Phil, Tiger Make Move, Now Have to Wait

Tiger Woods and Phil Mickelson were paired together in the final round of the 2009 Masters, and even though they started the day seven shots off the lead, CBS got exactly what they wanted: the world's two best players -- six green jackets and some hard feelings between them -- setting the pace for Sunday's coverage.

The compelling story lines emerged early: Phil was brilliant on the front, needing just 30 strokes; Woods' fought his swing, but in typical Woods-ian fashion, still managed a 33. At the turn, Mickelson was 10-under, one shot off the lead, and looked every bit the favorite to pull off the most impressive come-from-behind victory in Masters history. All while upstaging his golfing nemesis in the process.

Behind them, leaders Angel Cabrera and Kenny Perry finally seemed to realize the enormity of Augusta on Sunday, hovering near par for most of the afternoon. Everything was falling into place for Phil's "The Masters doesn't begin till the back on nine Sunday" clinic.

After pars on Nos. 10 and 11, Mickelson's grand plan was briefly derailed when his tee shot on the 12th found Rae's Creek fronting the green. Three sloppy strokes later, he carded a double-bogey, and lumbered to the last leg of Amen Corner wondering if he had shot himself out of the tournament.

A birdie on the par-5 13th got him back to 9-under, and Lefty could've tied Perry atop the leaderboard if he didn't push a four-foot eagle putt on 15. It was the straightest putt he'd see all week, but as Shane Bacon pointed out, "The announcers called it a 'gimmie'; do they even know Phil?"

Meanwhile, the planet's No. 1 golfer played in Mickelson's shadow for most of the day, roles reversed for maybe the first time ever. And then, on the par-3 16th, Tiger willed his tee shot to a few feet, rolled his birdie putt into the center of the cup, and the previous four hours of uninspired golf were quickly forgotten.

But Mickelson, as he's done all week, bounced back. On 17, he striped his drive and stiffed his second shot, but missed another makeable putt. It's habit-forming, apparently. Tiger fared worse, needing five shots to navigate the penultimate hole.

And then the wheels came off. Phil bogeyed the 18th, and after a red-hot 30 on the front, he limped in with a 37. Suddenly, it's all very familiar-seeming. Tiger also needed five strokes on the final hole, and he headed to the clubhouse at 8-under, one behind Lefty. On the upside, he fired his first sub-70 round of the tournament.

Woods and Mickelson will no doubt look back on Sunday's final nine holes and recount all the missed opportunities long after Trevor Immelman fits the '09 Masters winner with a shiny new green jacket.

For now, though, all that's left to do is hope and wait. But mostly hope.