The final round of the year's final major looked like it would be a two-man match-play classic between Vijay Singh and Justin Leonard. Instead, a Who's Who of golfers stumbled their way down the back nine of Whistling Straits. Leonard ... Singh ... Chris DiMarco ... Ernie Els ... Phil Mickelson. They all had their chances, but only Vijay figured out a way to close the deal. After a day of horrific putting he made a slight adjustment to win the playoff, capture his third major and all but clinch player of the year honors.

Aiming for a spot beyond the hole and keeping the putter handle moving to the hole will help you make more putts under pressure. jcvideo.com

Why He Won: Midway through the back nine you could see the frustration on Singh's face. His putter had gone sour. Was it the yips? You bet it was. Even the best players have a choking point, and for Vijay it has been the final round of majors. (His average final-round score in the last eight majors is 74.25.) For three rounds at Whistling Straits Vijay displayed the fluid stroke he used to win the Buick two weeks before, but the pressure of a major hit him on Sunday and his hands turned to stone. Even the CBS commentators pointed out that he was stopping his forward stroke -- something he hadn't done all week. And did you notice how many of Singh's final-round putts came up short? But Singh finally made a great stroke on the first hole of the playoff, and he stroked an even better putt on the deciding hole, lagging a 50-footer to within inches for the win.

What You Can Learn from Singh: When we are gagging on the greens -- i.e., when we're under pressure -- most of us stop the handle of the putter and flip the putter head with our hands. Either that, or we stop the stroke early and look up to see what the ball is doing. To fight these tendencies, keep the grip handle moving toward the hole. If you watch the butt end of the grip and keep it moving toward the hole after you have contacted the ball, you will make more putts under pressure.

Why They Didn't Win

Ernie Els: He started the final round six shots back, so he had to make a major move just to get into contention. But Els made a poor decision on the 18th tee, hitting his driver through the fairway. Come on, Ernie! The second-ranked player in the world has to know that the fairway ends at 315. Els still had a chance standing over a downhill 8-footer with a little left-to-right break, but he didn't give the putt enough speed and missed it below the hole. Yes, on the "amateur side."

What You Can Learn from Els: When standing over a putt where missing it doesn't matter but making it means EVERYTHING, take the legendary Tom Watson's approach and hit it with enough speed to eliminate most of the break. Pick a spot about 18 inches behind the hole and stroke the putt to roll right through the hole.

Chris DiMarco: I thought he had it when he caught Leonard with birdies on 9, 11 and 12. But Chris gets anxious under pressure and fails to complete his backswing. When he cuts off his swing arc like that, he gets steep and comes over the top, hitting a "yank-you-very-much" shot to the left. Cases in point: his tee shots on 15 and 16 and especially his approach to 18 in the playoff. (180 yards with a 6-iron, after flagging the same shot in regulation. I was looking for DiMarco to hit that shot stiff, and I'm sure he was, too, somewhere in the backswing.)

The key to a good back swing is to actually complete it. When under pressure, golfer's anxiety creates tension in the muscles and they cut their backswings short. The vertical red line represents the balls position in the stance. The key to a completed back swing is to get the right shoulder blade turned behind you so it gets to the red line (ball's position in the stance). If the shoulder does not get to the red line, and the body releases early into the forward swing, then the club will remain steep and work outside the target line creating a pull.

What You Can Learn from DiMarco: Under pressure, whether it's the club championship or a two-dollar bet, count out the rhythm in your head the way Nick Faldo did in his heyday. "One on the backswing ... two on the pause at the top ... and threeeeeeeee on the forward swing." Faldo also used various breathing patterns to smooth out his swing in the final round. That's one reason he was so good at sealing the deal when he was close.

When chipping, especially under pressure, be sure to keep the club moving through the thick grass so it points to the target, landing area, as you hold your finish. This will keep the thick grass from grabbing the club and stopping it. jcvideo.com

Justin Leonard: Wow, do you get any better chances than he had on Sunday? The chip on 18, if he gets it up and down, he wins. Well, it was obvious what happened. Justin was playing a shot that was slightly uphill, and if you watched his stroke you saw that the club head completely stopped after contact with the ball. Did you see the replay? Justin had made a practice swing where he stabbed the thick grass and didn't keep the club moving through. And that's what happened on the fatal stroke-- the thick grass grabbed the club and the ball came up short.

What You Can Learn from Leonard: It's a basic fundamental in chipping that you keep the club moving through the ball. When practicing your chipping, make sure that you follow through after contact so that the club points to where you want the ball to land. And hold your finish.

Phil Mickelson: I have no idea why Phil lost. CBS only showed five of Lefty's shots on the back nine, and two of those were on the 18th green. It just wasn't meant to be, I guess. Mickelson has a great year, finally wins a major, outplays Tiger from here to Sunday -- and it still won't be good enough for player of the year.

Rob Stanger is teaching professional at the Mission Hills Country Club Golf Learning Center in Rancho Mirage, Calif. Contact him at robstanger.com.