The Hangover

There were emotional scenes after Phil Mickelson birdied the 72nd hole of the 74th Masters to win his third green jacket by three strokes.

Mickelson held his arms aloft in triumph before walking off the 18th green at Augusta National to embrace his wife Amy, who is battling breast cancer, and his children Amanda, Sophia and Evan.

It was a touching moment, and finally one that could not be overshadowed by the returning Tiger Woods who grabbed most of the headlines over the four days of the tournament.

Mickelson now has three Masters titles after also winning in 2004 and 2006, while Woods has four Augusta crowns, won in 1997, 2001, 2002 and 2005.

What if Woods had won his fifth Masters in his first tournament since his much-publicised sex scandals? Who would have been there to share an emotional embrace, given that his wife Elin had elected to avoid the spotlight and remain well away from Augusta National with children Sam and Charlie?

Woods, showing his innate and irrepressible competitive nature, was clearly disappointed in finishing tied fourth, five shots behind the eventual winner.

"I finished fourth. Not what I wanted. I wanted to win this tournament," he said.

"I entered this event. I only enter events to win and I didn't get it done."

This was in stark contrast to the pre-tournament comments he made at Augusta National in his first public press conference.

"What I've done, it puts it in perspective," Woods said on the Monday before play, referring to his extramarital affairs.

"It's not about championships. It's about how you live your life. I had not done that the right way for a while and I needed to change that."

But come Sunday it was all about the championship again.

Woods is accustomed to being the best, having a mindset where winning is everything, and getting what he wants when he wants. Recent revelations suggest these traits are strong both on and off the course for this flawed genius.

The world number one says he wants to change his stripes, but in doing so he may lose his killer instinct and winning formula – things he definitely wants to keep, given his post-tournament comments.

Woods was clearly the focus for fans and media at the Masters, but it was Mickelson who provided a perfect final round, and the feel-good story golf had been crying out for.

"To have Amy and my kids here to share this with, especially with all that we have been through in the past year, it means a lot to us," the 2010 Masters champion said.

Having endured all the talk, hype and saturation coverage of Tiger Woods over the past four months, it was a victory that also meant a lot to many sports fans.


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