With an 18-foot birdie putt and a leap into the air almost as high, Phil Mickelson rid himself of the tag as "best player never to win a major" on Sunday - and with it created golfing history.

Mickelson, who had had to live with 17 top-10 finishes in the majors without a victory, captured the Masters at Augusta by a stroke from Ernie Els in as thrilling a fashion as the tournament has produced. And that is saying something.

The second successive victory by a left-hander - Mike Weir captured the title last year - means that for the first time since the Open was first played in 1860 six majors in a row have been won by players who had never previously won one.

That run started with Rich Beem at the 2002 US PGA and last season saw Weir, Jim Furyk, Ben Curtis and Shaun Micheel follow.

Mickelson, who all week looked more at ease with the situation than ever before, was three behind Els with seven holes to play, Els having eagled both the eighth and 13th.

It looked as though the South African was about to add a green jacket to his two US Opens and one Open and therefore be just a US PGA away from the career Grand Slam he so craves.

But Mickelson birdied the 12th, 13th, 14th, 16th and then, when he had to to avoid a play-off, the 18th as well - helped by the fact that seconds earlier playing partner Chris DiMarco missed from the very same line.

Before even signing his card he grabbed his daughter and said with a huge smile on his face: "Daddy won. Can you believe it?"

It was his 47th major and he had won after finishing third in the last three Masters. He came home in 31 for a 69 and nine-under-par total of 279.

South Korean KJ Choi was third two further back, while England's Paul Casey and Ryder Cup captain Bernhard Langer, joint third with a round to go, shot 74 and 72 respectively. Casey dropped into a tie for sixth, while Langer shared fourth with Sergio Garcia as Europe's five-year wait for another major winner goes on.

Els went into the day three behind and, after a birdie at the second, he bogeyed two of the next three.

It needed some special shots to get him back into the thick of things and they started coming on the seventh with an 18-foot putt.

Then came a massive drive at the 570-yard uphill next and after his second shot rolled to within seven feet of the flag he made the eagle and leapfrogged into top spot.

After four pars he then produced another sparkling eagle, this time with a 10-foot putt. But still, with Mickelson refusing to give up, there was work to be done.

A wondrous chip from over the back of the 15th took him to eight under, but three pars were to follow and he then had to wait to see if it was good enough. It was not.

"I played well, but Phil beat me. That's how it goes," said a disappointed Els.

In yet another drama-packed afternoon at Augusta - there were two holes in one in the space of 10 minutes at the 16th, first from Padraig Harrington and then from Kirk Triplett - both Casey and 46-year-old Langer got themselves into a share of second place on the front nine.

But that was as close as they got. Casey, trying to become the first debutant winner since Fuzzy Zoeller in 1979 and only the fourth ever, three-putted from a horrid spot on the ninth green, then failed to get up and down from a bunker on the 12th.

Langer was still in the hunt with four to go, but drove into trouble on the long 15th and then, with a wood, saw his third shot roll back into the lake. It cost him a double-bogey seven and his dream of not just winning a third green jacket, but also taking over from Jack Nicklaus as the oldest-ever winner was effectively over.

Harrington was six back at the start of the day, but as well as the thrill of the ace he had a double bogey on the 12th and the jinx of winning the eve-of-tournament par-three competition - for the second year running - had struck again. Maybe he should not enter it next April.

Justin Rose, who after leading the first and second rounds crashed to a Saturday 81, came back with a 71 to finish on two over, with Tiger Woods among others. The world number one also closed with a 71, achieved despite being sick.

He took time out after his drive down the second hole. "I had to lighten the load a little bit," he explained. "I was feeling cold, hot, cold, hot, cold. I'd put on a sweater and the next I had to take it off.

"I'm glad to get it out of my system."

Garcia, five over after six holes of his final round, played the remainder in a magical eight under for a best-of-the-week 66.

Harrington was troubled by a neck strain, but the hole in one made him forget that for a while.

"I was certainly nowhere near top form, so level par was a reasonable performance," he said.

Els has now finished second, sixth, fifth, sixth and second at Augusta in the last five years.

"I hit some really good shots and played the back nine as well as I ever have. It was fun, but intense and it's hard to explain right now how I feel. I just had a sense this was my year."

Mickelson, overjoyed of course, said before being helped into the green jacket by Weir: "I just kept saying to myself 'this is my day', even when I was three behind."

Woods and Rose shared 22nd spot.

Collated final totals in the USA Masters, Augusta National, Georgia

(USA unless stated, par 72):

(x) denotes amateurs

279 Phil Mickelson 72 69 69 69 (£650,000)

280 Ernie Els (Rsa) 70 72 71 67 (£390,000)

282 KJ Choi (Kor) 71 70 72 69 (£245,555)

285 Sergio Garcia (Spa) 72 72 75 66, Bernhard Langer (Ger) 71 73 69 72

286 Vijay Singh (Fij) 75 73 69 69, Fred Couples 73 69 74 70, Davis Love 75 67 74 70, Nick Price (Zim) 72 73 71 70, Kirk Triplett 71 74 69 72, Paul Casey (Gbr) 75 69 68 74, Chris DiMarco 69 73 68 76

288 (x) Casey Wittenberg 76 72 71 69, Charles Howell 71 71 76 70, Retief Goosen (Rsa) 75 73 70 70, Padraig Harrington (Irl) 74 74 68 72

289 Steve Flesch 76 67 77 69, Stephen Leaney (Aus) 76 71 73 69, Jay Haas 69 75 72 73, Stewart Cink 74 73 69 73, Fredrik Jacobson (Swe) 74 74 67 74

290 Stuart Appleby (Aus) 73 74 73 70, Shaun Micheel 72 76 72 70, Justin Rose (Gbr) 67 71 81 71, Tiger Woods 75 69 75 71

291 Alex Cejka (Ger) 70 70 78 73

292 Bob Tway 75 71 74 72, Mark O'Meara 73 70 75 74

293 Scott Verplank 74 71 76 72

294 Jose Maria Olazabal (Spa) 71 69 79 75

295 Brad Faxon 72 76 76 71, Ian Poulter (Gbr) 75 73 74 73, Bob Estes 76 72 73 74, Jerry Kelly 74 72 73 76

296 Phillip Price (Gbr) 71 76 73 76, Justin Leonard 76 72 72 76

297 Sandy Lyle (Gbr) 72 74 75 76, Paul Lawrie (Gbr) 77 70 73 77

298 Eduardo Romero (Arg) 74 73 74 77

299 Todd Hamilton 77 71 76 75

300 Tim Petrovic 72 75 75 78, (x) Brandt Snedeker 73 75 75 77

302 Jeff Sluman 73 70 82 77

304 Chris Riley 70 78 78 78