Over the course of 72 holes last week, there might have been 12 to 15 instances where Mickelson resisted the urge to force the issue with a bold play. It might have been a putt on the seventh green, a line off the tee at the 12th--or the 18th hole Sunday. Tied with Els, who sat near the scorer's area munching an apple, Mickelson hit another 3-wood down the chute, 20 yards short of the fairway bunkers, knowing a mere 8-iron would grant him access to that precious portion of real estate between the front pin and middle tier.
Mickelson shared his win with daughter Amanda, 4.
Photo: Stephen Szurlej
"He's always had all the shots," Smith said. "He's just using them a little more often."
A man can plot all he wants, but he still has to execute. "I have so much better control now over my distance and direction," Mickelson said. "When I set up for [the approach into 18], I've got something in my swing that we've worked on where I can aim at the pin and know it won't go right of that, it can only go left. I just try not to let it go too far left."
It didn't. Come to think of it, neither did the winning putt, the final stroke in one of the greatest Masters ever, a tournament so compelling that even the competitors themselves were left shaking their heads in disbelief. "It's rare I become interested in what's happening if I'm not in the lead," said tournament rookie Paul Casey, who hung around well into the back nine and finished tied for sixth. "If I'm not right in the mix, I'm not interested, but I was genuinely interested in what was going on out there. You became a fan as much as a golfer for a while. It was remarkable stuff."
Alas, there was at least one unsatisfied customer. "I promised Samantha last week that I'd win this one for her," Els said, referring to his 4-year-old daughter. "Man, is she gonna be pissed."
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