• The Masters

The best and worst moments from the 2010 Masters

Tom Walker
April 12, 2010
Phil Mickelson hit a final round five-under-par 67 to claim his third Green Jacket by three shots © Getty Images
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Phil Mickelson deservedly won the 74th Masters Tournament after a scintillating final round. His emotional triumph will live long in the memory, as will some of the other highlights...

Best shot
If you haven't already seen it, Phil Mickelson's escape on the 13th hole is pure sporting theatre and demands a hit on YouTube. Major championships are won or lost on moments like these and Mickelson should be applauded for even attempting a shot of such magnitude. With the leaderboard chopping and changing, the American found himself among the Georgia pines having gone wayward off the tee. Knowing the other front runners were enduring problems of their own, Mickelson could have taken the easy option and played safe. Instead, he shocked everyone by cracking a six-iron from 207 yards, through a four-foot gap between two trees, over Rae's Creek to set up an eagle opportunity. He subsequently missed his eagle putt but a birdie put him two strokes clear as he tightened his grip on a third Green Jacket.

Dark Horse
After missing the cut the last two years, Fred Couples rolled back the years to the delight of a packed Augusta crowd. The 1992 champion shot a 66 on Thursday to become the oldest player in the tournament's history to hold the outright lead going into the second round. A 75 on the second day looked to have all but ended his chances of a second Green Jacket but Couples, battling a back injury, resurrected his tournament with some stunning golf to charge back up the leaderboard. He found water at the 12th to effectively end his pursuit for another year, but the 50-year-old looked in sublime form to fire a warning to his opponents on the Champions Tour.

Biggest Disappointment
Much was expected of the world No. 12, but Rory McIlroy missed the cut after carding disappointing scores of 74 and 77. The Ulsterman, who failed to hit a single birdie in his second round, admitted afterwards that he was looking forward to some time away from the course.

Tiger Woods, Jim Furyk and Fred Couples later came to the conclusion that coins work better in this particular scenario © Getty Images
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One for the future
Whisper it quietly, but we may have finally found the new Seve Ballesteros. At 16, Italy's Matteo Manassero became the youngest ever Masters competitor. As if that achievement wasn't enough, he also beat Bobby Cole's record, which lasted since 1967, to become the youngest player ever to make the cut at Augusta after carding a 71 and 76 in his first two rounds. With iron-striking to make even the great Spaniard purr, Manassero has a bright future. The sport's greatest golfers should beware when he turns professional shortly after turning 17 later this month.

Quote of the week
When asked if he had any marriage proposals, young idol Manassero replied: "No, they think I'm too young, I think. No, I'm not too young."

Dodgiest outfit
Whether the heat got to Henrik Stenson is unclear, but he did his best tablecloth impression with Poulter-esque, lime chequed trousers.

Statistic of the week
It was year of the eagle at the 2010 Masters. There were 34 eagles at Augusta, three short of the record set in 1991. Tiger Woods made four - equalling the individual record for a single tournament.

Shoes
Fred Couples comes a close second with his orthopaedic shoes, but the clear outright winner has to be Ian Poulter for his choice of half-white, half-pink footwear. The Englishman is renowned for his outlandish attire and once again he didn't disappoint. If the trousers aren't garish enough, look a little further south.

Even wearing two-tone shoes couldn't help Ian Poulter win his first Major © Getty Images
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Tantrum
After announcing he was going to attend to his poor on-course behaviour, it seems that Tiger Woods needs a little longer to fulfil such promises. It didn't take long to witness an all too familiar outburst as he shanked his opening tee shot far to the left, causing him to drop his club on his follow through. He recovered from a bogey at the first but that drive was arguably the worst tee shot of the day.

Heartbreak
Lee Westwood's demise after leading the way for so long was gut-wrenching. He carded a one-under 71 on the final round to end as runner-up and he has now finished second, third and third in his last three Majors. A long-awaited first Major title must surely be around the corner - or will he forever be remembered as a nearly man?

So near yet so far
There were high hopes for Sandy Lyle following a sumptuous opening round of 69 - his first score below 70 for 18 years. Unfortunately, the 1988 champion's game unravelled on the second day and the 52-year-old Scot shot a 14-over par round of 86 that included a triple bogey, four double bogeys and five bogeys.

After missing the cut, Lyle was understandably deflated. "From feeling really good, I went to feeling battered and bruised. The first eight, nine holes I was playing with a square golf ball," he said.

Worst putt
One wouldn't have blamed Steve Williams for being a little scared heading towards the 15th tee. On the 14th green, Tiger Woods' caddie had just witnessed his man three-putt from about four feet to destroy any remaining possibility of catching Phil Mickelson.

Ouch moment
You know luck is on your side when you hit a wild tee shot only to see the ball cannon off a spectator's head and roll onto short grass next to the fairway. Mickelson consequently made par at the 11th and the rest is history.

© ESPN Sports Media Ltd.
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