The weather was a bit better and the celebration a tad more
distinctive, but the circumstances were strikingly similar.  In
2004, Phil Mickelson stood 18 feet from the cup at Augusta
National's 18th hole, head centered over the ball, eyes staring
into the dimpled infinity of a birdie putt that would forever
alter his career narrative.  Nine years later, Adam Scott found
himself at a similar distance on the very same green. He too was
up against a competitive history defined by near misses and
outsider sympathies.  Both putts fell.  Mickelson's birdie
proved the difference, lifting him to a one-stroke Masters win
over Ernie Els. Scott would need a pair of playoff holes to grab
his own green jacket, but the outcome was the same. For both
men, that 18th green was primary.  Andrew Redington/Getty Images
Since winning that first major at 33, Mickelson has captured two
more green jackets and added a PGA Championship title to his
ever-growing collection of accolades. In doing so, he's gone
from perennial bridesmaid