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Mickelson makes it look easy in Masters rout Doug Ferguson THE ASSOCIATED PRESS AUGUSTA, Ga. — There was no reason to leap, no reason to look utterly stunned. Phil Mickelson simply smiled as he fished the ball out the cup, waved to the gallery and made his way to the scoring trailer with his three kids draped around his neck. There was no need for a nail-biting birdie to win this Masters. Shadows stretched across the 18th fairway late Sunday afternoon at Augusta National as Mickelson casually made his way to a major championship that was never this easy. “I loved it,” he said. “The stress-free walk up 18 _i:ui_ t i_i u_ »» W1V1 VU1U1V.I i 11UV1 UVVli wanting that. It was a great feeling walking up there, knowing that I had the tournament in hand.” Once known as the lovable loser who went a dozen years before he figured out how to win golf’s biggest tournaments, Mickelson captured his second straight major at the Masters. He closed with a 3-under 69 for a two-shot victory over Tim Clark and his second green jacket in three years. This was nothing like the others. He holed an 18-foot birdie putt that swirled into the cup two years ago at the Masters, keeping everyone in suspense until the final moment and sending Mickelson leaping into the air when it finally plopped in. Then there was Baltusrol last summer at the PGA Championship, when he hit a flop shot out of deep rough to within 2 feet for a birdie to win by one shot. Instead of a heart stopping finish this time, he methodically built a lead that forced Fred Couples, Tiger Woods and Vijay Singh to try to catch him. But they stumbled along with three-putts and a litany of other mistakes, the kind Mickelson used to make. “In ‘04 when I won, I felt this great feeling of relief that I could win the tournament I dreamt about,” Mickelson said. “This time, it’s a great feeling of satisfaction and accomplishment to have been able to beat such a great field.” The rest of the Riv Five was lined up behind him, all within four shots going into the final round. None could touch him. Mickelson finished at 7 under 281 and earned $1.26 million, putting him atop the PGA Tour money list. The victory moved him up to No. 2 in the world behind Woods and identified him as a major force. This was the third straight year Mickelson has won a major — Woods is the only other player to have done that in the last 20 years. Only five others have won majors in three straight seasons since the Masters began in 1934. “I’m having the best time right now,” Mickelson said. “I’m having so much fun being able to compete for major championships. It’s just incredible. And to win a couple now, it’s an amazing feeling.” Clark holed a bunker shot from across the 18th green for birdie that left him alone in second with a 69. Woods, who was trying to become the first player to twice defend his Masters title, could only blame his putter. He had two eagle putts inside 15 feet on the back nine and missed them both, and he had six three putts this week. He holed a 25-foot birdie on the 18th hole that just about made him curse, although it gave him a 70 and a tie for third. “I putted atrociously today,” Woods said. “As good as I hit it, that’s as bad as I putted.” At the green jacket ceremony, Mickelson asked the crowd for a moment of silence to pray for Woods’ father, Earl, who could not travel to Augusta for the first time because of cancer. Woods said he would talk to his father Sunday night, and joked that “he’s probably a little mad at how I putted today.” Joining Woods at 4-under 284 were Couples (71), Retief Goosen (69), Chad Campbell (71) and Jose Maria Olazabal, whose 66 was the best score all week on the super-sized course. But it was Couples who had the best chance to challenge Mickelson, and had he won, it would have been especially poignant. This is the 20-year anniversary of Jack Nicklaus’ stunning back-nine charge to win his sixth green jacket at age 46. Couples was poised to become the oldest Masters champion — 46 years, six months — and he hung with Mickelson until his putter betrayed him. First came a three-putt on the 11th, his 3-foot par putt spinning around the cup. On the 14th hole, Couples had a 4-foot birdie putt to pull within one shot. It caught the lip and spun 6 feet away, and he missed uiai uiic, iuu. “I didn’t hit the ball like I was 46,” Couples said. “I -putted like I was 66.” Mickelson poured it on with an eagle chip that caught the lip on the 15 th, and steady pars the rest of the way until the 18th. Then it was off to Butler Cabin, where Woods slipped the green jacket on Mickelson’s shoulders. “Great playing,” Woods told him. If Woods bothers to watch the highlights, it should look awfully familiar. The last time Augusta National was overhauled to add length, Woods built a big lead and let an All-Star cast of contenders collapse around him with shots into the woods and the water. Amy Sancetta / The Associated Press Phil Mickelson, right, embraces Fred Couples, left, after winning the 2006 Masters golf tournament at the Augusta National Golf Club in Augusta, Ga., on Sunday. HomopHOBin • conunucD PRomi A carnival promoting tolerance will be on Greene Street from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Thursday. The carnival will feature a closet with DayGlo paint inside detailing reasons people are uncomfortable with revealing their sexual orientation. Students will also have a chance to throw balls that have words including “love” and “tolerance” written on them at Styrofoam bricks with negative words or stereotypes about the gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgender and questioning community. Prizes will be given to participating students. Students will also have a chance to throw quarters into rainbow-colored containers and spin a colored wheel to answer to a question about the GLBTQ community. Carnival food, including popcorn, Skittles and Popsicles, will be available at the carnival. A pamphlet with 10 ways to stop homophobia at USC will be stapled to popcorn bags. SafeZone will have an information table in the Russell House on Thursday. At 6 p.m., the organization will provide a training program in Russell House 203. SafeZone trains students to fight homophobia and heterosexism and provides interested members with information regarding the gay, bisexual and transgender community. Nate Broman-Fulks, a first-year sports and entertainment management student who is not gay, said he had seen homophobic activity in his dorm. “Someone got angry at an RA on my dorm and carved ‘fag’ into his door, even though we have no reason to think he’s gay,” he said. Breitenstein said the events are not necessarily targeted at changing opinions about homosexuality, but to raise awareness and combat homophobia. “We aren’t necessarily trying to change people’s opinions about whether homosexuality is right or wrong, but to let people know that homophobia does exist and how it affects people,” Breitenstein said. “Just because someone disagrees with homosexuality doesn’t make (him or her) homophobic.” Comments on this story? E-mail iamecocknews@gwm.sc. edu • USC Alpha Lambda Delta Freshman Honor Society proudly inducted 721 new members on February 24, 2006. • Dan Burk, current ALD chapter president was recently appointed to serve a 3-year term on the ALD National Council. • In 2005, Josh Black was awarded a $7,500 fellowship, the largest National ALD Award, and Mica Jenkins and Kristie Etson each received $1,000 undergraduate Trow Scholarships. Continuing the USC chapter’s national competitiveness, this year Josh Fowler has been awarded a $3,000 renewable fellowship. Trow winners will be announced this summer. • The USC Chapter annually gives out over $1000 in financial awards to its members. • ALD participates in over 16 different service activities each year, including The USC Challenge, Scholars Day, and Chat University. Look for a list of “You Light Up USC” awards in next week's Gamecock. TEST PREP COURSES ON CAMPUS get Propped! 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