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Tiger flops, Mickelson whiffs flop in HSBC Champions final round stunner
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It was a wild final day of golf for some of the world's top talent playing in the HSBC Champions tournament. In the end, Mickelson prevailed - whiff and all - over a host of fiery hot players charging up the leaderboard.
Few could have predicted the dramatic "swings" of momentum that took place in the fourth round of the World Golf Championship event, which wrapped up this morning around 3am EST. Just about all the players on the first page of the leaderboard added to what became a dramatic culmination of the event.
Woods fell flat on his face (metaphorically) when he came out of the gates during his final round - he shot a 3-over 39 in his opening nine. Tiger lipped out a makable birdie putt on the par-5 3rd, double bogeyed the par-3 4th after he pulled an iron shot into the river, and dribbled his ball out of a fairway bunker on the 8th. Woods got back on track - albeit temporarily - on the back nine, but it was never enough. He finished in a tie for sixth place with Martin Kaymer at 12-under.
While Woods floundered, McIlroy and Els rose to the top. The 20-year-old McIlroy made seven birdies in his first nine holes. He ended up at 14-under after shooting a 9-under 63. Els, who has not won in 2009, was validating his nickname. The Big Easy's swing was as sweet as ever, as he cruised to a 9-under 63 of his own. His round would have been without a blemish had he not blundered on the last. Els bogeyed the 18th - a mistake that would cost him a spot in a playoff with Mickelson - after his second shot found the water. He finished alone in second place at 16-under for the tournament.
The day belonged to Phil Mickelson, despite hitting one of the most surprisingly horrid golf shots of the year. After birdying holes 13 and 14, and parring the 15th, Mickelson was one shot behind Els as he made his way to the drivable par-4 16th. Using a fairway metal, Mickelson pushed his tee ball to the left, which ended up in the first cut of rough. Short-sided with a bunker between his ball and the pin, Mickelson opted for his 64 degree lob wedge. After fanning open his lob wedge in preparation for the shot, he wound up and made an aggressive, full swing. Implementing the same swing that has produced drives well over 300 yards, he authored a wedge shot that went mere centimeters after his wedge slid completely under the ball. His attempted flop flopped. Nevertheless, showing tremendous grit, he refocused, chipped the ball onto the fringe and rolled in the putt to save face and par. After Els made bogey on the final hole, Mickelson made birdie on the par-3 17th and successfully clinched the victory with a par on the last. The HSBC Champions victory is his second career WGC title and his fourth worldwide win this year. The victory also earned him the handsome sum of $1.2 million.
Mickelson does not plan to play competitively again until 2010. Woods and many others, however, will make their way down under to play in Melbourne, Australia for the JBWere Masters next week. There is a great deal to look forward to in the coming weeks as the European Tour's Race to Dubai approaches its finish line. Please subscribe to avoid missing out on the action that will take place in the coming weeks.
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