering a bogey at the 11th followed by a double bogey on the Par Three 12th, payback perhaps for his win here in 1992.
Having started the day a stroke behind 54-holes leader Westwood, and with a list of characters including Kim and Choi playing their way into the mix, Mickelson took control of affairs on the back nine. But if the three birdies he produced in a four hole stretch - at the 12th, 13th and 15th - were critical in annexing the win, so too were the sometimes unbelievable rescue shots he conjured up from the trees after wayward drives on the ninth, 10th and 11th holes for par saves.
And, in the long history of the game, the bravery of the second shot on the 530 yards 13th hole will go down in folklore.
Only Mickelson, you believe, could envisage hitting an approach shot off a bed of pine needles through a narrow gap between two trees over Rae's Creek to the green. He conceived it and executed it brilliantly, and the only pity was that he missed the seven-foot eagle putt.
Still, that resultant tap-in birdie gave Mickelson a cushion over the his closing holes which he carried to the Butler Cabin.
Mickelson finished in style, securing his fifth birdie of an emotionally-charged round to finish in style on the 18th. He'd only left the green when he was embraced by his wife, Amy, who has been battling breast cancer for the past 11 months. This was the first tournament that his family had travelled to during that period of treatment.
Westwood, who carried the hottest streak in majors into the championship after his third placed finishes in both last year's British Open and USPGA, failed to finish the job on this occasion. The 36-year-old Englishman either led on his own or shared the lead until a three-putt bogey on the ninth put him in the role of chaser to Mickelson. It was to prove a vain pursuit.
Kim, winner of last week's Shell Houston Open, made a magnificent charge on the homeward run. The 24-year-old American, of Korean heritage, went birdie-birdie-eagle-birdie from 13th hole in a charge that propelled him through the field and gave him a best-ever finish of third in a major.
Woods had a round that mixed the sublime with the ridiculous, his inconsistency unavoidable - even for the world's number one - after a five-months break from the sport due to the fallout caused by revelations of his marital infidelities. Woods included leaving a shot in the bunker on the second, with some wild swings off the tee and a three-putt bogey from four feet on the 14th with some remarkable recovery shots and other superb play, highlighted by his eagle on the 15th.
Ian Poulter's tournament finished in major disappointment, the midway leader having to settle for a share of 10th place. "I'm not happy walking away from this golf course finishing 10th. I'm pretty mad right now."
Italy's Matteo Manassero completed his first appearance in the Masters with a closing round 72 for 292, four over. He claimed the trophy as leading amateur to add to the medal he collected as leading amateur at last year's British Open.
Collated final round scores and totals after the final round of the Masters at Augusta National Golf Club, Georgia, United States of America
(USA unless stated, par 72):
272Phil Mickelson 67 71 67 67
275Lee Westwood (Eng) 67 69 68 71
276Anthony Kim 68 70 73 65
277Tiger Woods 68 70 70 69, K J Choi (Kor) 67 71 70 69
279Fred Couples 66 75 68 70
280Nick Watney 68 76 71 65
281Hunter Mahan 71 71 68 71, Y.E. Yang (Kor) 67 72 72 70
283Ricky Barnes 68 70 72 73, Ian Poulter (Eng) 68 68 74 73
285Jerry Kelly 72 74 67 72, Miguel Angel Jimenez (Spa) 72 75 72 66
286Steve Marino 71 73 69 73, Trevor Immelman (Rsa) 69 73 72 72, David Toms 69 75 71 71, Ryan Moore 72 73 73 68
287Adam Scott (Aus) 69 75 72 71, Tom Watson 67 74 73 73, Ernie Els (Rsa) 71 73 75 68, Angel Cabrera (Arg) 73 74 69 71, Heath Slocum 72 73 70 72, Scott Verplank 73 73 73 68
288Ben Crane 71 75 74 68, Matt Kuchar 70 73 74 71
289Kenny Perry 72 71 72 74, Bill Haas 72 70 71 76, Geoff Ogilvy (Aus) 74 72 69 74
290Yuta Ikeda (Jpn) 70 77 72 71
291Soren Kjeldsen (Den) 70 71 75 75, Francesco Molinari (Ita) 70 74 75 72, Steve Stricker 73 73 74 71, Sean O'Hair 72 71 72 76, Charl Schwartzel (Rsa) 69 76 72 74, Jason Dufner 75 72 75 69
292Lucas Glover 76 71 71 74, Metteo Manassero (Ita) 71 76 73 72
294Dustin Johnson 71 72 76 75, Retief Goosen (Rsa) 74 71 76 73, Steve Flesch 75 71 70 78, Camilo Villegas (Col) 74 72 71 77
295Zach Johnson 70 74 76 75
296Robert Karlsson (Swe) 71 72 77 76, Mike Weir (Can) 71 72 76 77
298Chad Campbell 79 68 80 71, Robert Allenby (Aus) 72 75 78 73, Sergio Garcia (Spa) 74 70 76 78
302Nathan Green (Aus) 72 75 80 75