Mickelson has slam in sights
He was due to partner a great friend in Fred Couples and knew that would be a huge help when it came to claiming that coveted second green jacket.
He duly finished off the job and he is now half way to the "Phil Slam"; in other words holding all four major championships at the same time.
Tiger Woods did it a few years back, now 'Lefty' has the US PGA Championship and the Masters trophies all to himself back in Rancho Santa Fe, California.
The next target is the US Open at Winged Foot, New York, in June followed by the British Open at Hoylake in July and the PGA at Medinah near Chicago.
Certainly, there was no stopping him at Augusta where he came into the week with two drivers, one to fade the ball and the other to create a draw, and enormous confidence after shooting 28 under par over the formidable Sugarloaf course in Atlanta in the BellSouth Classic the previous week.
"I had a good feeling about the Masters, obviously winning by 13 last week helped," said Mickelson.
"I knew I was playing well and I knew I was prepared. But I still had to execute. I love playing with Fred Couples. We had a great time and kept saying how lucky we were be in the final pairing on Sunday at the Masters and how much fun it was. It made for a very fine day. We were pulling for each other to make birdies and encouraging each other."
Mickelson can come across as a bit syrupy and gushy and tends to push his admittedly lovely family to the forefront and make the kind of pictures that feature in all the newspapers the following day. But, in truth, he is a gentle and friendly individual and his latest victory went down well with both colleagues and the fans.
"It was a long day but it was a wonderful day," he said. "I'll cherish that final round. My overriding feeling after the first Masters was relief because I shook the best-player-never-to-win-a-major tag off my back.
"Today, I felt this great feeling of accomplishment to be able to beat guys like Tiger and Retief and Ernie and Vijay and Fred and some other incredible and talented players."
Tiger Woods smiled broadly as he slipped the green jacket on Mickelson's broad shoulders.
And it was a nice touch, too, that Phil should ask for prayers for Tiger's gravely ill father Earl at the presentation ceremony.
"We all know how important parents are in our lives so I'd like to take one moment to say if we could all say a little prayer tonight," said Mickelson.
Mickelson is one of 16 players with multiple Masters wins. It was the 29th victory of his US Tour career and earned him $1,260,000, moving him from fifth to first on the money list with $3,123,827.
It was a commanding performance, apart from a surprise bogey at the last.
He could afford it as he carried a three-stroke lead, whereas he needed a birdie to win two years ago and another to capture the PGA title last August.
"This is a lot better and I loved it," said Mickelson. "My walk up the 18th was stress-free. The two drivers were a huge help. I got 20 to 25 yards more with the driver that draws. I'm glad I was able to finish it off on the back nine because it doesn't always happen that way. I was distracted by a photographer's camera going off in my backswing. The ball ended in a bunker, then I flew the green and two-putted for bogey."
Convincing and all as Mickelson's victory was, it might have been a different story had Couples holed a number of relatively straightforward putts.
The chances came on each nine and especially at 14 where he took three from five feet when a birdie would have moved him to within a stroke of the lead.
We've all seen in the past how Mickelson cracked when the pressure came on but that never happened on this occasion.
In truth, Couples played better than Mickelson from tee to green. He consistently outdrove even Lefty's long drives and he hit more fairways and greens all week than anyone else in the field.
"I watched a great player win his second Masters and I felt at least from tee to green that I was close, or if not, maybe a little better today," said Couples.
"I'm 46; I don't really feel 46. I didn't hit the ball like I was 46 but I putted like I was 66. It all came down to one minor, minor casualty at the 14th. That really is a putt where it would have been a heck of a lot more fun to make and see what would have happened."
It's when Mickelson reacts with words like "if he knocks that first putt in, we would have had one heck of a time over the final four holes. As much as I wanted to win this tournament, I was sorry to see that happen", that you wonder at the genuine level of his sincerity.
But that's Phil Mickelson, nowadays the Masters and PGA champion with his sights set on all that's left to come over the rest of 2006.
Whither Tiger Woods after this one? As always, he fought and fought to the end and it's one of his more admirable characteristics. He is never beaten until the final putt is in the hole and in that respect he's a model for every youngster.
Not so, though, when he says things like "I hit it great today but I putted like a spaz".
Such phraseology leaves a lot to be desired, although it is a salient point that only three players in the final round needed more putts.
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