Hero trumps villain, rewards supporters in ironic finish at Masters

Every intriguing story needs a hero and a villain, and Phil Mickelson mastered his role in this one. He took over the year's first golf major and starred in a perfectly scripted ending.

Score one for the good guy, and don't cry for the man in the black Nike hat.

Mickelson, always the second choice on the betting board, finished the Masters atop the leaderboard on an ironic Sunday at Augusta National.

Finally, after four months of seedy Tiger Woods tales that revealed the phony and shadowy side of his life off the links, Mickelson gave the sport of golf something genuine to celebrate.

It's still dangerous to bet against Woods. But in this case, putting money on Mickelson at 10-1 odds was far more rewarding.

"You always get people who bet Mickelson because he's always a fan favorite," Las Vegas Hilton golf oddsmaker Jeff Sherman said.

The most anticipated major in years, and possibly the biggest-bet golf tournament ever, was Mickelson's signature moment.

A whipping boy for Woods for years, Mickelson walked triumphantly off the 18th green with his wife, Amy, who has battled breast cancer, and kids waiting. There were more hugs and tears than you'll see at a wedding.

Meanwhile, Woods, the 9-2 favorite going into the Masters, was left with a tie for fourth, a frown and no family support aside from his mom.

"From what we've seen over the past 1½ years, Tiger's not that dominating influence we once knew," Sherman said. "There was so much uncertainty coming into this. There was a lot of anti-Tiger money that did come in before the tournament."

Woods' performance was pretty strong, considering he was coming off a 144-day layoff from competition and reportedly is a sex addict who -- some presume -- has not had sex since Thanksgiving.

Sherman said several bettors took a stance against Woods and lost. The line on Woods' finish position was 7½, and his projected total score was 284½. He easily beat both numbers by shooting an 11-under-par 277.

Woods was listed at 5-1 odds going into the final round, but the in-progress wagering lines at the Hilton illustrated his rapid descent from contention.

After Mickelson drove into the trees on the par-5 13th, the tournament still was his to lose. He was in trouble, but he escaped it by ripping a remarkable second shot over Rae's Creek as the ball landed 3 feet from the hole.

"It was over at that point," Sherman said. "At the end, it was anticlimactic."

At 2:44 p.m., after Mickelson's miracle shot, the Hilton adjusted his odds to win to 1-20. That's right, bet $20 to win $1, if you're that crazy. Sherman said there were no takers.

Eleven minutes later, Woods' odds were adjusted to 200-1 after he three-putted from 6 feet at the 14th.

Lee Westwood, at 20-1 odds before the tournament, took his backers on a good run for their money. But Westwood quietly relinquished his third-round lead and finished three strokes behind Mickelson, who recorded a 16-under 272.

Anthony Kim, K.J. Choi and Fred Couples also were impressive. But they were supporting actors to Mickelson and Woods, who turned the Masters into everything the sports books and CBS needed.

Sherman said this year's Masters handle at the Hilton was 30 percent higher than any tournament he has seen. Still, to put golf betting in perspective, the amount wagered on the Masters, he said, was "not even close to the first four days of the NCAA Tournament" and comparable to a wild-card game in the NFL playoffs.

Woods is expected to be about a 7-2 favorite in the U.S. Open at Pebble Beach in June. Mickelson, the fan favorite, will be the second choice on the betting board.

The good guy won the Masters, but Tiger will be tougher to bet against in the future.

Contact sports betting columnist Matt Youmans at myoumans@reviewjournal.com or 702-387-2907.