Golf enthusiast Henry Peters dissects the events which unfolded at the 2010 U.S Masters

Every April, golf fans flock to Augusta National Golf Club in Georgia for the most anticipated golf event of the year – the U.S Masters. This year’s event proved no exception as fans braced themselves for the return of Tiger Woods, who was playing in his first event since November, when the world waited with bated breath as details emerged of his marital infidelities.

Not since playing in the 1996 Masters as an amateur had Woods competed without playing a professional event in the three weeks leading in. And many punters gave Woods little chance of capturing his fifth green jacket, believing his lack of tournament practice and anxiety about re-entering the public eye as a disgraced star would be too overwhelming.

Despite the media circus surrounding Woods, no one person is ever bigger than the Masters itself and come Thursday morning, all eyes were on leader-boards around the course to see who would set the early pace.

By Thursday evening, two stars of yester year had risen to the top of the pack – 1992 champion Fred Couples sat alone in the lead at six-under-par, one shot clear of 8-time major champion Tom Watson. Despite their combined age of 110, their early success was not entirely surprising.

Couples had won three of his first four events on the 50 and over Champions Tour in 2010 and Watson had almost achieved the unthinkable last July at the British Open, losing in a playoff to fellow American Stewart Cink at the age of 59.

Watson would have the unenviable task of fighting off three-time major winner Phil Mickelson and world-number-four Lee Westwood who had both joined Watson with superb opening-round 67s. The battle-weary veteran has fought putting yips for many years and keeping pace with longer-hitting opponents on a course that rewards power and deft putting touch was always going to stretch Watson beyond his limits.

Watson would compete resiliently for four days to eventually finish tied 18^th. For Woods, a perennial slow-starter at the Masters having never bettered 70 for the first round, a four-under-par 68 on Thursday had him well positioned to contend for a 15th major title.

Any anxiety Woods may have felt about how the Augusta patrons would receive him was quickly dispelled on the first tee when he received a reception befitting of any masters champion. Galleries would remain respectful of the world-number-one throughout the event and you would expect nothing less at the Masters where only a slight indiscretion could have you ejected.

Woods’ off-course behaviour has certainly polarised fans – many feel his dishonesty has irreversibly tarnished his place in the game of golf whilst others look beyond his private life and are grateful for the immense popularity he has brought to the game. 

His popularity will be tested at future regular season events where dissenters sit beyond the control of tournament officials and can blend in with droves of overzealous American fans.

Masters weekend seems to slowly filter away the less-experienced players who are ill equipped to deal with major championship pressure. But there have been exceptions to this rule like American Zach Johnson whose best finish in a major was a tie for 17^th before he won the 2007 Masters.

Many seasoned professionals and major-winners have buckled under the heat of Sunday play at the Masters. Veteran Kenny Perry snatched defeat from the jaws of victory last year, while Australia’s Greg Norman dominated golf for a decade without ever tasting Masters success.

Palms get sweaty, shoulders and arms become tense and the dream of a green jacket can disappear with one errant swing or miscalculation. Westwood would rise above the Saturday pressure to solely contest the number one position. But Saturday at this year’s Masters will always be remembered for a stunning three-hole stretch in which Phil Mickelson electrified the grounds of Augusta.

After eagling the reachable par-five 13^th, Mickelson’s approach from 141 yards on the par-4 14^th pitched several feet left of the flag and spun sideways into the cup. Buoyed by the prospect of three straight eagles at the reachable par-5 15th, Mickelson was only inches away from accomplishing the feat when his third shot carried the pond and skipped twice to settle some six inches directly behind the pin.

In 30-minutes, Mickelson’s theatrics had erased the five-shot lead that Westwood had carefully crafted over the opening 11 holes. Mickelson and Westwood would be paired together on Sunday; three and four shots clear respectively of Woods and South Korean K.J Choi who were set to play together for the fourth time in as many days.

In lieu of Woods’ absence over the first three months of the 2010 season, many experts expected Mickelson to challenge Woods’ number-one ranking. But Mickelson’s early-season play had been decidedly average and for the first time in seven years the 39-year-old failed to record a victory in the lead up to the Masters.

Mickelson has always been a popular winner and the announcement of his mother’s and wife’s diagnosis with breast cancer in 2009 has promulgated his status as the sentimental favourite. At last year’s U.S Open in New York, Mickelson tried desperately to capture his first national championship for his mother and wife but had to settle for a fifth second-place finish at the event.

But Mickelson carried with him a sense of confidence at this year’s Masters that had been missing for the several past years. Entering the final nine holes, Mickelson was 12-under-par for the tournament and one stroke clear of playing partner Westwood and Choi who blazed the opening nine in 33 shots.

Woods began Sunday with three bogeys in his first five holes and had played himself out of contention. It seemed that Woods’ break from competitive golf had left him vulnerable to the stress of competing for four straight days at a major. He eventually recovered to finish tied-fourth – his ninth career top-five finish at the Masters.

With nine holes to play, broadcasters remind viewers that the Masters does not start until the back nine on Sunday where players must overcome the fiercest of major championship pressure to eventually triumph. The beguiling beauty of the par-3 12^th hole has been the undoing of countless players over the years.

Each year, the flagstick sits on the extreme right side of the narrow sliver of green, perilously close to Rae’s Creek, which weaves between the 11^th, 12^th and 13^th holes. In 2009, Mickelson played the first 65 holes of the championship better than anybody in the field but watched helplessly as his 9-iron approach fell just short and disappeared into Rae’s Creek.

Determined to avoid a similar fate, Mickelson staked his claim for the title with a sublime approach to the back right corner of the green that set up his birdie. Gaining the outright lead, Mickelson felt it necessary to attempt a potentially disastrous approach shot on the par-5 13^th.

After his tee shot had rested on the pine needles to the right of the fairway, Mickelson drew a six-iron from 206 yards and blasted his ball through a four-foot gap between trees towards the green.

With the pin tucked to the right, behind Rae’s Creek, Mickelson held his breath as his ball descended then watched in joy as it landed two feet beyond the creek and settled just over a metre from the hole. Despite missing the short eagle putt, Mickelson was in a commanding position to take out the title.

Under the circumstance, Mickelson’s approach was as courageous as any shot played in the final round of a major but still managed to draw criticism from some who say it was the type of reckless decision-making that has cost him major titles in the past.

Whatever side you are on, Mickelson’s blind aggression is what separates him from other players because he is not afraid of failing. After attacking the par-five 15^th with an eight-iron and recording birdie, Mickelson could taste victory. Playing the 72^nd hole, Mickelson held a two-shot advantage and after nailing a brilliant approach within 12-feet on the par-four he could savour the walk up the hill.

The American rolled in the birdie putt to secure a fourth major and become only the eighth player in history to win three Masters Titles. Mickelson is now, with the exception of Woods, the most successful active player in major championships.

Time will tell what the remaining three major championships of 2010 have in store. But it seems likely that the Woods-Mickelson rivalry will be reignited once more.

Henry Peters