2010 A THIRD GREEN JACKET FOR PHIL MICKELSON
Nope. Phil had squeezed a 6-iron through the trees, carried it 200 yards over Rae’s Creek and dropped it next to the cup. It was a one-in-a-million shot. He missed the eagle putt but made a longer one coming back for birdie to stay two ahead of Lee Westwood. The shot was critical to ensure a birdie, but the charge it gave Phil, a hugely emotional player, was what won him the tournament. Phil lives for pulling off the impossible. That boost helped him to make two more birdies coming in and win by three. For me, the coolest part of that day happened after the round, when Phil was heading to Butler Cabin for the green jacket ceremony with Jim Nantz and then-Masters Chairman Billy Payne. I gave him a hug and said, “Go get another green jacket.” Phil said, “No way, you’re coming with me. This is you and me. We did this.” No player had ever invited me to that ceremony. I was very proud of that gesture, still am, because it proved what our relationship meant to him. Phil was great about giving credit, whether it was to me or Bones or whomever. It was the sec- ond time that day Phil showed what he’s all about.
ometimes a major-championship victory can be traced to a single shot because it led to a birdie or eagle or gave the player a lift at a critical moment. In the case of Phil Mickel- son’s clutch shot from the pine straw to the 13th green in 2010, it was both.
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I’d been coaching Phil since early 2007, and that week he really had his driver clicking, which usually put him in con- tention. Playing with the lead on Sunday, he hit his tee shot on 13 through the dogleg and ended up behind a pine tree. His longtime caddie, Bones Mackay, was trying to convince him to play it safe and get in position for a wedge shot, but Phil was having none of that. With TV mics picking up their discussion, Phil leaned in and told Bones that sometimes you have to suck it up and hit the right shot at the right time. This was the right time, and he was hitting this shot. The funny thing is, I had walked ahead to get into posi- tion to see the green and the next tee. By the time I heard the crowd explode and saw his ball stop four feet from the hole, I assumed he had pitched out and that was his third shot.
76 GOLF DIGEST SOUTH AFRICA
MARCH/APRIL 2025
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