The Daily Wrap-up: Round 4 of the CA Championship
DORAL, Fla. (AP) -- With his best chance at winning a World Golf Championship title, Phil Mickelson broke into a cold sweat and couldn't stop shaking. And this was 18 hours before his tee time.
Once he got onto the Blue Monster, Mickelson looked better than ever.
Weakened and dehydrated by a stomach virus that sent him to the hospital on the eve of the final round, Mickelson closed with seven straight pars for a 3-under 69 to win the CA Championship after a dynamic duel at Doral against Nick Watney.
"It took a lot out of me," said Mickelson, who sipped on energy drinks throughout the round. "I haven't eaten much in three days. I fought hard. I've been playing some of my best golf, and I'm very excited to have finished it off."
No longer the best player without a World Golf Championship, Mickelson now can set his sights on No. 1 in the world.
His second victory in his last three starts moved him to No. 2 in the FedExCup standings and to No. 2 in the world, closer than he has ever been to Tiger Woods. Depending on how Woods fares at Bay Hill, Mickelson could have a chance to replace him when he next plays at the Shell Houston Open. He's also only 51 points behind FedExCup leader Geoff Ogilvy.
"He's the greatest player of all time. I don't want to go there with the world ranking," Mickelson said. "What I'm excited about is I'm playing some of my best golf."
He finished at 19-under 269 and earned $1.4 million, the biggest check of his career.
This one-shot victory might have been as impressive as any.
Mickelson had to conserve all his energy for every shot. Watney made sure every shot mattered. There already were seven lead changes when they walked off the 11th green, and then they matched scores the rest of the way.
The finish was familiar to Mickelson, only this one had a happy ending.
Four years ago in another frantic final round on the Blue Monster, he had a chance to force a playoff on the 18th hole and doubled over in shock when his 30-foot chip caught the lip of the cup.
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AFTER FEELING BAD ALL WEEK, THIS ONE FEELS GOOD
By Helen Ross, Chief of Correspondents
DORAL, Fla. -- Phil Mickelson had broken out into the cold sweats.
Nothing helped. He huddled under the covers in his room at the Doral Resort & Spa trying desperately to get warm. He tried a hot shower but that didn't work. Neither did the steaming bath that came next.
"(I) almost burned myself trying to get warmed up," Mickelson said.
That's when he and his entourage -- caddy Bones Mackay, publicist T.R. Reinman and trainer Sean Cochran -- decided Mickelson needed medical attention. So they went to a local urgent care facility Saturday night, where he spent two hours hooked to an IV.
And the next afternoon Mickelson went out and won a golf tournament.
His performance Sunday at the World Golf Championships-CA Championship -- the way he played the entire week, in fact -- was remarkable given his condition. He was dehydrated Saturday, yes, but he'd been fighting a virus since the tournament began.
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| Top 5 other notables at CA Championship | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
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The par-5 first hole was easiest with a Sunday scoring average of 4.165.
The par-3 fourth hole was toughest with a Sunday scoring average of 3.532.
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In trouble behind the green on the par-3 ninth, Nick Watney pitched in for a crucial birdie. 
Thomas Aiken had eight birdies and one bogey en route to the day's best score, moving him from T30 to T7. | QUOTE OF THE DAY | ||
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INSIDE THE ROPES WITH THE PGA TOUR NETWORK
PGA TOUR Network correspondent Brian Katrek offers these observations from Sunday's action. Listen to PGA TOUR Live coverage on XM 146/SIRIUS 209 or right here at PGATOUR.COM.
Nick Watney didn't make the trip to Hawaii to start the 2009 PGA TOUR season like many others did. Instead, Watney headed to Southern California to make an equipment change -- and he changed 13 of his 14 clubs. That was a pretty dramatic adjustment heading into a new year and so far it's paid off.
Tiger Woods was OK with how he played this week. Everything looked good except for his putting. Even that wasn't bad, just nothing went in. Tiger still has lots of golf between now and the Masters. He will play two days of the Tavistock Cup and is expected to play again in Orlando at the Arnold Palmer Invitational presented by MasterCard. That should be enough time to get the rust off.
Rory McIlroy, 19, will play in his first Masters this April. At press time, he had never played a round on the course. McIlroy is not in the field next week in Tampa, however, so perhaps a scouting trip is in his future.
| What the top finishers said... | ||||||||||||
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FINAL-ROUND NOTEBOOK: CA Championship
By Chris Reimer, PGA TOUR Staff
DORAL, Fla. -- With Phil Mickelson's victory on Sunday, the 54-hole leader has gone on to win this event eight of 10 times. Along with Mickelson, those winners are Tiger Woods (2007, 2006, 2003, 2002, 1999), Ernie Els (2004) and Geoff Ogilvy (2008).
• This marks the first time in CA Championship history that the top three finishers (Mickelson, Nick Watney and Jim Furyk) are all from the United States.
• Announced approximate attendance for the week was 110,000.
• With his 36th career victory, Mickelson moves into a tie with Lloyd Mangrum for 12th on the career wins list.
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KODAK CHALLENGE: The first-of-its-kind competition for PGA TOUR players, The Kodak Challenge celebrates beautiful holes and memorable moments on the PGA TOUR. The Kodak Challenge offers $1 million to the winner There will be one designated Kodak Challenge Hole at 24 different PGA TOUR tournaments in 2008, with this week's featured hole the 663-yard 18th hole.
Players, who must play at least 18 of the holes during the season to be eligible, will count their lowest score relative to par on the Kodak Challenge Hole made during an official competition round. The player, with the lowest cumulative score in relation to par at the end of the challenge, wins.
• For more on the Kodak Challenge, click here.
| This week's Kodak Challenge hole | |
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