There could hardly have been a more popular champion then than Mickelson. Known up to that point as “the best player not to have won a major,” the left-handed San Diego Californian had played 46 majors without putting his name to one of golf’s greatest prizes… Until the 2004 Masters at Augusta.
A birdie from six meters on the 18th put the finishing touch to a long wait for a major and an exciting duel on the last nine holes with South African Ernie Els, who had finished his round twenty minutes earlier and was waiting expectantly for the development of events.
Mickelson, who started Sunday as co-leader with his compatriot Chris DiMarco, was not willing to let the victory slip away this time, although he suffered a lot in the first round, especially after having scored three bogeys in four holes and seeing how Els overtook him on the 8th hole thanks to an eagle. However, the Californian did not lose heart, and he sharpened his putter in such a way that he holed five birdies in the last seven holes, beating Els by only one stroke at the end.
The horrible streak of 46 Grand Slam tournament appearances without a single win is over. No more doubts about Mickelson’s game and whether he was capable of withstanding the stress of a major tournament.
He played spectacularly until the end, with two birdies on the last three holes for 69 strokes, 3 under par, and a one-stroke win over Els.
The putt rolled into the back of the 18th hole, sparking cheers from the crowd. Mickelson jumped up and raised his fists, and kissed the ball as he pulled it out of the hole.
“My God!” said the champion as he walked off the field and ran into the arms of his wife and three children.
Els was flawless, making two eagles in a round of 67 that seemed enough to give him the coveted green jacket. But Mickelson showed more determination than ever.
The San Diego left-hander made three consecutive birdies to stay in contention, caught his opponent with a birdie from five meters on the 16th hole and then took the stage on the 18th.
Despite having come so close to winning Grand Slam titles, Mickelson had never gone to the final hole with the lead. He never had the last word. But on that Sunday, April 11, 2004, the greatest player who had never won a major refused to let his chances slip away.
Korean K.J. Choi (69) finished third (three strokes behind the champion), in a round in which he holed a 5-iron eagle from 200 meters on the par-4 11th. In addition to the two aforementioned eagles by Els, that exciting day saw two holes-in-one on the 16th, those of Padraig Harrington and Kirk Triplett. The still nicknamed “El Niño” Sergio Garcia (24 years old at the time) took fourth place, tied with Bernhard Langer, after a splendid final round of 66 strokes.
“To have had such a tough road to win my first major makes it that much sweeter. When you finally achieve that goal, the harder the struggle, the greater the reward,” Mickelson said.
After that memorable triumph, Mickelson, who has 44 wins on the PGA Tour, he wore the green jacket on two other occasions (2006 and 2010), won the 2005 PGA Championship and the 2013 British Open. His thorn in the side of the other major, the US Open, where he has finished second six times so far.
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