Phil Mickelson completed a wire-to-wire victory in the Phoenix Open, again flirting with history in a dominant four-day run at TPC Scottsdale.
Mickelson shot a 4-under 67 yesterday in Scottsdale, Ariz., to finish at 28-under 256, two strokes off the PGA Tour record of 254 set by Tommy Armour III in the 2003 Texas Open.
Mickelson missed a chance for a 59 in the first round when his 25-foot birdie putt on the final hole caught the right edge of the cup, curled 180 degrees and stayed out. He settled for a 60 and followed with rounds of 65 and 64 to take a six-stroke lead into the final round.
Brandt Snedeker finished second, four strokes back after a 65.
Mickelson took a three-stroke lead to the 17th tee, and nearly drove into the left-side water on the par 4, his ball stopping a yard short of the hazard. He hit his 25-yard second shot 15 feet past the hole and made the birdie putt. Snedeker matched him with a little shorter putt to remain three shots behind.
Mickelson parred the par-4 18th after another drive to the left, one that easily cleared the water he hit into Friday en route to a double bogey. Snedeker closed with a bogey.
That gave Mickelson his third wire-to-wire victory and first since the 2006 BellSouth Classic — a 13-stroke blowout the week before the second of his three Masters victories. He pushed his victory total to 41, winning for the first time since 51 weeks ago at Pebble Beach.
Making his 24th appearance in the event that he also won in 1996 and 2005, Mickelson tied the tournament scoring record set by Mark Calcavecchia in 2001, and joined Calcavecchia, Arnold Palmer and Gene Littler as the only three-time winners. With six victories in Arizona, Mickelson also matched Johnny Miller’s tour record.
Dubai Desert Classic
In Dubai, United Arab Emirates, Stephen Gallacher made an eagle on the 16th hole to win the Dubai Desert Classic, overcoming early jitters to beat playing partner Richard Sterne by three shots.
Gallacher (71) finished with a 22-under total of 266 to earn his first European Tour win since 2004.
Australian Ladies Masters
In Gold Coast, Australia, Karrie Webb won her eighth Australian Ladies Masters title, coming from two strokes behind in the final round with birdies on three of her last five holes for a 5-under-par 67 and a two-stroke victory.
The 38-year-old Webb finished with a 13-under-par total of 203 in the 54-hole tournament, the season-opening event on the European Ladies Tour. Her eighth win in the same tournament matched the U.S. PGA Tour record of Sam Snead, who won the Greater Greensboro Open eight times.
South Korea’s Chella Choi finished tied for second after a 69, with second-round co-leaders Ariya Jutanugarn of Thailand, and Australian amateur Oh Su-hyun, who both shot final-round 71s.