The Best Master's Ever!!!

The 2010 Master's may go down in history as the best Master's Ever. The tradition unlike any other took a whole new turn this weekend, reaching a never before seen levels for golf's most exciting major championship. At the end, Phil Mickelson won his 3rd Green Jacket and 4th career major championship (Phil has approximately 40 worldwide wins in his career).

Phil is my favorite player and has been for years. I'm not alone in that...everybody loves Phil. But, that's not the only reason this may be the best Master's ever. Here's my top 10 reasons why this was the best Master's ever:

10) Arnold Palmer and Jack Nicklaus hitting the ceremonial opening tee shots. It just seems right to have the 2 great champions back, even if it is for just 1 shot.

9) Tiger Woods' return to golf. I'm not a Tiger fan, and I don't ever root for the man. But, golf is more exciting when he's there.

8) Tom Watson turning back the clock yet again to hold the lead for a while on Thursday. It's quite possible that Watson is the greatest 60 year old golfer in the history of the game.

7) All the hole outs from the fairway. Phil, Tiger, Adam Scott and a few others holed out for eagle on various holes throughout the week. I've never seen so many eagles.

6) Two hole-in-ones on #16, both on Sunday.

5) Anthony Kim's run up the leaderboard on Sunday. Kim shot a 65 and vaulted to 3rd place.

4) Lee Westwood who finished 2nd proved to be a class act. His post round comments showed true sportsmanship. Westwood was in control all week, but got passed by Phil on Sunday. Westwood's time will come, hopefully soon.

3) Phil's Eagle-Eagle-Birdie run on Saturday on holes 13-15. He reached the par 5 13th in 2, and made the putt, then holed out from 139 yards on the par 4 14th, and then nearly holed his 3rd shot at the par 5 15th, settling for a tap-in birdie. That moved him from 5 behind, to 1 in front, and set up his dramatic Sunday.

2) Phil's entire round Sunday. He shot a bogey-free 67, filled with tremendous escapes, great putting, and some really consistent iron play. If you would have told me Phil Mickelson would play bogey free during the final round of any major, I would have laughed at you. That's just not how Phil plays, but he was really good Sunday.

1) The Mickelson family hug after Phil birdied the 18th to win by 3 shots. For those who don't know, Amy Mickelson (Phil's wife) and Phil's mom were both diagnosed with breast cancer last year. Phil missed a lot of time, and with his wife still undergoing treatment, Phil hasn't played as much or as consistently as he usually does. The prognosis is good, but the treatment has been difficult. Obviously the Mickelson family, and all families suffering from cancer are in my family's prayers. This week was the first time in 11 months that his family traveled to a tournament with him. Sunday was the first time Amy came to the golf course all week. One thing I love about Phil is how much of a family man he is...having his family with him at a tournament is really important to him. When he and Amy hugged after the round, there wasn't a dry eye in the house. A great ending to a great tournament.