So nearly a 3rd Major. Bernhard finishes 4th at the 2004 Masters. Trouble at 15 ends his challenge to Mickelson. Tournament no 9 US PGA Tour The Masters Augusta National, Georgia. April 8th - April 11th. A wonderful Masters Championship for Bernhard Langer, who rolled back the years to come so close to a third Masters title. Bernhard was joint leader early on the final day and in contention for the win with just four holes to play, before eventually finishing in a tie for fourth place with Sergio Garcia. Any score under par is always a very good score at Augusta, and Bernhard's opening round of 71 (1 under par) was good enough for a share of 7th place at the end of day one. His four birdies included 2s at the par 3 6th and 16th holes. A patient front nine on day two resulted in eight pars and one birdie - just the sort of solid golf Bernhard would have been looking for at this stage of the tournament. A back nine of 38 spoiled the card a little, but at even par for the Tournament after two rounds Bernhard was still well placed. Bernhard kicked into gear in the third round, playing more aggressively than on the opening two days. Highlights of the round included the holing of a monster put across the 11th green for birdie, and a superb eagle at the par 5 15th. A good drive was matched by a wonderful approach over the water, the long iron shot finishing just off the putting surface at the back of the green some 15 feet from the pin. Bernhard chose to put through the fringe grass and holed for eagle. A further birdie chance followed at seventeen after a fine approach, but the put rolled agonisingly by. 69 was the least he deserved after a fine round which included two putts lipping out. It was good enough to put Bernhard into the penultimate pairing with Paul Casey on the final day and just three shots off the leaders Phil Mickelson and Chris DiMarco. The final round could not have started better. Bernhard's very long opening drive at the 1st, the toughest hole at this years tournamnet, was perfect. His mid iron approach shot pitched no more than 20feet from the pin, but as so often happens at Augusta it just caught the wrong side of the slope and ran back some 15 yards and off the front of the green. It didn't matter - the chip shot was played majestically and found the bottom of the cup for an opening birdie three. A chip shot of equal brilliance was played at the par 5 2nd hole. Bernhard's approach came up just short of the green leaving some 20 yards to the pin. His delicate chip exploited the contours of the green and finished 5 feet from the cup - he holed the put for a birdie 4. On the third hole Bernhard had a straight putt, downhill, from around 30 feet for birdie but left it well short. A good second putt saved par. His first dropped shot of the day followed at the par 3 4th hole. The tee shot was just too long, running a few feet off the back of the green. A long and meandering putt finished about 8 feet past the pin, but Bernhard missed the return. All the leaders looked nervous on the early holes. Els had dropped to 2 under through 5, Choi to 1 under through 9, DiMarco to 2 under through 7 and Mickelson to 4 under through 6. By the time Bernhard teed up on 7 with 12 holes to play, he was tied for the lead at the 2004 Masters. Not for long though. A pushed tee shot into the trees at 7 left Bernhard a tough 2nd, and the attempted recovery found a horrible plugged lie in a greenside bunker. He dug it out to leave a par put of around 20 feet, but missed the put to go back to 2nd place and even par for the day. Bernhard bounced straight back at the par 5 8th. A good drive was followed by a 2nd that ended up some 20 feet right of the green leaving a very tough chip. Once again Bernhard played it beautifully, giving himself a birdie chance from around 15 feet which he took. He was back to 4 under for the tournament, but by now Els had found some form. He had eagled the 8th to go to 5 under. A par at 9 gave Bernhard an outward 35, an excellent front nine on the final day at the Masters. Holes 10, 11 and 12 are dubbed 'Amen Corner' at Augusta, and have been the ruin of many a player's round. They weren't to ruin Bernhard's round, but they didn't do him any favours either. Birdie putts were available on 10, 11 and 12 but none taken. 10 and 12 were on line but short, and a fairly straight putt on 11 ran a couple of inches wide. Ahead of him, Els had kicked on with a second superb second eagle of the day, tis time at the 13th. He was now at 7 under par, four shots clear of Bernhard. Behind him, Mickelson was also getting back into his stride. A big par saving put at 10, a birdie at 12, and a renewed look of confidence and determination on Mickelson's face suggested Langer might need to find another gear to win his 3rd masters. To add to the pressure, KJ Choi was also back in contention. After a poor front nine he holed his approach shot on 11 for an eagle 2 which got him back to 3 under, just one shot behind Langer. As Langer teed up at 13 Els led on 7 under, Mickelson was 2nd at 5 under, then Langer at 4 under followed by DiMarco and Choi at 3 under. The most exciting Masters finish for years was about to unfold as an already outstanding and fascinating tournament took off over the final few holes. There was excitement and cheers all around the course during the final couple of hours. Sergio Garcia, from 5 over par after the 6th hole, amazingly posted a clubhouse score of 3 under par. A sensational effort which deserved to be one shot better after his 40 foot birdie putt on 18 finished an inch short of the hole. Freddie Couples, Davis Love and Vijay Singh had also appeared from nowhere and were creating chances to post low scores ahead of the leaders. Padraig Harrington holed in one at 16 - the first ace there for decades - only to be followed by another hole in one moments later at the same hole by Kirk Tripllett! It was all hapeining, but not for Bernhard who's luck was about to run out on the crucial par 5 13th and 15th holes. The 13th had played a key part in Bernhard's previous 2 Masters victories so he had good memories to call upon, and if he was to win this year's Masters he would need to produce his best at these two holes. His tee shot at 13 failed to draw as intended and found the trees on the right of the fairway. Despite his ball nestling against a pine cone he took on the green with his second and fired a majestic long iron through the trees to the heart of the green. The approach was a fraction too long and ran to the back of the green - the line was perfect and had it landed 6 feet shorter it would have rolled down the slope to within a few feet of the pin. Although he had an eagle putt, coming from the top of the ridge a two put for a birdie was a more realistic target. The first putt was managed quite well, leaving a straight 12 foot putt for birdie to keep Bernhard in the chase. Frustratingly he left the putt short and had to settle for par. He hit back immediately with a sensational birdie at 14. A wonderful iron shot this time found the right side of the slope on the green and trickled down to within 3 feet of the hole. A tap in birdie put Langer back on 5 under, three behind Els who had birdied 15 to move to 8 under par - an amazing run picking up 6 shots in 9 holes. Choi had also moved to 5 under with birdies at 13 and 14, and with Mickelson making birdie at 13 to get back to 6 under Bernhard needed something good to happen at 15. A repeat of the previous day's eagle would put him in position to win, but the tee shot was pushed again and found trouble in the trees. Mickelson, Els, Choi and DiMarco had all hit trees from the tee on their front nine and had favourable kick backs into play, but golf is wonderfully cruel sometimes and Bernhard's ball came to rest squarely behind a tall pine. Worse was to follow as his sideways chip failed to reach the fairway - no bad luck involved this time, simply a poor shot. It left him a long way from a green he had to reach in three to win the masters, so he took it on from a poor lie in the rough. His approach to 13 was 6 feet too long, and from 220 yards his approach to 15 was 6 feet too short. It was right on line, it cleared the water, it made the green, it came to rest, and then it started a slow and painful journey backwards off the green, down the slope and back into the water. 6 feet more in the air and Bernhard was looking at a short birdie putt to put him just 2 off the lead with three to play. Instead, he played his fifth from the fairway and a couple of putts later walked away with a 7 on his card, his chances of a third major in ruins. At 3 under par and 5 off the lead Bernhard was now playing for a high finish, and in typical Langer style he struck back with a delightful birdie 2 at the 16th. The dramatic 16th is a short par 3 over water, and this was Bernhard's third birdie at the hole in four rounds. In the fisrt and second rounds he had birdied 16 only to give the shot gained staright back again at 17. This final day was no exception, as a bogie followed at 17 again. A par at the tough finishing hole gave Bernhard a level par 72 for the day, and a final score of 285, 3 under par, tied with Sergio Garcia. Els had finished ahead of him on 8 under, and Choi had also finished on 6 under. Only Mickelson and DiMarco were left on the course. DiMarco's second to 18 found a greenside bunker. He took two to get out, and two more to find the cup. That double bogey 6 meant he finished at 2 under par - leaving Langer in a tie for fourth place at the 2004 Masters. Meanwhile Mickelson had been on a birdie fest, picking up shots at 12, 13, 14 and 16, and was left with a 20 foot birdie putt to pip Els for the title. He made it to finish 9 under and to win his first major title in the most dramatic fashion. Tounament Summary: With just seven holes left to play, Mickelson and Langer were tied at 4 under par. Both players hit solid shots to the green at the notorious 12th. Langer missed his birdie putt, Mickelson holed. Mickelson birdied 13, Langer was unfortunate not to. Mickelson went on to a sensational and deserved victory with a stunning back nine. Bernhard's nightmare 15th ended his challenge. In the end Mickelson finished 6 shots ahead of Bernhard, but it doesn't tell the story of just how close Bernhard came to recapturing the title. Had he done so he would have become the oldest player to have won at Augusta, and only the second player to have won the Masters in three different decades. Both those acolades are held by the all time Masters champion, Jack Nicklaus. It would also have struck a blow for the Europeans in the Ryder Cup year to have their captain capture the Masters. It was enough to lift Bernhard 32 places in the world golf rankings (from 84th to 52nd). Bernhard played his part in a thrilling Masters tournament, and was upstaged by golf of rare quality from Mickelson, Els and Choi and very nearly Garcia - his playing partner for the first three rounds. It was a pleasure to watch it unfold and I have the feeling it is not the last time Bernhard will feature on the final day at Augusta. Final Results: Phil Mickelson 1 72-69-69-69 279 $1,170,000.00 Ernie Els 2 70-72-71-67 280 $702,000.00 K.J. Choi 3 71-70-72-69 282 $442,000.00 Bernhard Langer T4 71-73-69-72 285 $286,000.00 Sergio Garcia T4 72-72-75-66 285 $286,000.00 Fred Couples T6 73-69-74-70 286 $189,893.00 Davis Love III T6 75-67-74-70 286 $189,893.00 Nick Price T6 72-73-71-70 286 $189,893.00 Kirk Triplett T6 71-74-69-72 286 $189,893.00 Chris DiMarco T6 69-73-68-76 286 $189,893.00 Vijay Singh T6 75-73-69-69 286 $189,893.00 Paul Casey T6 75-69-68-74 286 $189,893.00 Links: Langer lurks at three behind leaders Sunday, April 11, 2004. Interview with Bob Harig after third round.   Langer impresses during his 22nd Masters Sunday April 11, 2004 Interview with Melanie Hauser, PGATOUR.COM Contributor after final round. 2004 PGA.com Masters Coverage