Final Thoughts on the 2010 Masters and Phil Mickelson's Victory

Coming into the 2010 Masters, the story was Tiger Woods and his return to competitive golf.

The story ended up being Phil Mickelson who won his third Masters title with an inspiring three shot victory over Lee Westwood.

Mickelson's win reminds me of Ben Crenshaw's win in 1995.

In 1995 Crenshaw won shortly after the death of long time coach Harvey Penick. The emotion carried Crenshaw to his second Green Jacket.

This year joined by his family for the first time on tour in 11 months, with the well documented story of his wife and mother's battle with breast cancer, Mickelson almost seem destined to get the popular victory.

The scene at 18 with Phil and his family, was great to see.

What other thoughts do I take from this year's Masters?

Now with four majors, Phil Mickelson has established himself, without a doubt, the second best golfer of this generation. He now must be considered one of the top 10-15 golfers of all time. He's certainly in the class of the Tom Watsons and Lee Trevinos now, if he wasn't before.

Anthony Kim is going to win a Masters, bank on it. Two top 20 finishes in two tries. This year he finished third after a final round 65. It's just a matter of time. He's only 24.

Tiger Woods didn't have his best game. He hit shots all over the golf course and in general, after round one, was not hitting the ball well. He finished tied for fourth. There's no mistaking Woods talent and ability. Let's see how he handles his demeanor and emotions in the future. A new Tiger? We'll see, hard to tell this week.

One of the great things about the Masters is that guys in their late 40s and early 50s can still contend in this tournament. It's long, but the open fairways and greens that require experience give the older guys a chance. Fred Couples, at 50, finished 6th at 9 under. I bet this isn't the last time Couples finishes in the top 10.

Lee Westwood just had his third straight top three major finish. With all do respect to Padraig Harrington, Westwood is now Europe's best player. He's got the game to win a major and was all class in his post-tournament interview. He's one of the tours good guys.

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