The 2004 Masters ended in a moment of golf history on Sunday.
But, more than that, it ended in one man's "awesome" triumph after a series
of disappointments stretching back a decade.
At the 47th attempt Phil Mickelson finally won his first major title, making a
20-foot putt on the final green for his fifth birdie in seven holes.
And he needed every single one of them to beat a crest-fallen Ernie Els in one
of the best Augusta finishes ever.
The history was that Mickelson - left-handed just like last year's champion
Mike Weir - became the sixth successive first-time winner of a major. That has
never happened right from the time of the very first Open championship at
Prestwick in 1860.
But Rich Beem, Weir, Jim Furyk, Ben Curtis and Shaun Micheel had not been
through what Mickelson had.
The 33-year-old had recorded an incredible 17 top-10 finishes in the majors,
nine of them top fours. He had come third in the last three Masters. He was,
without question, the "best current player without a major".
To take that monkey off his back was always going to be magical. But to do it
the way he did with an inward 31 gave Mickelson an even bigger thrill.
Only three others had won by one with a birdie at the last - Arnold Palmer in
1960, Sandy Lyle in 1988 and Mark O'Meara six years ago.
"I am the luckiest man alive," he said after being helped into the
traditional green jacket.
When the putt dropped he leapt into the air and on landing turned to his
caddie and yelled: "Oh my God. I did it. I knew I could, but I finally did
it."
Then he picked up his four-year-old daughter Amanda and said: "Daddy won. Can
you believe it?"
Mickelson couldn't himself for a while. "It feels like make-believe. Having
come so close so many times, to have putts made on me on the last to lose by a
shot (Payne Stewart at the 1999 US Open and David Toms in the 2001 US PGA), to
have had good rounds fall short, to have it be such a difficult journey to win
my first major makes it that much more special, sweeter.
"It just feels awesome.
"I felt different to before - I was confident that good things would happen.
I don't feel the relief yet. I feel excited, ecstatic, a little disbelief.
"I don't think any Masters will ever compare to the '86 Masters (Jack
Nicklaus' record sixth win at age 46 with a back nine 30), but for me this one
does.
"When you finally do achieve that goal, the harder the struggle is the
greater the reward."
Every champion needs a little luck and Mickelson had it at the last. Playing
partner Chris DiMarco came out of a bunker and his ball finished just behind
Mickelson's ball-marker, showing him the route to the hole.
When Els had his second eagle of the day on the 13th he led by three and his
dream of a first Masters to add to two US Opens and one Open looked like being
fulfilled.
But four pars and a birdie at the 15th for a 67 - only Sergio Garcia with a
closing 66 shot lower all week - were still not enough, Mickelson's spectacular
finish and third 69 in a row giving him the title with a nine-under-par total of
279.
"I would love to have made some more putts, but I played as good as I could -
the best back nine I have played. I guess Phil deserved this one. He played
great down the stretch.
"It's disappointing and I have got to take stock after this. It is very tough
to explain exactly what I feel now." His last five finishes in the event have
been second, sixth, fifth, sixth and now runner-up again.
"I feel like I will win a major this year. I am chasing a career Grand Slam
and I will have another shot at this. I am sure of that."
And others will be more sure of that as long as Tiger Woods continues to
struggle. Without a major now since the 2002 US Open, the world number one, sick
on the course on Sunday with a fever, finished joint 22nd with Justin Rose.
The 23-year-old from Hampshire could not sustain his brilliant start - leader
by two after the first and second rounds, he then crashed to an 81 - but South
Korean KJ Choi did to finish third.
That included holing a five-iron to the 11th for an eagle two and making an
outrageous putt on the 13th for birdie. With holes-in-one at the 16th in quick
succession from Padraig Harrington and Kirk Triplett it was some day.
But it was Mickelson's day. At long, long last.
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