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BY RON BARR

It can’t be said the Masters golf tournament wasn’t good drama, and it had a happy ending.  Phil Michelson is acknowledged as one of sports’ “good guys.”  Media and fan empathy and support for Michelson has only increased since the announcement that his wife, Amy, and another close family member have been diagnosed with breast cancer and are being treated for it.

Michelson has acknowledged it has been hard concentrating on golf while at the same time supporting Amy and his family in this battle.  All of this made Michelson’s three stroke win for his third Masters’ title even more amazing and heart tugging.  Good guys can finish first.

Michelson’s final Masters round was a testament to his composure, concentration, determination and focus. Unlike Tiger Woods, who openly shows his emotions while playing, Lefty keeps his feelings close to the chest.  His ability to do so helps when it comes to dealing with the wild result swings that can occur in a round of golf.  Make that a Masters round and emotion control is the most important thing.  The pivotal moment in Michelson’s final round and the one that golf historians will forever point to as one of the great shots in any major tournament came on the 13th hole.  He had taken the lead on the 12th hole, but his tee shot on 13 had wandered off the fairway and settled under the Georgia pine trees on a bed of pine needles.  Michelson had two choices, lay it up short of the creek bed or go for it.  His swing coach Butch Harmon and his caddy Jim “Bones” Mackay both wanted him to lay up short.  But, this was the Masters and true champions have confidence and guts.  He stepped up, drilled it between two pine trees, over the creek and plopped it down 4 feet from the pin.  CBS analyst Nick Faldo called it “the shot of his life.”  But his wife Amy said it best, “I could tell he was going for it by his body language.  I like that in him.”  He missed the 4-foot eagle putt, but sank the birdie putt that emphatically said. “Tournament over, Michelson wins.”

Michelson’s decision to go for the winning shot instead of a safe shot reminds me of something I’ve heard time and time again from the truly great athletes like Michael Jordan, Reggie Jackson, Joe Montana and Billie Jean King.  They all say, “When the game in on the line, I want to be the one to determine the outcome.  If I succeed I’ll take the glory, if I fail I’ll take the blame.”  That’s the difference between champions and competitors.  They aren’t afraid to fail.

Of course, the other Masters drama was Tiger Woods.  In a Sports Byline USA fan poll, fifty-seven percent said Woods would be in contention and indeed he was.  He was four strokes off the pace after the first round, but he struggled more and more as the tournament went on.  And, unlike any other time in his career, he had no answers for those struggles.  Woods said it best; “As the week wore on I kept hitting the ball worse.  I felt very uneasy on every shot I hit out there.”  Any hopes he had evaporated on his first tee shot of the final round.  An awkward swing sent it flying onto the 9th fairway instead of the first.  The battle with his game continued the entire round and no matter what the leaderboard said about being in contention he knew he was incapable of playing winning golf.  He surrendered any competitive hope when he three putted and bogeyed the 14th hole.  Only pride and proper golf etiquette kept him from saying, “Screw it” and walking off the course.

To me Tigers performance was no surprise.  He’s still in turmoil.  It’s hard enough to get mind, body and technique in sync when there’s little or no distractions.  Try doing it when your body and technique are off and your mind and emotions are still swirling and unsettled from 5 months of family upheaval cranked up to a sonic boom level by the media, Internet, comedians and talk show hosts.  His ability to even contend is testament to his talent and mental focus.  Going forward, the only thing that will bring Tiger success on the golf course, especially in any of the majors, will be peace of mind.  That will allow him to relax, overcome his golf mistakes and find a consistent, winning playing rhythm.

Sports are a reflection of life.  There’s winning, losing, frustration, exhilaration and yes, drama.         

I’m Ron Barr.

Ron Barr is an Emmy award winning writer and the host of the nationally and internationally syndicated sports talk show, Sports Byline USA.