Woods, Mickelson put on final-round show

AUGUSTA, Ga. – Tiger Woods and Phil Mickelson, two of golf’s thoroughbreds, had to sprint like quarter horses to get into the chase Sunday in the final round of the Masters.

They played their way into contention, but they didn’t have enough left to win the race.

Paired together for the 24th time in their careers, and starting an hour before and seven shots behind the leaders at 4 under par, they ended well back of the playoff that saw Angel Cabrera beat Kenny Perry and Chad Campbell.

But compared to the buzz following Mickelson and Woods, the playoff might have seemed anticlimactic.

Mickelson shot 67; Woods shot 68. But those numbers don’t tell the whole story of the top two players in the world, who thrilled the huge galleries with a host of birdies until some missed opportunities and mistakes on the final holes – including Mickelson’s bogey on 18 and Woods’ back-to-back bogeys on 17 and 18 – eliminated them.

“I didn’t know what number it would take,” said Mickelson, a two-time Masters champion. “I thought if I could shoot under par on the back nine I’d have a chance to win.”

That’s because he shot 30 on the front nine, making six birdies – including four in a row on holes 5-8 – to get to 10 under, one shot behind Perry.

Woods made the turn at 7 under thanks to an eagle on No. 8 and despite hooking his tee shot on No. 1 nearly into the eighth fairway. “No doubt,” Woods said when asked if the week was disappointing.

He never broke 70 in the first three rounds, and he fought his swing all week.

“I hit it so bad today warming up,” he said. “I was hitting quick hooks, blocks, you name it. I fought my swing all week, but I almost won the tournament with a Band-Aid swing.”

Despite hitting a pine tree on his first tee shot, Mickelson saved par and then birdied No. 2. By the time he got to No. 7, where his approach shot stopped 18 inches from the cup, the gallery was in his camp.

Mickelson’s chances took a hit at No. 12, where he sent his tee shot on the 155-yard par-3 at the heart of Amen Corner into the water and made double bogey.

“I was trying to hit a 9-iron over the bunker,” Mickelson said, “but I made a terrible swing.”

He made birdie at the par-5 13th, and had a makeable eagle chance on 15, but he missed the putt and settled for birdie.

“I just didn’t trust my read,” he said. “It was pretty tentative.”

In the end, Mickelson said two things happened to end his run: “The ball went into the water, and I stopped making putts.”

Woods hoped 11 under would give him a chance to win. He got to 10 under with birdies at 15 and 16, but staggered home with bogeys on 17 and 18.

After a smile and a handshake at the first tee, there was little interaction the rest of the way.

“You just go about your business,” Woods said. “Phil was playing well, but I thought 11 under would have been a good number to post. I didn’t do it.”

Said Mickelson: “We were both more concerned about trying to make birdies to catch the leaders than what each other was doing.”

Jim MacKay, Mickelson’s caddie, said he was glad to be along for the ride.

“It was Sunday at Augusta,” MacKay said. “It was sunny and the temperature was 75 degrees. It was the most fun I’ve ever had on a golf course.”