Date: September 06, 2007
Author:

Lefty wins it on last hole

Phil Mickelson edged out several challengers to win the Deutsche Bank Championship on a dramatic final hole, while three Australians made it into the top 10 at the playoff event. On a final day at the Boston course that was more like matchplay competition, Mickelson edged out the second-placed trio of Tiger Woods (67), Brett Wetterich (70) and Aaron Oberholser (69) by two strokes through a fourth round five-under-66 that saw him win the tournament at 16-under overall. It is just the second time in Mickelson&aposs long career that he has won a tournament after August, with the sensational result taking the American to second on the world golf rankings. Starting the day on third behind third-round leader Wetterich, Mickelson began confidently by posting four birdies on his front nine before turning for home. Mickelson stumbled at 12 with a double bogey but then produced three birdies in his final five holes, including the par five 18, to secure the win. However, approaching the 18th, it seemed as if the tournament was up for grabs as Mickelson&aposs second approach shot slipped off the green into a tangled patch of grass beneath a slight rise. The mis-hit approach appeared to have given Woods, who had made the green, his chance. But Mickelson produced a sensational chip onto the green to eventually birdie the hole while Woods&apos putting, which had been awry all day, let him down once again as he narrowly missed the chance for an eagle and had to settle for a birdie and second place. For the Australian contingent, it was a fantastic tournament as Aaron Baddeley claimed fifth with an 11-under score overall, while Geoff Ogilvy and Robert Allenby were at 10 and nine under respectively. Baddeley started the day just three strokes behind Wetterich, but the round wasn&apost one of his best as he only managed a one-under 70 for the day. Ogilvy, though, moved up the leaderboard in leaps and bounds through a four-under-67 that was set up by six birdies to go with his two bogeys, while Allenby enjoyed a similar round. Behind the three leading Australians were Nathan Green (69), who finished at six-under overall alongside Adam Scott (72), while Steve Elkington (73) and John Senden (74) were one stroke further back overall, with Rod Pampling (72) eventually finishing at three-under.