Iwata places season-best 4th at Pebble Beach, but rues lost chance

As for Taylor, he’s now heading to the Masters after more than ten years since his last victory.

Taylor shot a closing 65 for 17 under par to pip overnight leader Phil Mickelson by just a shot. With the win, Augusta resident Taylor will play in The Masters for the first time since 2008. He rammed it hard enough and watched it break back into the cup, and Taylor ran around the green to celebrate.

There were high-fives all around on the 18th green after Vaughn…

If there’s any professional golfer who owns a keen awareness of the heartbreak that comes with some runner-up results and the solace that comes with others, it’s Mickelson. And 10 days ago, Taylor was so sick that he withdrew from a Web.com Tour event and flew to Pebble Beach as an alternate.

He did. And he played well.

The year before that, his best chance was the PGA Championship at Valhalla, where he was tied for the lead on the back nine until Rory McIlroy pulled ahead and Mickelson’s last chance was to chip in for eagle (he nearly did).

Vaughn Taylor celebrates after making his putt on the 16th hole. He then played par golf up to the finish for 74 and 280, seven-under par overall.

Right when it looked as though he had shot himself out of it, he made a 10-foot par save with as tough an uphill putt as there is at Pebble Beach on the 16th hole. It was the first time he had the lead.

Mickelson, who had three successive birdies on the front nine, a fourth on the 11th and closed with two more on the 17th and 18th holes, needed just 21 putts in his round. He was certain he would make the playoff-forcing put on the 72nd hole. Taylor was one of four rookies in Tom Lehman’s team. He was expecting the cheers. I’ve been hitting the ball really well the last few weeks, but the putts haven’t been going in.

There’s your victor. Go figure. I knew it broke a lot, and it’s a little uphill at the end. And I just can’t believe it actually happened today.

Justin Rose and Patrick Reed salvaged some respectability for the golf world’s top 10 list, finishing in a tie for sixth in the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am on Sunday.

Mickelson made use of the holes he had remaining to get within striking distance. That gave him a 72 and he was seven shots behind.

“It never crossed my mind that I wouldn’t make that one”, said Mickelson, who was trying to win for the fifth time on the iconic layout. “But “a little tighter” can be interpreted as feeling the pressure that on Saturday Mickelson said he hoped wouldn’t affect him”. “I wasn’t even thinking about winning”.

Behind the grandstand was Leot Taylor, wife of new tournament champion Vaughn Taylor, whose life changed dramatically when Mickelson’s ball hit the left edge of the cup and spun away. His putting was superb, and it wasn’t very bad on Sunday except that he put too much stress on his putter with too many par putts.

“It’s fun to be back in the thick of it”.

“I also know that I am close”.