Lefty, Tiger give it their best shot

McClatchy Newspapers

AUGUSTA, Ga. — It was the dream pairing most golf fans were looking for: Tiger Woods and Phil Mickelson in the final round at the Masters.

But try as they might Sunday, golf’s top two players couldn’t make up a seven-shot deficit.

Mickelson shot a 5-under-par 67, and Woods had a 4-under 68 on Sunday. But while they flirted with the leaders midway through the round and gave the fans plenty to cheer about, neither was able to take the lead. Mickelson finished three shots out of the three-way playoff, while Woods was four shots back.

“I didn’t know what it was going to take,” Mickelson said. “I thought 3 or 4 under [in the final round] would be good enough to give myself a reasonable chance.”

Mickelson’s chances increased when he came out with a strong start. The two-time Masters winner matched the best score ever on the front nine with a 30 to get to 10 under. He pulled as close as one shot out of the lead, but he had a double-bogey on No. 12 to shoot 37 on the back nine to finish at 9 under, alone in fifth place.

Mickelson’s 67 was the best final-round score in his Masters career, and he had six birdies and three pars on the front nine.

“The front nine was awesome, it was really fun,” Mickelson said. “It was fun to have a chance on the back nine. I think that’s what we always want as players. I wanted to play better through the back nine, but the front nine gave me a chance.

“If I didn’t have that front nine, it wouldn’t have been as nerve-wracking on the back.”

Woods was workmanlike through the round until he finished with consecutive bogeys to take away any chance he had to win his fifth Masters title. Woods has 14 majors, but he has never claimed a major championship victory when he was trailing entering the final round.