ATLANTA — Phil Mickelson capped
off a tumultuous summer at home with a spectacular rally Sunday to win
the Tour Championship.
Tiger Woods finished another big year by winning the FedEx Cup and its $10 million bonus.
In a riveting conclusion to golf’s
regular season, its two biggest stars shared the stage at East Lake
with trophies that were meaningful in vastly different ways.
Mickelson seized control with a 31 on
the front nine and closed with a 5-under 65 for a three-shot victory,
his first since his wife and his mother were diagnosed with breast
cancer in the spring. Both have a positive outlook in the recovery,
although it has been an emotional burden for Lefty over the last three
months.
For the third time this year, Woods
struggled while playing in the final pairing. He didn’t make a birdie
until the 15th hole, and by then it was too late to catch Mickelson.
Woods closed with an even-par 70, ending his playoff streak of eight
consecutive rounds in the 60s, and was alone in second.
Even so, he received quite a
consolation prize — a FedEx Cup title that rewarded him for a
remarkable year in which he came back from major knee surgery not
knowing what to expect. Woods won six times, and was either first or
second in more than half his events.
Mickelson, who returned to No. 2 in
the world with his victory, finished at 9-under 271. He needed Woods to
finish eighth or worse to have any chance in the FedEx Cup, although
Mickelson still climbed to No. 2 and earned a $3 million bonus, on top
of his $1.35 million for winning the Tour Championship.
Four players had a chance to win the FedEx Cup along the back nine.
Kenny Perry was the projected winner
until he chopped up the par-5 ninth with a bogey and completed his
meltdown on the back nine on his way to a 74. Steve Stricker, who only
had to finish ahead of Woods when it became clear Mickelson would win
the tournament, was in position to do that until mud on his ball in the
16th fairway led to a bogey. Stricker shot a 69 and finished sixth.
“I knew it was close, put it that way,” Stricker said of the FedEx Cup race. “Whatever. I played my hardest.”
Mickelson closed out the decade with
bookend victories at East Lake. He also won the Tour Championship in
2000 when he rallied to beat Woods in the final round. This one was
even more impressive.
Confident as ever from his putting
tips from former PGA champion Dave Stockton, Mickelson rolled in
consecutive birdie putts of 15 feet on No. 3 and 30 feet on No. 4, then
pulled into a share of the lead with an approach that caught the lip at
No. 8 for a tap-in birdie.
He played the final 20 holes of the Tour Championship without a bogey.
Woods, meanwhile, when a stretch of 24 holes without a one-putt birdie until he knocked one in from 35 feet on the 16th.
So who was the big winner?
“Let me see if I get this straight,”
Mickelson said. “I shot 65 and he shot (70), and he gets a check for
$10 million … no, I’m just kidding. I didn’t play well in the first
three events to give myself a chance.”
Sean O’Hair, who was two shots behind throughout the back nine with an outside chance of winning, gave the nod to Woods.
“I’d prefer the 10 million bucks in my pocket,” O’Hair said. “Yeah, I think Tiger wins today.”
Woods only cared about the Tour
Championship, believing the FedEx Cup would take care of itself. When
he captured the cup two years ago under a different points system, he
won the final two events.
Despite a one-shot lead through 36
holes at East Lake, Woods struggled on the greens Saturday and with the
rest of his game in the final round. Except for his two-putt birdie on
the par-5 15th, he had only four birdie putts inside 20 feet and missed
them all.
“Phil played well. He did the things
he needed to do this week,” Woods said. “Unfortunately, I didn’t putt
well and consequently, I didn’t push him. Phil ran off and got away
from us.”
As for the top two players each leaving East Lake with a trophy?
“It’s certainly different,” Woods said.