Humble Start
Phil Mickelson completely changes his legacy with Masters win — and perhapsHouston's
When Phil Mickelson walked toward the scorer's tent, hugging his loyal wife Amy the whole way, he already seemed to understand that his legacy had completely changed. Just like we'd never seen Phil this dominant on a major Sunday, we'd never seen Phil this content after a big win.
In his three previous majors wins, Mickelson came across as near giddy, almost as surprised as anyone in the room that he'd been able to hold on. There was none of that after the 2010 Masters — this was one of the great closes in championship golf history, a 5-under, bogey-free 67 when everyone nipping at his golf spikes carried an aura, including that Tiger guy. It wasn't Johnny Miller's 63 at Oakmont, but you better believe it's in the same conversation.
Especially with that shot from the pine needles, through that slight opening in the trees on No. 13 on the highlight reel.
There was "a good four or five feet between them," Mickelson joked in his winner's press conference, as if amazed by his own gumption.
Mickelson's never closed like this before — not with everything on the line. He won like Tiger Woods used to win in his prime, squeezing all the drama out of a tournament that seeped with it by the strength of his own brilliance.
He's not Faker Phil (just one of the derogatory nicknames his PGA Tour peers hoisted on him over the years) anymore. He's not the sad sack of a fool who choked away a U.S. Open at Winged Foot with one of the dumbest sports decisions of all time. Phil Mickelson is one of the Top 20 golfers of all time now. His four majors move him past Nick Faldo, even though Faldo has six, because it's been much harder to collect multiple majors in this Tiger era.
While rewriting his legacy, Mickelson also unknowingly changed the Shell Houston Open's too.
When Mickelson played Houston the week before the Masters, he sounded about as logical as Snooki when he all but insisted that he was hitting balls in the water almost on purpose at Redstone Golf Club because those were the spots he'd need to hit the ball at the water-light Augusta. Now, Mickelson's strategy looks like the stuff of Vince Lombardi.
Throw the Houston Open, win a green jacket?
Even if you take Phil out of the equation, this historic Masters is going to be very, very good for Houston's PGA Tour stop. The winner of the Shell, Anthony Kim, only put up a 7-under 65 on Masters Sunday, almost completely turning the tournament on its head. In going 5-under in one four-hole stretch, Kim only looked like golf's LeBron James (hopefully, you read CultureMap last Sunday and knew this type of Kim lighting bolt was only a matter of time).
Kim was hardly the only Houston Open player who enjoyed the trip around Amen Corner either. The top of the Masters leaderboard ended up filled with guys who played Houston. Masters champion Mickelson, runner-up Lee Westwood, third-place Anthony Kim and sixth-place Fred Couples all got ready for their Augusta glory by hitting it around Humble, Texas.
Play Houston, finish in the Top 10 of the Masters?
This run of Masters success will only make the Houston Open a more attractive choice for the best golfers in the world.
No, this doesn't mean that Tiger Woods will be here next year. Still not happening.
But does Houston even needs Woods. Who says he's even the best closer in the world anymore?
