Master’Phil’

I know, I know I missed an entry where AK assaulted Redstone Golf Club and beat Augusta native Vaughn Taylor in route to his already punched Master’s ticket. And he took full advantage at the 2010 ‘Tradition Unlike Any Other.’ Now lets get to the good stuff.

In a week that was focused almost completely on the return of Tiger Woods to competitive action, he along with the rest of the field lived up to the hype…and then some. All roads led to 2:40PM EST on Thursday April 8th. Tiger teed it up and ripped a drive splitting the fairway on the par 4 first hole reintroducing himself with the serene nervy calmness that is Augusta National. As the sun descended on day one of competition most of the talk and excitement remained with Tiger who fired a round one Masters personal best round four under par 68. But with all that went on this day, he wasn’t getting all the attention.

With a calm and overcast setting for much of the day, along with not as challenging pin positions and tee placements, Augusta National on day one was more of a sleeping beast. The main defense was down just a bit with stickier and slower greens, making life that much more receptive to shots that were not pinpoint in accuracy thus leading to more red numbers. In layman’s terms, the pros were ripping it up! The talk of a dream week started early as 60 year old Tom Watson carded a Turnberry-like 67 to post his name in a tie for second after day one with the likes of fan favorite and two time Green Jacket wearer Phil Mickelson and top British hopeful Lee Westwood. But there was room for two in this Dolorean.

50 year old 1992 Masters Champion Fred Couples turned back the clock a bit himself casually strolling the hills of NE Georgia in tennis shoe-like moccasins on his way to a personal best 6 under-par 66 and the overall outright lead after day one. His recent entry onto the Champions Tour has been a bit of a rebirth for Couples game. He won the first 3 Tour events going away and in 12 competitive rounds he has posted an astonishing 77 under par! That is an average of over 6 under par per round! His hot play along with his veteran knowledge of Augusta National was a recipe of success for this gray-haired former roommate of my brother at the University of Houston.

Although Watson faded as the week went on (still finishing under par), Couples was more than game for sticking around to the finish. On a rousing Saturday: some players rose (Hunter Mahan), some players fell (Ian Poulter) and some players just didn’t do much of anything (Anthony Kim) – but it was arguably the best and loudest Moving Day in recent memory at Augusta. And as anyone who has ever walked the grounds Masters week will attest, the roars at Augusta are unlike anywhere else. The roars were almost personified in a near 30 minute stretch on the back nine on Saturday between 5:05 and 5:40.

They started on the 13th hole as crowd favorite Phil Mickelson rolled in a 20 footer for eagle sending a roar of emotion through the loblolly pines and magnolias. Just moments later on the 15th green Couples had a little magic in his bag chipping in for eagle as patrons rose and exuded their appreciation for the veteran. Only ten minutes later there was a roar of epic proportions. Standing in the par four 14th fairway with a short iron in his hand, Mickelson struck a pure shot that landed on the green and spun down the hill to the right with the contours so perfectly it disappeared into the cup. The roar was so loud it reverberated through the dogwoods all the way to ‘Amen Corner’and noticeably affected the leader Westwood who promptly missed a par putt on the 11th green. Not more than five minutes later Ricky Barnes made on of the most difficult chips in all of golf behind in back of the green at #13 for an exciting birdie. And the clincher was at 5:40 when Phil Mickelson, seeking a record third eagle in a row, nearly holed out a wedge from just under 100 yards out. Between the roaring crowd and excitement of David Feherty’s call on air, the atmosphere was as dramatic as I’ve ever seen a Saturday in Augusta.

The roars themselves were so thrilling and intense that each one had kind of a life of its own. It was one of the most sensational half-hour of golf I have ever been a witness to, and, although on site, Tiger had nothing to do with it. He would reserve his electricity for Sunday….or so we all thought.

The ‘Striped One’ arrived at Augusta clad in Sunday red in a tied for 3rd place just four shots back of leader Westwood and three shots back of Mickelson. He was paired for the fourth straight day with KJ Choi who had mirrored his first three rounds of 68-70-70. And his engine sputtered from the start. A massive hook off the 1st, failing to birdie 2 or 3, and then two straight bogies on #4 & #5 and an ugly par on #6 and it seemed like Tiger’s chances were squelched before he even had the chance to contend. He stood in the first cut on #7 a whopping seven shots back with virtually no chance before his swing, and felt like he was right back in it after. Nick Faldo referred to it as Tiger’s best swing of the week and it showed. As if it was channeling Mickelson’s ball from #14 on Saturday it landed it the perfect place and then spun backwards and to the right perfectly down the slope and falling excitedly in the hole. Tiger got his roar that ignited a run of two more birdies to finish his nine in 35 and at 9-under and only three shots back. But the Jekyll & Hyde ways continued for Tiger and his tournament was basically over with a bogey on #11 and a three putt from 6 feet for a bogey on #14. Not even an eagle on #15 and a mocking birdie on the closing hole could not be savior enough for Eldrick.

Mickelson of the other hand, dazzled the patrons with one of the most memorable Sunday walks on the hallowed grounds. But it started slow. A very un-Phil-like seven straight pars to open the round finally gave way to a scrabbling birdie on #8 and an amazing save on #9, helped Phil turn in one-under 35. Rabbits were pulled out of the hat with two pars after hooked tee shots on #10 and #11. Although hundreds watch on across Rae’s Creek, the 12 green is one of the few serene lonely places at Augusta National to mull over a 25-foot birdie putt. Putting past experiences behind him he rolled in a confident stroke and grabbed his first outright lead of the tournament entering his favorite hole on the course. But the hooks got to him again and his tee shot finished left amongst the pine straw on this breath taking par five. Enter the shot of the tournament.

Mickelson stood set up on the unsteady pine needle with a long iron in his hand poised to hit a shot that wasn’t a lay-up, between two trees in front of him. Crazy would be the word many would use, except it is Phil Mickelson, so the word may just be ordinary. A typical caddie would never even consider letting their player hit this shot between tree and over a creek to a difficult sloping green in the Masters, but make no ‘bones’ about it, Jim Mackay knows and trusts his guy Lefty. When all was said and done and Peter Kostis tried to describe the craziness that was the shot, the ball sat just five feet from the cup and seemed like the clincher. Although Phil actually missed the putt, he still walked off the green with a lead going to a part of the course he could continue his magic.

After a pedestrian par on #14 he bombed a drive on #15 and hit just another ‘run of the mill’ shot over the pond and onto the green for a 25 foot eagle putt. A two putt birdie coupled with a chip and two putt par for Lee Westwood, basically sewed up the tournament for Lefty as he walked off #15 three up with three to play. Although Westwood birdied #17 to make it halfway competitive, Phil outdid the field sticking a shot on #18 and enjoying the stroll up the hill to a massive ovation from the crowd. His closing birdie gave him his third green jacket and his 16 under par 272 was just 2 shots back of the all time low tournament score posted by Tiger in his ‘Win For the Ages’ in 1997.

All and all it was an amazing week with a great Sunday. Although the final hour seemed to be in no doubt at all, the building hours were unbelievable. The only competitor who could muster an semblance of a charge was the youngster Anthony Kim who went low on the back nine to gain control of a solo third finish. Lee Westwood kept his bridesmaid-like play in majors grabbing another Top 5. He seems to be on the cusp of cashing one in soon. No matter how you slice it or if you like it, Tiger is back…enough said. And as for Mickelson, it’s been a tough year with his wife Amy and his Mother both being diagnosed with breast cancer, and this ‘Win For the Family’ affirmed his hard work in a tough time. Unlike most, I’m not the biggest Phil fan, but I gotta tip my cap to him. He was absolutely masterful at Augusta. And now the year long lottery begins for players vying for the 2011 green jacket. Let the battle begin.

***Players who finished in the Top 16 and ties who will be invited back next year: Phil Mickelson (-16), Lee Westwood (-13), Anthony Kim (-12), Tiger Woods, KJ Choi (-11), Fred Couples (-9), Nick Watney (-8), Hunter Mahan, YE Yang (-7), Ricky Barnes, Ian Poulter (-5), Miguel Angel Jimenez, Jerry Kelly (-3), Trevor Immelman, Steve Marino, Ryan Moore & David Toms (-2).