AUGUSTA, Ga. -- This was Phil Mickelson’s Masters to win.
A fourth Green Jacket, which would have tied him with Tiger Woods and Arnold Palmer and left him two behind Jack Nicklaus’ record of six, awaited.
Until the par-3 fourth hole yesterday.
That’s where Mickelson, who began the day one shot off the lead, had the jacket ripped from his back when his sailed tee shot landed some 25 yards to the left of the green. The ball caromed off the grandstand and into some heavy bushes.
From there, it got uglier, with Mickelson, a lefty, twice trying to chip out right-handed because of the awkward stance. When it was all over, Mickelson carded a triple bogey and his chances to win were over.
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In 73 career rounds at the Masters, Mickelson had never tripled No. 4 and he had only one double bogey on the hole. The triple was the only blemish on Mickelson’s card for the day.
“Tactically, I hit that shot where I had to hit it, which is at the [left] bunker,’’ Mickelson said. “Anything left of the pin is fine. Unfortunately, it was just a bad break. If [the ball] goes into people and stops right there, no problem. If it goes into the grandstand, no problem.
“[But] it hit the metal railing and shot in the trees. Not only was it unplayable, but I couldn’t take an unplayable. There was no place to go other than back to the tee. So I took the risk of trying to hit it a few times.’’
Asked why he didn’t go back and re-tee, Mickelson said he would simply be going back to hit the “hardest’’ tee shot again.
“I felt like it was worth the risk,” he said, “and it may have cost me, what, half a shot at most?’’
Mickelson said he practices the chip from the left side of the green “over and over, because you can’t go at that pin. You go in the bunker or you go right of the pin on the green and you are not going to make par. Usually I can get that up and down and make par. If not, I make a 4. The worst I would have made was 4, but unfortunately it hit the metal railing.’’
Mickelson lamented his chances after the fourth hole, saying: “Even after that triple, I birdied the three par 5s, had many chances to make birdies and wasn’t able to get the ball to go in. They were just coming right up to the edge and just not quite peaking in.’’
Asked what he’ll take from the day, he said: “Third place. It’s not what I was hoping for.’’
“It’s disappointing that I didn’t grab that fourth Green Jacket,’’ Mickelson said. “It was a great opportunity to collect another Green Jacket. It’s disappointing that I didn’t make it happen on the back nine and get the putts to fall. I gave them all good chances, I just couldn’t quite get them to go.’’
Mickelson’s wife, Amy, and their three children had flown in to see the final round in hopes of seeing him make history.
“I’m certainly not satisfied just being in contention,’’ he said. “I love having the opportunity to win, to compete on Sunday, to come down the back nine with a chance to win the Masters. That’s what’s fun. It’s certainly disappointing not getting it done.’’
mark.cannizzaro@nypost.com
Green Jacket, Green Jacket, Tiger Woods, Arnold Palmer, AUGUSTA, Ga., Mickelson
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