AUGUSTA, GEORGIA | When Phil Mickelson completed his soul-enriching final-round 65 on Sunday afternoon at Augusta National, rekindling his romance with the Masters and all that comes with it, he gave his brother/caddie Tim Mickelson a happy tap and then stared down the 18th fairway while playing competitor Jordan Spieth finished his work.
With eyes hidden behind his ever-present sunglasses, Mickelson let a smile spread across his face and the weight of a week that thrilled and threatened him was complete.
“Nice to see him happy,” said a man watching greenside. “It’s the first time I’ve seen him smile all day.”
Mickelson arrived at Augusta as a different man than the one who won three green jackets and considered the Masters his happy place.
Caught in the fury of a personal storm of his own creation, Mickelson skipped the Masters last year. His move to LIV Golf and his comments about it did more than create a firestorm. They changed the public perception of one of the most popular golfers of any era.
Mickelson had scorched his own reputation with his words and deeds, and his golf game seemed like collateral damage.
“To come out today and play the way I did and hit the shots when I needed, it's so much fun."
Phil Mickelson
But Mickelson has talked for years about how Augusta National flips an emotional switch in him, and it happened again this year. Noticeably thinner and outwardly more reserved, Mickelson matched the conditions Sunday, turning from cool and gray to warm and sunny as the afternoon unfolded.
“This is so much fun,” Mickelson said after his 7-under final round and eventual share of second place, four strokes behind winner Jon Rahm.
Mickelson didn’t offer much insight into his week, taking only four questions after his round. When he finished play, Mickelson was only two strokes behind Rahm, who still had eight holes remaining. Mickelson excused himself, saying there was a lot of golf left to be played.
It was true, but Mickelson handled the few questions he took during the week the way Tiger Woods handled the slippery slopes with his bad leg: carefully.
Mickelson, 52, a three-time Masters winner, was quiet at the champions dinner on Tuesday night and did his best to say the right things in brief question-and-answer sessions with the media, intent on keeping the focus on golf and nothing else.
“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,” Mickelson said.
“It just reaffirms that I knew I was close. I've been hitting quality shots. This doesn't feel like a fluke. It wasn't like I hit shots I haven't been hitting. I stayed present and didn't make loose swings or those bad swings at an inopportune time. I stayed very present and calm throughout, then executed and had a blast.”
As for the elephant in Augusta’s living room, Mickelson wanted only to enjoy the moment.
“We're all grateful that we're able to play and compete here, and I think it's tremendous for this tournament to have all the best players in the world here,” Mickelson said.
“Then as a past champion, to be able to still be a part of it, it means a lot.”
It showed on Mickelson’s smiling face.
Ron Green Jr.