The shot that still defines Mickelson HUSKIES* In Final Four Continued From Page 1B LAKE CITY REPORTER SPORTS SATURDAY, APRIL 2, 2011 Page Editor: Brandon Finley, 754-0420 Iris caddie. It was the pine Straw. "I was worried he could lose his footing," Mackay said. Mackay usually brings the conservative voice to a risk-reward situation, and while he knew Mickelson had already made up his mind, he pointed out what happened the day before, when Mickelson near- ly holed a wedge on the 15th in his quest for three straight eagles. "I knew he was going to go, but if he wanted to lay up, he's as good as anyone from 80 yards," Mackay said. After that, it was only a matter of 5-iron or 6-iron. Asked whether it was the defining moment of the tournament, Westwood argued for the third round when Mickelson made an eagle putt on the 13th, holed out for eagle on the 14th and came within a few feet of holing a wedge on the 15th. "Those kind of things don't tend to happen too often," he said. But even Westwood rec- ognizes a special shot when he sees on: "It was Ijrobably the shot of the. year last year, under the circumstances and taking everything into account," he said. "I knew he'd fancy having a go at it, and that's Phil's personality and game. He's that kind of player." Augusta National asks each champion to donate a club to be on display that was pivotal in his victory. The 6-iron was an obvious choice. Not so obvious is how he will play as the defending champion. By DOUG FERGUSON Associated Press The ball was nestled in loose pine straw to the right of the 13th fairway at Augusta National, a pair of Georgia pines blocking a daunting view of the flag tucked behind Rae's Creek, 207 yards away. What some might con sider a dilemma, Phil Mickelson saw as oppor- tunity. Jim "Bones" Mackay, who has caddied for Mickelson the better part of two decades, sized -up the situation quickly and knew the plan even before his boss spoke. "Once I got to the ball, I knew he was going for it," Mackay said. "From past experience." With one swing, Mickelson hit a spectacular- looking shot through a gap in the trees, just far enough to clear the winding creek and plop down next to the flag, setting off a ground- shaking cheer that defines the back nine Sunday at the Masters. . Thitt shot immediately became part of Masters lore. It ranks with Jack Nicklaus hitting 4-iron into the 15th for eagle in 1986, the final push toward his historic sixth green jacket- with Tiger Woods and the chip that made a U-turn down the slope on the 16th and paused a full second before dropping for birdie on the final turn in 2005. It's right thee with Larry Mize chipping in from 140 feet in a playoff at No. 11 to beat Greg Norman; Sandy Lyle from the fairway bun- ker on No. 18 for birdie to win in 1988. ASSOCIATED PREss In this April 11, 2010, file photo former Master's champion An~gel Cabrera of Argentina (obscured at rear) helps Phil Mickelson put on his Masters jacket after his win at the 2010 Masters golf tournament in Augusta, Ga. After a year of turmoil in which his wife and mother were diagnosed with breast cancer a month apart, Mickelson won another Masters and was excited to finally turn the corner on and off the golf course. Mickelsoi'i's shot last year didn't win the Masters, though. What gets lost is that he - missed the 4-foot eagle putt. He'wound up with the same score on that hole as Lee Westwood, who laid up from the trees and made birdie. But that doesn't matter. For Mickelson, golf always has been more about the journey than the destination. "Not too many people could have played that shot 'probably only Phil, 'to be honest," Ernie Els said. "He's just kind .of a magician, the best at times. And around there, he's just unbelievable." This time, Mickelson arrived ~at.his destination safely. The shot was cool, even by Mickelson's standards. But the special mieinory for him last year was walking off the 18th green and into the arms of his wife, Amy, who was at a golf course for the first time since being diagnosed with breast can- cer nearly a year earlier. The final birdie putt gave Mickelson a three-shot vic- toiy, the largest of his three wins at Augusta National. It will be hard for anyone this year at Augusta to walk past that stand of Georgia Pines without stopping to take a look. That's what U.S. Amateur champion Peter Uihlein did during a practice round. Like most others, he was curious to see what Mickelson faced, or even what Mickelson was thinking. "It's an aggressive shot," Uihlein said with a grin. "I just looked at it. It's an unbelievable shot. There's just no questionn" After his first Masters victory in 2004, Mickelson went back to the spot on the 18th green where he holed an 18-foot birdie putt for his first .major championship. He expects to do the same on No. 13. "I very well may go to that spot because that's an important spot, an impor- tant shot for the tournament last year," he said. "And I will look at that. However, I do plan on hitting the fair- way all four days." Mickelson has neverbeen afraid to take on any shot, no matter the circumstanc- es.' The television angle made it look as though he could touch the trees with- out moving, although he had a full swing. Laying up was never an option. "I was going to have to through. That gap if I laid up or went for the green," MIickelsori said. "That gap was a little bit wider it wasn't huge, but it was big enough, you know, for a ball to fit through." The space'`between the trees wasn't what alarmed Big 12 Commissioner Dan Beebe says he is encour- aged.by the Fiesta Bowl's response to an investigative report that led to the fiing of its longtime president for alleged misuse of funds. "I feel good about their commitment to do the right thing," .Beebe told The Associated Press in a phone interview Friday. '"There hasn't been a reluctance or pushback (from Fiesta offi- cials) at all." Beebe said he has been in contact with Fjiesta Bowl officials often in recent weeks and they have asked for help and suggestions for how to reform the organisa- tion's leadership structure to ensure similar mistakes WOn't be made again. "I don't feel good about what, happened," Beebe said. "I'm saddened by what occurred. While he said he is optimis- : tic about the Fiesta's future, Beebe stressed it is still too early to determine whether his conference and the Bowl Championship Series will continue to do business with the Arizona game. "Yes I am confident," he said, "but I'm not there yet." The Big 12 has-a con- tractual agreement to send its champion to the Fiesta Bowl if that team is not play- ing for the national champi- 'Y-e certainly have the highest stake on this," he said. The BCS issued a stern statement this week saying the Fiesta Bowl must prove it is worthy of remaining one of the four ~games that make up the system. BCS executive director Bill Hancock has said the BCS has the authority to revoke the Fiesta Bowl's BCS sta- tus even though the event has three years remaining on its contract. The report that resulted in the firing of Fiesta Bowl CEO and President John Junker on Tuesday revealed lavish expenditures over the past 10 years. The report's most signifi- cant findings involved pos- sible criminal misconduct under a system in which employees were strongly encouraged to make politi- cal donations to certain candidates. At least $46,539 in contributions then were teimbursed to the employ- ees by the bowl, an appar- ent violation of state cam- paign finance law as well as IRS rules for non-profit corporations. The Arizona attorney general's office is inves- tigating the contribution reimbursements. The BCS also has appoint- ed a task force to look into the improprieties uncov- ered by the Fiesta Bowl's internal probe. Associated Press HOUSTON When the coach who recruited him to VCU suddenly left, Rams guard Joey Rodriguez thought it might be time for him to go home, too. When Shaka Smart took over the VCU program for Alabama-bound Anthony Grant, Rodriguez decided he was homesick and want- ed to go back to Florida. ,He spent a summer there, then got the itch again. His father called Smart, asked if Rodriguez could return and the point guard was back. Two years later, he's in the Final Four. "'Would we be here today without him?" Smart said. "I could make up some long answer. But no." Rodriguez's decision to follow Grant out the door wasn't all that unexpected in Smart's eyes. "He didn't know us; there vias no relationship, no trust," the coach said. Rodriguez decided he was going to enroll at Division II Rollins College near Orlando, play bas- ketball and get his degree there. His teammates kept in touch with him, though, and when he decided he wanted to return, he was welcomed back. "My only question to him was, 'Are you going to be in the circle'with both feet?"' Smart said. "He said, 'Coach, I will.' And once he said that, he was back, as far as I was concerned." Holding it together Butler fans may have noticed something differ- ent about Shawn Vanzant this season. The Butler guard has been wearing a brace to protect his left shoulder, which is prone to separate thanks to his days as a high school football player. Vanzant clever had surgery to repair the shoulder, and the longer he plays - and more contact he takes the more.0ften it separates. He finally started wear- ing the brace this year. "When it comes out of place, it don't feel too good," he said. "So I had to figure out something to keep it in place." The brace hasn't limited his play at all. The senior is averaging 8.1 points and 3.2 rebounds for the Bulldogs, and led Butler in assists against both Pittsburgh and Wisconsin in the NCAA~tournament. Keeping it clean Kentucky swingman DeAndre Liggins will be charged with doing some- thing few have been able to accomplish this season: stop Connecticut's Kemba Walker. Liggins has been say- ing for weeks he'd like another chance to slow down Walker, who torched Kentucky for 29 points when the two teams met in November, one of the few times this season Liggins failed to shut down an opponent, He's become one of the country's best defenders, using his massive wingspan to swallow smaller players. The only thing that moves faster than his feet, how- ever, may be his mouth. Liggins is a notorious trash talker, a ploy he's used for years to get in opponent's heads. He went back and forth with North Carolina's Harrison Barnes all game long in Kentucky's ASSOCIATED PRESS Virginia Commonwealth's Toby Veal holds up Joey Rodriguez to help him dunk during a practice for a men's NCAA Final Four semifinal college basketball game Friday in Houston. VCU pl ys Butler toda . fire coming out before he would even flinch," UConn coach Jim Calhoun said. "My point is that he's fear- less. He's got a heck of Sa future because he's got that internal fortitude that a kid needs." Rozzell for mayor Shaka Smart refers to senior guard Brandon Rozzell as the mayor. 'Everybody knows him, or knows of him and every- body likes him," Smart explained. That's all fine with Rozzell, one of two Richmond natives on the VCU roster, "It's a nickname they've given me in the city of Richmond. It's a great one, and I think it's going to carry over for a long time," said Rozzell, who is averag- ing 14 points in the NCAA tournament. win over the Tar Heels in the East regional final a week ago. Yet Liggins says he's going to keep to himself on Saturday night. "I have the utmost respect for Kemba Walker," Liggins said. Besides, it might not help. Walker is used to defenders jawing at him. Not that he notices so much anymore. "I can hear them, but that doesn't mean I'm lis- tening to them," Walker said, "I'm just playing." Fearless Napier Connecticut guard Shabazz Napier doesn't play with the timidity of a freshman. Napier, at times, plays more like a senior, afraid of almost nothing, including his head coach. "You'd have to line up one hell of a dragon with been selling about twice the normal number of T- shirts and other souvenirs since both teams won their regional finals. The biggest sellers are the T-shirts that both teams wore after mak- ing it to the Final Four. . "There is quite a bit of interest in the fact that both are playing, so I don't know how much one shir-t is out- selling the other," Simpson said. "But this is the third year in a r-ow for- the women, and people have come to expect them to do well, so there is per-haps a little bit mor-e excitement about thle mlen1." Fiesta Bowl's r~ne pens laves encouragement Smart glad RodrigueZ returned