A Tale of Two Worlds - Phil vs Tiger

What a final day of the Masters. Phil Mickelson shot a flawless, bogey-free final round 67 to win his third green jacket. It was a day of incredible shotmaking, exciting golf, fascinating stories, but also stark contrast. The 2010 Masters showed the day and night difference between golf's two biggest stars - Tiger Woods and Phil Mickelson.

On the course, Phil Mickelson is known for his swashbuckling style. Phil would always make enough shots to win tournaments, but usually always make enough bad shots to lose them too. Remember the infamous meltdown at Winged Foot in the '06 US Open? It was a collapse so epic we never thought he'd recover from. Even last year at the Masters he ruined a historic run by putting the ball in the water at Amen Corner. But, this year there was Mickelson shooting a clutch, bogey-free round on his way to 67. There were all the typical Phil highlights today, but also the short putts and up and downs that he would usually let slip away. Today, he was as clinical as Tiger Woods.

On the course, Tiger Woods is known as a cold-blooded assassin. Tiger never gives away cheap shots. He's the gamiest gamer that has ever gamed. Nobody makes less mistakes or more clutch shots. But, this year there was Tiger popping up drives, leaving shots in bunkers, hitting trees, and 3 jacking 8 footers. There were tremendous shots as well - the hole out from the fairway on 7, another eagle on 15, and 4 other birdies. It was a roller coaster ride like we've never seen from Tiger Woods on the way to a memorable 69 (*insert own joke here*). Today, on the golf course, he was Phil Mickelson.

Throughout this week, and let's face it, everywhere Phil Mickelson goes, he is greeted with thunderous applause and support. Not since Arnold Palmer have we seen a golfer as loved by fans of the game (and yes, I refuse to use the word patrons). Roar after roar went round Augusta due to Mickelson's heroics. Whether it was the Saturday eagles or his heroic scrambling and shotmaking on Sunday, the fans were always there for Mick. Why is it that the galleries love Mickelson - is it his go for broke mentality? His years of coming so close to winning? His interaction with the fans around the golf course? That he looks like he enjoys playing golf for a living? Likely, it's all of the above.

Throughout this week, Tiger Woods was met with "generous applause" or "warm receptions" wherever he went. Nobody knew what would meet Tiger, but at Augusta, it's no surprise that he got a generally positive reception from the fans and the media. But, even before the sex scandal that crashed his career, Woods was never loved like Mickelson. Yes, Woods was a trailblazer, a role model, a corporate juggernaut, and maybe the best that we've ever seen - but he has never been loved. Maybe it's the cold demeanor. Maybe it's the temper-tantrums and swearing on the golf course (Eldrick still has some work to do in that department). Maybe it was the robotic image and the fact that his yacht was called Privacy. Maybe it was that he has never let any of us past the red shirt and the Tiger Woods brand. Likely, it is all of the above.

Right after Mickelson made birdie at 18, the storybook ending unfolded as his wife Amy embraced him on the walk to sign his scorecard. We heard the broadcasters talk about the distraction in Mickelson's life. About his troubles off the course. And, about how he hadn't played his best golf in recent months. We heard the Mickelson family story. Mickelson's wife and mother have both been battling breast cancer for several months, and it was Amy's first time to see her husband on the golf course since her fight began. It was a touching, heart-warming moment for the viewers at home as the slow-mo cameras even caught a tear running down Phil's face. It was something we'd see from the Hallmark Channel.

On the other hand, there's Tiger Woods, cutting a solitary figure throughout the entire week. There was Tiger after Sunday's round looking like the same old combative Tiger that we've always seen. We heard the broadcasters talk about the distraction in Tiger's life. About his off-course issues. And, about how he hadn't picked up a golf club in 5 months. We never heard the words sex, rehab, affair, family, or anything like it. Tiger's wife Elin stayed away from Augusta and rightfully so. Tiger Woods is trying to rebuild a broken family life due to the four month HydrantSexRehabGate that has haunted him. And, while we should all pull for the best for Tiger's family, you couldn't help but notice that there was nobody waiting for Tiger as he walked off the 18th green. One had to wonder what was going through Elin's mind through all of this.

One has to wonder, would either man think about trading places with the other. Would Phil give up the love and adoration of the masses for 10 more majors... to be like Tiger? Probably not. Would Tiger sacrifice all the historic victories, being the global icon, and now all of the turmoil to be loved like Phil? Now, after seeing the first tournament after golf was changed forever, I'm not so sure he wouldn't.

They said that this year's Masters would be the most watched golf tournament in history. And, we were rewarded with a golf tournament that will be remembered for several reasons. We saw some of the best shots in Masters history. We saw Tiger's comeback from his dramatic fall begin. We also saw the two best players in the game battle for another green jacket. Ultimately, we saw two men linked as the best in their field so crystalized in two different worlds that it shined through like the Azaleas in HD. Sunday at the 2010 Masters was such a memorable day because it painted such a remarkable picture that only sports can deliver.

What To Watch For Sunday At Augusta

Yesterday's action at the Masters was incredible. It was maybe the best Saturday we've seen at a major in many years. The famous roars were reverberating around Augusta National. Phil Mickelson's back to back eagles at 13 and 14 have him one behind the lead of Lee Westwood (-12). Tiger Woods and KJ Choi are 4 back with some work to do and Freddy Couples is 5 back and hoping for perhaps the miraculous major win of all-time. Here is what to watch for Sunday at Augusta...

*Can Lee Westwood Close The Deal?

-With Sergio Garcia's disappearance from the leaderboards of majors, Lee Westwood has taken the mantle of best player to never win a major. Consistently one of Europe's best players, he only has 1 PGA Tour win to go along with 20 on the European Tour. But, he's been close to getting a breakthrough major win finishing 3rd at the 2008 US Open, 2009 British Open, and 2009 PGA Championship. Each time, he had a chance to win late but could not close the deal. Now, with the lead for the first time, can Lee Westwood close the deal? He hasn't yet proven that he can, and with the Augusta stars behind him, it'll be a tough ask of Westwood.

*More Mickelson Miracles

-Phil Mickelson's 9 strokes on holes 13-15 yesterday was perhaps the best stretch of 3 holes we've seen in a major championship. In spite of his poor record recently, Phil always plays well at Augusta. As was noted on the broadcast yesterday, Mickelson has had a lot to think about off the course in his personal life with his wife and mother battling breast cancer. Believe it or not, Phil is going for his 3rd Green Jacket, but it's been 4 years since he last won a major! He seemingly has never recovered from his disaster at Winged Foot in the '06 US Open. Phil's key today will have to be to keep the bogeys away (he had a good run last year before blowing up at Amen Corner). He's clearly the crowd favorite, and should be the odds-on favorite to win with Tiger 3 strokes back. Speaking of...

*Tiger Watch

-Interesting that yesterday during a run of bogeys was the first time we heard talk of Tiger not playing a competitive round in 5 months. Funny how the excuses weren't mentioned when he shot his best ever 1st round at Augusta. I think 4 strokes will be too much of a mountain to climb, even for Tiger. Unless he shoots a 64, it's not in the cards - I don't see Mickelson and Westwood coming back to the pack today. Keep track today of how many times you hear the words Elin, sex, scandal, affair, mistakes, regret, shame, embarrassment, etc... Richard Nixon would be proud of the cover-up that CBS and ESPN have done this week treating Tiger with kid gloves. If you've been under a rock since Thanksgiving, you would have zero idea what exactly he's "coming back from." On the course today, Tiger will play a solid round, but he'll fall just short.

*Augusta Magic

-If yesterday was any sort of preview to what we'll see today, we'll be in store for an incredible 4th round. It wouldn't surprise me to see Fred Couples make a charge up the leaderboard for a while... or several young guns just behind (Mahan, Kim, Barnes). There's perhaps nothing more enjoyable than hearing the roars on the Back 9, Sunday, at Augusta. Enjoy today because it only comes around once a year.

Special Comment: Tiger-Rama at Augusta

My friends, yesterday was a day of sheer anticipation, happiness, and yet, disapointment and befuddlement. One of sports greatest events got underway today and that is the Masters Tournament, held at Augusta National Golf Club in Georgia. A course that has made names during the illustrious history of golf, greats such as Nicklaus, Palmer, Player, Faldo and the man of the decade, Tiger Woods. I will not go into detail of why Tiger was the focus of the tournament's attention because being a sports fan you already know. However, I felt there were some things done the past few days leading up to the tournament as well as the tournament itself that were either disapointing or slightly peeving.

1. Nike Commercial - To me this was a case of too soon for Nike to put Tiger out there in an ad campaign. The ad is in black and white showing Tiger just staring straight into the camera lens with audio of his father playing in the background. His dad, it seems, is lecturing Tiger about the healing process and mainly why he did the things he did with the allegations of marriage impropriety. However, I HIGHLY doubt that is the true intention of Earl's comments toward his son. Not only did Nike put Tiger out there too soon but they seemed to use Earl's comments, although with Tiger's approval, inappropriately and out of context. It was just too soon for Tiger, Nike and the allegations. At least Nike didn't say, "Just Do It."

Maybe this ad would have been more appropriate...

2. Billy Payne, Augusta National Golf Club Chairman - This was the part of the news leading up to the Masters that got me angry. Payne comes out and chastises Tiger for his actions and how he disapointed many who considered him a role model. Now I have waxed poetically in the past regarding the use of athletes as role models, where we are supposed to idolize them and think that they are uber-human and incapable of doing anything that is "human", such as make mistakes or bad decisions. For Payne to come out and publicly chastise Tiger, who has put golf back in the mainstream and brought golf back from the edge of obscurity (think about it, if there was no Tiger, golf may be on par [no pun intended] with MLS). Payne better re-think his statments about the skeletons in Tiger's closet because Augusta has a few of their own (racism, discrimination towards women, Hootie Johnson v. Martha Burk, etc..).

3. Tiger coverage - Thankfully I was too busy yesterday with commitments to watch the live coverage, otherwise I would have been sickened. ESPN was giving Tiger the Tebow/Duke/Tom Brady treatment; constant coverage even when Tiger was not involved. There was a "Tiger Tracker" on the side of the screen giving hole-by-hole updates. Really?! I also saw a breakdown on the ticker regarding Tiger's hole-by-hole performance, including past history on the holes (i.e Hole 2 - Birdie. 6 of the 7 past tournaments Tiger has birdied this hole in Round 1). NOBODY CARES!! At least Tom Rinaldi won't be there to give some sad, sobby story, much like Jimmy Roberts in ANYTHING NBC does!! The incredibly warm receptions throughout the day was just uncomfortable considering everything that has happened during Tiger's fall from grace. Focusing on the unanimously positive reactions while ignoring what precisely Tiger is "coming back" just makes ESPN look like the cheerleaders they usually are.

The Masters is one of sports great yearly rights of passage, and for me to say that I expected nothing different after Tiger's past year would make me clinically insane. But to have a "Tiger Ticker", coupled with the Nike Commercial and Billy Payne's dumba** comment have tarnished the greatness some. Therefore, I give a big "Shame On You" to Nike, Billy Payne and ESPN for their lackluster and inappropriate conduct. I only pray that CBS can reeclaim the greatness, decency and sensibility that the Masters stands for. Taking a page from Jim Nantz, "Goodbye, friends." Be careful out there.

What are the Odds? - 2010 Masters Preview

It's time for another edition of our fake gambling feature, What are the Odds? Here, we'll preview the upcoming Masters to give you the odds on all the favorites, longshots to keep an eye on...and that Tiger fella. So what are you waiting for? Come on, follow me!

The Favorites

Ernie Els - 5 to 1

-The big South African has seen a career resurgence after an injury spell over the last season. He's the only two-time winner on tour this year (the WGC at Doral and the Arnold Palmer at Bay Hill). Before Els's knee injury in 2005, he was a perennial contender at Augusta finishing in the Top 10 every year between 2000 and 2004. But, he's also missed his last 3 cuts at the Masters. So, which Ernie shows up? My bet is on the revamped 2010 Ernie, there's a look in his eye that resembles the Ernie of old, look for him to contend in a big way.

Paddy Harrington - 8-1

-The three time major winner also doesn't have the best history at Augusta, finishing no higher than T5, but he has placed in the Top 10 two of the last three years. Although his majors have come with Tiger either out of action or not at the top of his game, Harrington shouldn't be dismissed as he leads a strong European contingent this week.

Phil Mickelson /Tiger Woods- 10-1

-Only fitting that these two are placed at the same odds, as the rivals will undoubtedly still be compared to each other, even after all the scandal that has surrounded Woods (which I think we can finally ignore unless pictures of Tiger surrounded by farm animals shows up). We've already seen Tiger win on one leg at the 2008 U.S. Open, so nothing would surprise me. But, it would be foolish to list him as the favorite when we don't know how his off-course transformation will affect his on-course persona. Lest we all forget, he lost the lead in the final round of a major for the 1st time in his last one, the 2009 PGA. So, while he is likely to be in the picture, he's not the favorite.

Meanwhile, after winning his third major at the 2006 Masters, many thought Lefty might be pushing five or six by now. Alas, he's still stuck on three and has been erratic at best at the majors. But, he always seems to save his best for Augusta. Who can forget the duel Tiger and Phil had last year in the final round which saw them surge up the leaderboard, albeit briefly. Mickelson bested him that day, and last year at the Tour Championship. Undoubtedly, these are the two most talented players in the field, but can they put it together this week? If you know the answer to that, you really probably ought to legally place some money on the Masters.

The Dark Horses

Ian Poulter/Lee Westwood - 15-1

-The man with the funny pants and the big mouth is slowly proving himself as a worthy challenger to the world's best. He's already had the biggest win of his career this season at the WGC Match Play and could be in line for another. Westwood has had his chances recently in majors, missing out on playoffs twice since 2009. If he can get past his mental shortcomings in recent history, he can contend for his first major.

Anthony Kim/Camillo Villegas - 20-1

-These two young guns can either surge to the top of the leaderboard, or miss the cut completely. They've both won already this season, so they should be near the top of their game heading into Augusta.

Angel Cabrera - 22-1

-Maybe the most unheralded defending champ in history, Cabrera enters the Masters with little fanfare, which may fit the laid back Argentine just fine. He's one of the purest ball strikers in the game and proved he could roll his potato last year. It wouldn't be a shot to see El Pato compete for his 3rd major.

The Longshots

Fred Couples - 35-1

-Ok, he hasn't won on tour since 2003, but Boom Boom has won 3 Senior events this season and if Tom Watson showed anything at last year's British, it's that the over-50 crowd still has a lot to offer. Unlike most seniors, it won't be length that keeps Freddie from competing, it'll be his putting. If he can putt, he can contend.

Kenny Perry - 50-1

-Here's betting Kenny hasn't forgotten last year's collapse on the 71st and 72nd holes at last year's Masters. Leading by two, he bogeyed 17 and 18, then bogeyed the 2nd playoff hole to lose to Angel Cabrera. Perry put too much pressure on himself because he knew it was his last chance to win a major. This year, he'll prove he was right.

Louis Oosthuizen - 1,000,000-1

-Nothing against Oosthuizen, a solid South African player, but he dug his own grave by winning today's Par 3 contest. One of the most famous streaks in sports, no golfer has ever won the midweek Par 3 and gone on to win the Masters. It also doesn't help that Louie missed the cut in his only Masters last year, so, nice knowing ya!

So who are your favorites? Can Tiger get the job done? Will one of his mistresses streak onto the golf course? Keep up with our Masters coverage this week and everything else in the Wide World of RSS! Also don't forget to follow us on Twitter @RSS_Sports. Until then, it's bye for now!

Tiger Woods News Conference Live Blog

Postgame Thoughts

Tiger's Grade - B+

-His atmosphere was so much better here than any time we've seen him in public since this all went down. He was so relaxed it was shocking - but was he too relaxed? For me, the thing that stuck out was his comments about chasing Nicklaus' record. "If I win championships along the way, so be it." That was stunning. Of course, it could go either way - he relaxes and plays the best golf of his life, or he becomes too relaxed and turns into Pedro Cerrano of Major League II. Tiger's got a long way to go to repair his public image, but he seems committed to being a new person and making the most of his second chance.

The Media - C

-There were a couple softballs lobbed up, but overall the media did a solid job of asking the tough questions about rehab, PEDs, etc. However, I would have loved to see the media press Woods when he gave the typical "police report" or "it's personal" responses. They also seemed to happy to dance around the subject of sex rehab and fell into Tiger's hands. All in all, an average performance.

Barack Obama - D-

-He puts on a White Sox cap throwing out the first pitch in DC??? And his throw was terrible. Clark Kellogg would have probably put it in the dugout.

Sorry, had to comment on that. Anyways, we learned a lot from this press conference. Tiger's demeanor on the course will be the next thing to watch. Honestly, anybody trying to predict Tiger's performance this week at Augusta is guessing. All possibilities are in play. If he smiles his way to 75-74 and misses the cut I won't be surprised. If he contends like recent years without giving a scare I won't be surprised. If he breaks the course record it won't be a shock.

Thanks for joining us for another live blog. Check our Twitter feed at the upper right of the page for our National Title Game thoughts. Bye for now...

2:44 - Tirico and Rinaldi note that there wasn't a lot of anger in the room. Not great postgame coverage, I can't wait for Rick Reilly's glowing tribute. Looks like it's time to wrap up...

2:39 - It's fun to see ex-pro golfers try to play psychiatrists on TV. Only In America!!

2:37 - Andy North and Curtis Strange cite sincerity and relief for Tiger. The over/under on number of people crying is .5

2:36 - And it ends. We'll stick with the postgame coverage and analyze the analysis of a 30+ question press conference. Already we start with a double take from Tirico, lol.

2:35 - "It's all been stripped away and here I am... and it's fun again."

2:33 - It's weird to hear everyone just throw around rehab, and all of these terms that go along with it without addressing that it was sex rehab that Tiger was in. It's a giant bikini-dressed elephant in the room.

2:31 - Now we're into the hardcore golf questions. Did someone give the signal to stop the sex, drugs, and scandal questions? I would just love it if Martha Burke came out of nowhere and nailed Tiger in the back of the head with a steel chair. We need some more drama in this thing.

2:30 - The first chuckle from Tiger calling out an extremely long-winded question. Just slightly awkward.

2:27 - Great question about viewing Nicklaus' record differently, and for the first Time Tiger takes a slight pause. "It's not about the championships, it's about how you live your life... and I needed to change that." "Going forward, I need to be a better man." "If I win championships along the way, so be it." THAT is THE headline from the sporting world coming out of this. Is Tiger's drive to win still there? Who knows!

2:25 - That's followed by the Oprah how did you fool so many people question which allows a full mea culpa and right into a question about Tiger's legacy. You can almost sense the tide in the room to shift to a very sympathetic tone on the spot.

2:24 - I would have answered that ridiculous question this way - "Yes, I wanted to get caught, ruin my pristine reputation, and bring down my empire. Yes, I wanted to get caught." Dumb. D U M dumb.

2:23 - Wow. He talks openly about missing his son's first birthday in rehab. As most expected, Elin will not be at Augusta and talks about his return being a family decision. TMZ is crushed.

2:20 - Good question about Tiger's comeback date with regards to his statement in February. That man looked in no way shape or form ready for Augusta. Tiger cites working with Hank Haney as bringing back his zeal for the game. I'm sensing Season 3 of the Haney Project - Tiger & Hank Go To Sex Rehab!

2:18 - I don't think the constant affairs were the cause of his loss to YE Yang at the PGA Championship. If anything, they probably helped him on the course! Hello!

2:16 - Still very vague about exactly what type of rehab Tiger was in Mississippi for. There it is! I believe he answered that question with "That's personal" - so... he's not admitting to sex rehab. I guess he and Steve Phillips aren't going on tour together anytime soon, shucks.

2:14 - 1st prescription drug question - Tiger says he has taken them because of his knee injuries... and also was on medication when his dad died, no mention of addiction or treatment. No real surprises so far, except for how relaxed Tiger looks. I'm really stunned by how different he looks compared to when we last saw him in public.

2:12 - 1st softball question about how he feels being out there from Steve ____ (sorry couldn't get the last name)... CBS and Augusta are going to pull out all the stops to make this seem like Ben Hogan's comeback - make no mistake about it. We're going to see 100% positive coverage this week from most of the major media outlets and Augusta.

2:11 - 1st PED question... this is a big test... he flatly says that he never gave him any PEDs. Tiger's not getting caught in a giant sex scandal and a performance enhancing drug scandal within a year people... then again, we never thought we'd see Tiger in a giant sex scandal...

2:10 - "The fact that I've won golf tournaments is irrelevant" "I'm going to have to explain all this to them" "Winning golf tournaments is irrelevant to all the damage I've caused." Wow.

2:09 - "I'm going to try to not get as hot when I play" "I've made a conscious decision to try to tone down my negative outbursts" sounds like we'll have a neutered Tiger on the golf course. Sorry for all the people that expect Tiger to get booed off Augusta National. He might as well be Cal Ripken playing in Baltimore... 2 Cal Ripken references in 20 minutes... hey give me a break we're live!

2:05 - Here we go! 1st question... 5 stitches in his lip is a new detail... followed his lawyers advice... talking about finding strength and peace inside. Again going to the well trying to defend his family's privacy.

2:04 - Good opening statement to put his fellow players first. Tiger looks so much more relaxed in this setting than either the 5 minute interview or his public statement. Heck, he's even smiling!

2:02 - OK, forget that... Tiger is taking the podium at 2:02 sporting a scary new goatee... or goat as Jim Rome would say.

2:00 - And here we go to Mike Tirico. The ads said the news conference starts at 2. The over/under on the actual start time will be more like 2:24.

1:49 - Currently watching regular 30 min ESPNEWS. JW Stewart is like the Cal Ripken of ESPNEWS, always coming to play every day. What an inspiring figure.

Another day. Another Tiger Woods News Conference Live Blog. Last time, we gave you the play by play of his prepared statement. Today promises to be a little more exciting now that Tiger will actually answer questions from reporters. My guess we'll hear the words "private", "Elin and me", and "police report" more than anything. Oh well, it's always fun to translate Tiger!