Phil Mickelson won the 2000 Buick Invitational with a final round 70, thus ending one of the most publicized winning streaks in golf in years, Tiger Woods six wins in a row. Mickelson collected a first-place check of $540,000, the largest of his career. Woods made a run at his 7th straight win by getting to 15-under par, and a share of the lead, through 13 holes today with birdies on #1, #6, #9, #12, and #13. In the meantime, Mickelson had depleted a 7-shot lead after six holes with double-bogeys on #7 and #11, sliding down from 19-under to 15-under. But after #13, Tiger bogeyed #14 and #16 and then finished with a birdie on #18 for a final score 274 (14-under). "To be honest with you, to even be under par, as good as was hitting it today, it was kind of a miracle", said Woods. "If I remember correctly, through 14 holes I think I hit six greens", he added. "I was 5-under. That's not bad. But I wasn't hitting it good enough to give myself a viable chance down the stretch, and it finally caught up with me". Mickelson came back from his earlier mistakes with birdies on #13, #14, #17, and #18, and a lone bogey on #16. His final score 270 (18-under) bettered Tiger's score and that of Shigeki Maruyama. The Japanese player had an indifferent day shooting even par 72 and a total of 274, tying Woods for second place. The 13th hole proved to be the crucial hole one more time at this tournament. Woods birdied it to get to 15-under and, at the time, a share of the lead. Mickelson also made birdie there, which brought his confidence back enabling him to finish strong. "My thinking was that I needed to birdie the two par-5", said Mickelson. "And I needed to hit that fairway on #13". But he missed the fairway and laid up to the bottom of the swale, about 116 yards from the hole. "The big turnaround for me was knocking that 9-iron from about 116 yards to about three feet. And after making that putt I felt I was back in control of my game", said Mickelson. This is the 14th win in Phil Mickelson's career. A jump-start after going winless on the PGA TOUR in 1999. He also became the sixth golfer to win this tournament twice in 48 years. His previous win was in 1993. The other players who won this tournament twice are Tommy Bolt ('52,'55), Arnold Palmer ('57,'61), J.C. Snead ('75, '76), Tom Watson ('77,'80), and Steve Pate ('88, '92). Notes Scorecards - Leaders 4th Round: South Course Hole 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 OUT 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 IN TOT Par 4 4 3 4 4 5 4 3 5 36 4 3 4 5 4 4 3 4 5 36 72 Yardage 447 365 173 453 404 535 453 171 536 3559 373 207 468 535 398 389 203 425 498 3496 7055 Mickelson 4 4 3 3 3 4 6 3 5 35 4 5 4 4 3 4 4 3 4 35 70 Woods 3 4 3 4 4 4 4 3 4 33 4 3 3 4 5 4 4 4 4 35 68 Maruyama 4 5 3 4 4 5 4 3 5 37 4 3 4 4 4 4 3 4 5 35 72 South Course Performance Most Difficult Hole: 7th (4.329) Easiest Hole: 18th (4.550) Eagles: 28 (1 on #2, 4 on #6, 5 on #9, 6 on #13, 12 on #18) Stroke Average: 71.852a The eagle on #2 was made by Bobby Kalinowski (Friday). North Course Performance Most Difficult Hole: 11th (4.294) Easiest Hole: 14th (4.529) Eagles: 10 (2 on #1, 1 on #2, 1 on #9, 3 on #14, 3 on #18) Stroke Average: 71.216 The eagle on #2 was made by Sean Murphy (Friday). Buick Player's Challenge: The competition took place at hole #3, North Course. The surprise participants were Mully, the Buick's mascot. Mully is a golf professional, trick-shot artist from Florida. Scott Simpson made a special appearance. Scott, the 1998 Buick Invitational Champion, had withdrawn from this year's tournament due to a leg injury (skiing accident). He's the third local player injured during a skiing accident (Mickelson, Stadler). The event was MC's by Channel 8 (local CBS) sportscaster Hank Bauer. Dennis Paulson won the overall event and $3,000 by prevailing in the Long-Iron, Bunker Pitch, and Sand Shot competitions. The Long-Putt contest was won by Gary Hallberg (1983 Buick Invitational Champion) and Mully. They both holed a 50-foot putt and finished tied for 4th place in the overall standings ($1,100 each). The Lefty-Righty contest (chip-shot with opposite-side swing) was won by Scott Simpson, who earned 3rd place overall ($1,400). Other players participating in this event were Chip Beck (2nd place, $2,000), Ben Crenshaw (6th, $800), and Craig Stadler (7th, $600). Mully showed to be a very talented ball striker. He hit his long-iron shot by dropping a ball off his mouth and hitting it before it reached the ground. The 150-yard shot finished about 8 feet from the hole. He also hit a chip-shot off Hank Bauer's butt. The shot sailed too long. Wednesday Pro-Am: The team with professional Tom Pernice Jr won on the South Course with a net 55. The amateurs were George Shire, John Weitzel, rod Muller and John Mohrlang. The competiton on the North Course was won by Charles Raulerson's team, with amateurs Sean Reily, Roger Lackey, Mickey Ganiel, and Bill Dodge.