Posted 4/14/03 9:57 am ET

On the Course

Duval, Mickelson dealt more Masters disappointment

Phil Mickelson carded six birdies Sunday, but had four bogeys to drop him three shots behind Tiger Woods. AP

By Gary Van Sickle, Sports Illustrated

AUGUSTA, Ga. -- There is no shame in getting beat by the best player in the world, possibly even the best player of all time. (You know who.) There also isn't a lot of enjoyment in it. Like the players who fruitlessly chased Jack Nicklaus in his prime, David Duval and Phil Mickelson have the thankless task of pursing Tiger Woods.

They gave him a hell of a Sunday afternoon chase at the Masters but the result was the same as it's been for five of the last six major championships. Woods wins his fourth straight major title, everybody else comes up short.

There were several key moments in Sunday's dramatic battle that ended with a whimper, not a bang, but the simple truth was, Woods made fewer mistakes than Duval and Mickelson. Mickelson made six birdies, Duval made eight. However, Mickelson racked up four bogeys, Duval three. Woods had only two bogeys and he started the day with a one-shot edge over Mickelson, three shots over Duval. That was the difference.

The par-3 16th hole doesn't get the attention of the Amen Corner holes but it helped decide the outcome. Duval, trailing Woods by one shot, sent his iron shot over the back of the green. He executed a superb chip shot to get within eight feet but missed the putt. Mickelson, playing with Woods, pulled his approach shot left, where it hung on a steep ridge, leaving him a sharply curving, sloping putt. It ran seven feet past and Mickelson missed his par putt. That dropped him two shots back and, barring a miracle or a Woods' blunder for the ages, ended his chances.

The disappointments left Mickelson and Duval sharing the not-so-coveted title of best players who haven't won majors.

"When I look back in this week, if I'm going to win with Tiger in the field, I cannot make the mistakes that I have been making," said Mickelson. "I may be able to make one or two but I can't make as many as I made, from double bogeys on 12 and 14 earlier in the week to four bogeys today that really were not tough pars. I can't afford to keep throwing away shot after shot. But all in all, I'm not that far off."

Had Mickelson played one shot better, he would have been the first man to post four rounds in the 60s at the Masters -- and he still would have lost. He finished with a 70 and a total of 275, 13 under and three behind Woods. Mickelson has finished seventh twice, sixth and now third twice at Augusta.

Duval, who closed with a 67, made the strongest charge of the day. He didn't make a par until the ninth hole and actually birdied seven of his first 10 holes to tie Woods for the lead. He cooled off on the back nine, however. He failed to birdie the par-5 13th, bogeyed the 16th and just missed a makable birdie putt at 18 that would've forced Woods, who made a meaningless birdie at the 18th, to birdie that final hole to avoid a playoff.

"I really don't have an explanation for 16," said Duval, who has finished second, sixth, third and second in the last four Masters. "I had 183 yards to the flag and hit 7-iron and flew it over the green. To be honest, I thought I might have made a one. The putt at 18, I guess I probably pulled it a little bit. I've been in this position before a few times. I got beat by Mark O'Meara, and a couple other times I may very well have beat myself. Today, I didn't do that. I just came up short."

For Duval and Mickelson and many others, it is becoming a familiar story.

 

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