As one of Phil Mickelson's biggest supporters, Sunday's final round at Augusta could not have been better.
And as someone who is sick and tired of the dramatics and sideshows supplied by Tiger Woods' not-so-interesting personal life, I was pumped to see Phil put some thrill back in golf.
Mickelson's flawless final-round 67 sealed his third Masters win, and left Lee Westwood wondering what else he has to do to win a major championship on United States soil.
The Englishman put up a respectable 71 on the final day after he had the 54-hole lead, but a score in the '70s was going to get the job done. The par-5s were ripe and the par-3s had decent-to-accessible pin locations to attack.
But numbers and championships aside, I was most pleased with the fact that Phil slipped a green jacket on again -- on a weekend that was supposed to belong to someone else.
Sure, we can talk about the number of wins and majors that Tiger has under his belt, but I couldn't stand his decision to return at Augusta nor could I tolerate the obscene amount of attention given to him.
I understand that ESPN and CBS had to focus the majority of their coverage on Tiger and his triumphant return to the golf course
but come on. The other storyline was way better and far less annoying.
I don't give a (crap) about how many women Tiger Woods slept with, but I do care that he has attempted to carve this persona as a caring father and husband.
And all this time, his agent allegedly knew his escapades were going on. Some PR campaign they came up with.
The entire weekend I hoped the tournament would take center stage and on Sunday, it did. Tiger tried to mount one of his famous Sunday charges, but he came up short and couldn't execute.
Phil was right there all week and played better than anyone else. He deserved to win.
He did not make a bogey on Sunday and had an answer every time Westwood or K.J. Choi started to creep up behind him. How about that 20-footer for birdie on No. 12? That was cold-blooded and lethal.
I knew then that he was going to win The Masters.
Right now, he is technically the third-ranked golfer in the world. In my opinion, he is the best in the game.
He might jump to No. 2 in the latest edition of the world rankings, but with Tiger fighting his own battle, Phil is in perfect position to win the hearts of golf fans again.
I am not naïve, and I do know the sporting world focused on a small town in Georgia for a week because of one man.
But now, they're talking about a different man -- and every single person in the gallery was pulling for him Sunday.
Congratulations, Phil, on a well-deserved victory for you and your family. 2
Sports
Rob Mixer
