At first glance of the 2023 Masters final leaderboard, one might guess that Sunday was fairly straightforward, as Jon Rahm seized the Green Jacket with a four-stroke win that was not in much doubt for most of the afternoon. But Phil Mickelson ensured that there were plenty of swerves and fireworks on the way to reaching that result.
Mickelson warned Friday, after a 3-under par afternoon, that he would be “going on a tear” very soon. That premonition immediately came true after the 52-year-old stunned the field at Augusta National with a 7-under, 65 in the final round. He was the leader in the clubhouse in the day's final stretch and was briefly in contention for his fourth Masters title.
Ultimately, he tied for second with fellow LIV golfer Brooks Koepka, who led after three rounds before faltering on Sunday. However, Mickelson's post-tournament comments resembled those of a grand victor.
“I had so much fun today,” Mickelson said, via theScore.com. “To come out today and play the way I did and hit the shots when I needed, it's so much fun. I'm grateful to be a part of this tournament and to be here competing. And then to play well, it means a lot.”
Lefty had been struggling immensely with the LIV Tour going into the Masters, with all three of his 2023 finishes coming outside the top 25 in what is a much-condensed, 48-player field. He tends to brings his best to Augusta, though. The question now is if this will truly be the beginning of the “tear” Phil Mickelson talked about.
If it is, then the 2023 major season is going to be a very wild and polarizing ride.
Fans and competing players enter at their own risk.
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