For Mickelson, style produces substance -- and a third Green Jacket

There have been a number of times when his aggressive style hasn't paid off, Phil Mickelson freely admits. Yet, as Mike McAllister notes, that old gambling mindset played a huge part of Mickelson's latest, and perhaps most important, Masters victory.

By Mike McAllister, PGATOUR.COM Managing Editor

AUGUSTA, Ga. -- Soon, reality will once again set in for Phil Mickelson. There will be more visits to Houston, to take wife Amy to the M.D. Anderson Cancer Center for treatment. There will be more days she doesn't do well, the meds kicking in and making her feel nauseous, fatigued. There will be days when he'll need to handle the kids while she handles the fight against breast cancer.

There will be days when Mickelson wins a tournament and his wife and kids may not be available to greet him, to hug him and to celebrate with him like they were Sunday at Augusta National. There will be more days when the quality of life is not where it should be for a multi-millionaire golfer and his poster-perfect family.

Cancer doesn't get up from the table, say goodbye and walk away just because you win a third Green Jacket.

But on this day, a splendid, emotional and drama-filled Sunday at Augusta National, the opponent for the Mickelson family did not require using a team of doctors, specialized machines and life-altering therapy.

It only required Mickelson's surgical skills with the golf clubs. His steely nerves under pressure. And that old gambling mindset, so often the bane of his existence but now the pathway to success.

"It feels good for it to finally pay off," Mickelson said when asked about his aggressive style. "There's been a number of times it hasn't."

Who could imagine that Mickelson would win his fourth major championship and not suffer one bogey during a nerve-rattling final round? His 5-under 67 on Sunday was the lowest shot by a Masters champ in 12 years -- and his winning total of 16 under tied for the fourth lowest in tournament history. And yet Mickelson didn't even have to shelve his go-for-broke mentality.

Take his second shot at the par-5 13th -- out of the pine needles and 207 yards from the hole, he blasted a 6-iron dead straight between two trees to within four feet. It's a shot that officially goes down as the best one in his career -- and one that caddie Jim "Bones" Mackay was adamant about not even trying.

But Phil already had his mind made up. End of discussion.

"All he basically said," recalled Mackay, "was 'Listen, there's an opening in the trees and it's a 6-iron. All I have to do is execute. It's not like I have to hit a big hook or a big cut. I've got to hit a 6-iron on a big old green.'

"Fair enough, so I got out of the way -- and you guys saw what he did."

When the ball landed and the roars reverberated around Amen Corner, the Green Jacket had been unofficially delivered. The fact that Mickelson missed the short eagle putt and settled for birdie was irrelevant.

He had produced the signature moment in a tournament that was filled with them -- including Mickelson's half-hour stretch on Saturday's back nine when we carded back-to-back eagles and nearly holed out for a third one.

"It's one of the few shots really that only Phil can pull off," shrugged playing partner -- and third-round leader -- Lee Westwood.

Now, leading by three shots with three holes to play, Mickelson played smartly -- but still aggressively -- to close out Westwood and Anthony Kim, who was four groups in front and putting the finishing touches on a final-round 65 that would bump him into third place.

Unlike say, at a U.S. Open setup, courage and bold behavior are rewarded at Augusta National. That's why this major works best for Mickelson. It's why he has three of them in his hip pocket. It's why he should win a few more, perhaps even ending up with more than Tiger Woods, who has four but none since 2005.

"I really think the biggest part of the reason why he won this golf tournament," Mackay said, "was because of how aggressive he played. He played incredibly aggressive all week."

Mickelson has a love affair with Augusta because he knows it suits his style. Despite entering this week in less-than-stellar form, he felt confident in his chances and comfortable in his surroundings. He spoke all week about how a player could make mistakes at Augusta and still recover.

"It's why I feel so at ease here," he said.

To his credit, Mickelson actually made few mistakes, just six bogeys all week. He was the only player in the field Sunday without a bogey. And even when things did go badly, it wasn't even his fault.

Just as he hit a 10-foot birdie putt on the second hole Sunday, a stamen dropped from a nearby pine tree right into his line. The ball hit the stamen, naturally, and redirected to the left side of the pin.

A lesser player would have been unnerved, but Mickelson shrugged it off ... although he was a bit curious as to where it came from, considering there were really no trees close enough to the No. 2 green to produce the flying object.

"You have to wonder," he laughed, "is somebody out to get you?"

Well, plenty of people were. Westwood. Kim. Woods, who overcame a shaky front nine to shoot his fourth consecutive sub-par round. K.J. Choi, who appeared primed for victory until his steady play ground to a halt on the back side.

But Mickelson just kept making bold strokes and getting big payoffs ... and bigger cheers. And in the end, while everybody else was clapping and high-fiving and celebrating the victory of a much-adored champion, the Mickelson camp was crying. Tears of joy.

Amy surprised Phil by showing up at the 18th green. It's the first time she's been seen in public at a tournament since THE PLAYERS Championship last May, just a few weeks before the family announced she had been diagnosed with breast cancer.

With Mackay already in tears, Phil and Amy hugged each other tightly, sharing a moment that, on the surface, appeared like many of their previous celebrations following his victory. Only this wasn't just the usual win.

Phil displayed courage on the golf course this week to win his fourth major. Amy displays courage off the course as she fights an unforgiving enemy. Theirs seems to be a perfect match.

"This has been a very special day and a very special week," Mickelson said. "And to have Amy and my kids here to share it with, I can't put into words.

"It just feels incredible, especially given what we've been through in the last year. To be able to share this kind of joy means a lot to us."

For one day, reality could wait. It was time to win. Then to celebrate.