Phil Mickelson claimed his second Major Championship after a thrilling end to the weather delayed US PGA Championship at Baltusrol Golf Club. Needing a birdie four at the last to win, the 2004 Masters Tournament winner achieved the feat to thwart the brave challenge of European Tour Member Thomas Björn and Australian Steve Elkington.
The trio were amongst a dozen players who had to return to the course to finish the final few holes of their fourth rounds on Monday morning after severe storms in the New Jersey area brought a premature end to play on Sunday night.
There were fears that the atmosphere of the occasion might have been diluted, but they were unfounded. With all Sunday ticket holders allowed back in for free, the closing holes of the Baltusrol course were packed thronged with thousands of people at 10.00am to provide a pulsating ending to what had been an enthralling championship.
For the Europeans in the gallery however, the conclusion was bittersweet, as Björn came up agonisingly short of claiming his maiden Major victory. The Dane had set the tournament alight on Saturday with a record equalling 63 and, when play ceased on Sunday night, was only one shot adrift of Mickelson with four holes to play.
The eight time winner on The European Tour International Schedule did not get off to the best start when his first shot proved to be a flier from the rough on the 15th and he overshot the green on the way to a bogey five.
A par three followed at the 16th before he reignited his challenge with a superb birdie four on the 650 yard 17th, holing from 18 feet after his nine iron approach had arrowed the centre of the green.
With Mickelson having dropped a shot at the 16th, having found a dreadful lie in a greenside bunker from the tee, and with Elkington having parred the last three holes up ahead, the trio were all now at three under par for the tournament.
Björn hit a sensational drive down the 18th in his quest for a crucial birdie but was unfortunate to find himself between clubs. He had opted for a three wood and a seven wood in his bag this week, the 217 metres to the pin being the ideal distance for his missing five wood.
He opted for the three wood but pulled his approach into a nasty lie in the greenside bunker to the left of the putting surface. With the ball below his feet, Björn did remarkably well to get his ball to within 15 feet of the hole, but he could only wince in agony as his birdie attempt touched the cup, but stayed above ground.
It left Björn (72) tied with Elkington (71) on three under par 277 and both players had no option but to sit glued to the television screens in the recorders’ hut watching to see if Mickelson could make the birdie four which would give him the Wanamaker Trophy.
A good drive left him in ideal position in the centre of the fairway but his three wood approach came up short in the rough to the right of the putting surface. It required one of the left-hander’s trademark flop shot pitches and he executed it to perfection, the ball finishing a mere two feet from the hole, from where he stroked the putt home for a 72 and four under par total of 276, to spark wild celebrations in the stands.
It was disappointing for Björn, who was third in this Championship at Valhalla in 2000 and who has been second twice in The Open Championship, but the 35 year old, correctly, looked on the many positive aspects to have emerged from his week in New Jersey.
“I went out there and gave it my best shot,” he said. “Ultimately, it wasn’t to be, but I stuck my nose in there, played hard and tried hard. I gave it 110 per cent all week in everything that I did and I came up one shot short.
“One day though, these Major Championships are going to break my way. I feel I have the game and I feel that if I get in there often enough, one day the game is going to give me that thing. If you stick your nose in often enough, it will happen.”
Björn was also fulsome in his praise of the new champion which endeared this already popular figure even more to both the American media and the fanatical American supporters.
“When I saw where he hit it on the last, I didn’t think there was much hope because if there is anybody in the world that you would back to get up and down from there, it would be Phil Mickelson,” he said.
“You know, Phil deserves this more than anybody; he’s not a one Major guy, he’s a ten Major guy. He’s going to go on and contend for Majors as he’s always done but it is going to be easier for him to win them now.
“He deserves greatness. He’s come so close for so many years and the way he did things this week was better than all the rest of the guys. When you lead from day one and you stand with the trophy in your hand at the end, you certainly have deserved to win.”
Champion Mickelson revealed he had had a congratulatory phone call from former US President George Bush Snr moments after his victory, a gesture which put the icing on the cake of a great week for the 35 year old.
“It was an amazing week,” he said. “I really enjoyed myself the whole week and the people here in New Jersey just treated me and my wife amazingly. We are really appreciative and I’m very, very grateful to have pulled off this victory.”
World Number One Tiger Woods and Davis Love III finished tied fourth on two under par 278, and while Björn’s finish proved the highlight of the week from a European Tour perspective but there were other performances to savour, particularly from the last two US Open Champions Retief Goosen and Michael Campbell, who finshed alongside Geoff Ogilvy and Pat Perez in a share of sixth place on one under par 279.
