Goydos: Phil could catch Jack!
Our couch critic recaps the Masters and reveals why Phil Mickelson could match Jack's 6 green jackets
Paul Goydos—our couch commando, our man on the divan—watched every Masters minute from his living room in SoCal. His take: It was sofa king good. Here's a Tour pro's perspective on Phil's win, the state of Tiger's game, and why this was one of the best Masters ever.
THE SHOT
They were calling Phil's approach on no. 13 the greatest shot of all time, or the shot of the decade. It was a huge moment, but it wasn't a miracle shot. You expect Phil to be able to hit a hard 6-iron from 207 yards off a pretty good lie. You'd rather have a nice lie on pine needles than be in three-inches of rough. But it was a dramatic moment. Sure, he missed the eagle putt, but Phil had a lot of confidence walking off the green. I think the tournament was over after that hole.
LEFT IS RIGHT
A lefty has a natural advantage at Augusta because the contours of the course and many greens favor a lefthander's mis-hits more than a righthander's. Take no. 12 on Sunday. With the pin cut right, Phil was probably trying to draw his 9-iron to the fat of the green. On 12, if a lefthander trying to draw his ball to the center accidentally pulls it—and I think Phil hit a pull—then his miss will be long and closer to the pin. Phil smoked it to 20 feet and made a big birdie. Now, a right-hander who tries to hit a draw but, say, accidentally fades it—he brings the water into play. Look at Freddie, who found the water and made a double-bogey. It helps being lefthanded at Augusta.
TIGER'S TOUGH DAY
Based on four days watching Tiger, I didn't see anything to suggest he won't go right on being the World No. 1, winning majors and Tour events. I think he'll win 20 majors and 100 times on Tour. He obviously wasn't playing well, but he still shot 69, 11-under total, and finished in the top five. Not bad for not playing for five months. He was rusty, but it took some time for the rust to show—like he had some drops of water on his game Thursday and Friday, but the rust didn't set in until the weekend. He struggled Sunday, which you notice because Tiger can make winning look so easy. On Tour, the closer you get to the 72nd hole, the more your flaws tend to show up. We saw that on no. 14, when Tiger missed that little par putt, obviously frustrated by missing his birdie putt. Tiger gives his full attention to every shot, but that little one-footer obviously didn't have his full attention. Still, he's the co-favorite going into the U.S. Open at Pebble, along with Phil.
PHIL COULD CATCH JACK
Now that Phil has his third Masters, I think there's a 50-50 chance he'll win more Masters than Tiger, who has four, and go on to catch Nicklaus, who won six green jackets. That's right—I think Phil can double his three green jackets before he's done. Why? He's such a great fit at Augusta, for so many reasons. The course demands power, touch and imagination. Phil has all three. He's comfortable there like nowhere else. And, like I mentioned above, Augusta favors lefties. And he has time to catch Jack. Phil's 39. Freddie's 50 and is still capable of winning the Masters, so I can see Lefty passing Tiger and catching Jack's six green jackets. I see Phil winning eight or nine majors and 50 Tour events. To do that in the Tiger Woods Era is nothing short of impressive.
ONE FOR THE AGES
The 2010 Masters will be ranked right up there with 1997 [Tiger's first win] and 1986 [Nicklaus' sixth green jacket]. We had all you could ask for at Augusta: eagles, birdies, the roars, great weather, Watson and Couples playing great, and Tiger's return. The drama was back. But even though Phil got it to 16-under, a very low number, only 23 guys finished under par. That's what Augusta does—it separates the great players from the very good players from the good players, and the scores reflect that separation. That's Augusta at its best. From now on, when CBS shows those amazing Masters moments—1986, 1997—2010 will be right there, too.
Photo: Mickelson rolling in his birdie on No. 12 at Augusta National on Sunday. (Fred Vuich/SI)
