Golf: Nervy Mickelson Rides the Storm

It wasn't pretty but it goes boldly into the history books. Phil Mickelson won the US PGA championship yesterday although a more nuanced record of events suggests the American tried his best to lose a tournament he had led since day one, before a single moment of inspiration secured the second major championship victory of his career.

That moment - a trademark flop-shot out of greenside rough which landed two feet from the pin - resulted in a birdie four on the final hole, enough to give the world's fourth-ranked player a one-shot advantage over Steve Elkington and Thomas Bjorn.

"The guy deserved it because he was the best player all week," said the Dane, for whom yesterday's outcome was his third runner-up finish at a major championship. "Phil Mickelson is not a one-major winner, he's a 10-major winner and he'll go on from here and win many more championships."

There speaks a gracious loser, but also an overgenerous one. Mickelson may well go on to win many more major championships but not if he plays as poorly under pressure as he did over the final two rounds here, and definitely not if Tiger Woods continues to exert the kind of spectral influence over his contemporaries that was so apparent as the final major of the year reached its climax.

Despite playing poorly, at least by his own exhalted standards, the world No1 came close to pulling off the most outlandish victory of his career. Twelve shots behind at the halfway stage, and eight behind after the first three holes of his final round, Woods ended with a four-round total of 278, two under par, only two shots behind the eventual winner. He might have won if lightning storms had not ended play early on Sunday night at a time when those left out on the course were competing with one another to see who could drop the most shots.

The overnight delay offered the leaders an opportunity to regather their thoughts. Less politely, it gave them a chance to kick themselves up the backside.

It did not, however, bring much of an improvement in the golf when play resumed just after 10am local time. Within minutes Mickelson, Elkington and Vijay Singh - who, along with Retief Goosen, was still in contention - had all dropped shots. Bjorn did, too, although he was the victim of a wicked bounce which sent his ball scurrying through the 14th green and into the rough, from where he could only make bogey.

From there on in, however, the Dane played beautifully. He birdied the par-five 17th to join Mickelson and Elkington in the lead. The par-five 18th, the easiest hole on the course all week, offered another birdie opportunity but Bjorn, who hit a perfect drive, found himself between clubs with his second shot and pulled a three-wood left of the green. Even then he had a putt for birdie to take the overall lead, but it lipped out. "It was on a perfect line and a foot from there it looked like it was going nowhere else but in the hole. Somehow it stayed out," he said ruefully.

That left the stage clear for Mickelson, who stood on the tee thinking he needed a birdie to get into a play-off when in fact it would give him the championship. He faded his tee shot into the centre of the fairway, leaving him 247 yards to the flag. It was the perfect distance for his three-wood, but once again his nerve failed and a slight mishit left his ball in the greenside rough.

"The lie was OK but it was sitting down a bit," said the American, who as a youngster honed his short game around a practice green built by his father in the family's back garden. "But it was no different to what I've done in my backyard since I was a kid. I went in aggressively and the ball popped up beautifully and trickled up by the hole."

Yesterday's win for Mickelson, coupled with his victory in the 2004 Masters, means he is halfway towards winning a career grand slam. It also went some way to answering those who have made the point down the years that the American, for all his talent, may be the most underachieving player of the modern era.

For Mickelson, who is a boyish-looking 35, it was simply a precursor of better things to come. "I look at great players from the past, and many of them didn't start winning big tournaments until they were in their mid 30s. I think I can go on from here and do the same," he said.

He will have to wait until next April, for the 2006 Masters, before having a chance to make good on his promise. Those who believe the public's appetite for golf rests on great rivalries rather than the dominance of one great player will hope he succeeds. Woods, though, presumably has another opinion on the subject.

Final scores

(US unless stated)

276 P Mickelson 67 65 72 72.

277 S Elkington (Aus) 68 70 68 71; T Bjorn (Den) 71 71 63 72.

278 T Woods 75 69 66 68; D Love 68 68 68 74.

279 G Ogilvy (Aus) 69 69 72 69; M Campbell (NZ) 73 68 69 69; R Goosen (SA) 68 70 69 72; P Perez 68 71 67 73.

280 T Purdy 69 75 70 66; D Toms 71 72 69 68; S Flesch 70 71 69 70; D Hart 70 73 66 71; V Singh (Fij) 70 67 69 74.

281 C Howell 70 71 68 72; S Appleby (Aus) 67 70 69 75.

282 T Clark (SA) 71 73 70 68; Z Johnson 70 70 73 69; T Immelman (SA) 67 72 72 71; J Ogilvie 74 68 69 71; B Van Pelt 70 70 68 74; L Westwood (GB) 68 68 71 75.

283 P McGinley (Ire) 72 70 72 69; S García (Sp) 72 70 71 70; S Katayama (Japan) 71 66 74 72; T Pernice 69 73 69 72; K Perry 69 70 70 74.

284 B Estes 71 72 73 68; V Taylor 75 69 71 69; C Campbell 71 71 70 72; A Oberholser 74 68 69 73; J Parnevik (Swe) 68 69 72 75; S Cink 71 72 66 75.

285 F Jacobson (Swe) 72 69 73 71; S Verplank 71 72 71 71; J Furyk 72 71 69 73; J Kelly 70 65 74 76; J Bohn 71 68 68 78; B Curtis 67 73 67 78.

286 B Crane 68 76 72 70; S Schneiter 72 72 72 70; A Scott (Aus) 74 69 72 71; P Sheehan 73 71 71 71; KJ Choi (Kor) 71 70 73 72; M A Jiménez (Sp) 72 72 69 73; J Rollins 68 71 73 74.

287 H Stenson (Swe) 74 67 75 71; H Slocum 68 75 73 71; R Palmer 73 70 73 71; J M Olazábal (Sp) 76 67 72 72; M Weir (Can) 72 72 71 72; Yang Yong-eun (Kor) 71 67 76 73; J L Lewis 72 72 70 73; T Hamilton 73 70 70 74; B Langer (Ger) 68 72 72 75; I Poulter (GB) 69 74 69 75; F Funk 69 75 67 76; G Owen (GB) 68 69 70 80.

288 S McCarron 72 72 74 70; S O'Hair 71 71 76 70; S Webster (GB) 72 70 75 71; C Franco (Par) 70 70 76 72; P Casey (GB) 70 74 72 72; P Hanson (Swe) 73 71 72 72; M Hensby (Aus) 69 70 75 74.

289 R Philo 71 73 73 72; L Donald (GB) 69 73 73 74; C Riley 72 68 72 77; W Austin 72 71 68 78.

290 M Calcavecchia 70 69 77 74; F Couples 72 72 70 76.

291 J Durant 73 71 73 74; S Ames (Can) 67 72 74 78.

292 J Daly 71 69 78 74; R Sabbatini (SA) 67 69 76 80.

295 M Small 74 68 80 73.

296 K Sutherland 74 70 75 77.

299 D Kestner 72 70 78 79.

300 H Sutton 69 73 80 78.