TOUR CHAMPIONSHIP:WHO SAYS sporting romance is dead? Phil Mickelson, whose golfing schedule was reduced to a secondary role as he took a big chunk out of his season to be with his wife Amy in her on-going battle with breast cancer, rediscovered the art of winning when he stormed to a final round 65 for 271, nine under par, to win the Tour Championship at East Lake Country Club in Atlanta yesterday.

Although Mickelson claimed the tournament title, the big winner financially was Tiger Woods, who collected the play-offs bonus of €6.8 million ($10 million) for capturing the FedEx Cup, the season-long points-based competition.

Woods, who struggled throughout the final round, didn’t collect his first birdie until the 15th but then rolled in a 35-footer for another birdie on the 16th on the way to a final round of level par 70 and second place on his own at 274.

Pdraig Harrington finished with a 69 for 276, four under par, which left the Irishman – who will now reset his challenge for the European Tour’s Race to Dubai – in tied fourth position with overnight leader Kenny Perry, who slumped to a closing 74.

It was Harrington’s sixth straight top-10 finish on the US Tour since his runner-up finish to Woods in the Bridgestone Invitational in early August.

If Harrington’s plan was to get off to a fast start, it didn’t turn out that way. After back-to-back bogeys on the fifth, where he three-putted, and the sixth, where he found a greenside bunker, the Dubliner had to re-focus and finally got his round going with a chip-in birdie from 18 feet on the seventh.

However, Harrington really got hot on the homeward run as three birdies in five holes reignited his challenge in both the tournament and also the FedEx Cup.

Harrington’s brilliant tee-shot on the par three 11th finished just 18 inches from the hole and he tapped in for a birdie. Then he hit a fine approach from 148 yards to two feet for a birdie on the 14th and birdied the par five 15th where he pitched to three feet to move to five-under for the tournament and into third on his own.

But a bogey on the 18th, where Harrington’s hybrid club tee-shot overshot the green and his attempted flop shot finished 15 feet from the cup, ended the 38-year-old Dubliner’s late charge and left him tied in fourth with third round leader Perry, who had a hugely disappointing final round.

Mickelson, claiming his first tournament win since the WGC-CA Championship at Doral in March, made his move on the front nine which he covered in a best-of-the-day 31 thanks to birdies on the third (from 16 feet), fourth (30 feet), eighth (18 inches) and ninth (12 feet) to assume the lead.

The defining moment of his march to victory, however, came on the 16th where he chipped in for a birdie to move three shots clear.

Yet, the basis for Mickelson’s win was very much his putter, having gone back to an old childhood putting technique after visiting former US Open champion Dave Stockton last week.

“It’s been a while (since feeling so good with the putter),” observed Mickelson. “When I’m walking up to the green here, I don’t care if it’s four feet or 40 feet, I feel like I should make it.”

Mickelson insisted he would still work with his short game coach Dave Pelz, despite seeking putting guidance from Stockton.

“We’ve never worked on technique, Dave (Pelz) and I, and Dave has been very helpful on what and how to practice around the holes,” Mickelson said. “But to hear Stockton reinforce the technique that I’ve always putted with, which was hands ahead, hitting almost it feels like down on it, even though it’s not, even though the hands continue low, keeping the face more square going back, not letting it open, (has been important). I’ve gone right back to the way I putted as a kid. It feels great.”

From four behind at the start of the final round, Mickelson’s flawless round brought him a second Tour Championship.

Results - Par 70 (US unless stated)

271 Phil Mickelson 73 67 66 65.

274 Tiger Woods 67 68 69 70.

275 Sean O’Hair 66 70 70 69.

276 Padraig Harrington (Ire) 67 69 72 68, Kenny Perry 72 66 64 74.

277 Steve Stricker 70 72 66 69.

278 Jim Furyk 72 68 71 67, Steve Marino 69 71 67 71.

279 Ernie Els (SA) 71 66 71 71.

280 Lucas Glover 68 71 72 79, Jerry Kelly 71 67 71 71, John Senden (Aus) 70 70 69 71.

281 David Toms 74 66 70 71, Nick Watney 70 69 71 71, Angel Cabrera (Arg) 72 67 70 72.

282 Zach Johnson 70 72 73 67, Geoff Ogilvy (Aus) 75 73 64 70.

283 Yang E Yang (S Kor) 71 75 66 71.

284 Heath Slocum 73 68 71 72, Jason Dufner 71 68 73 72, Stewart Cink 67 72 70 75.

285 Scott Verplank 70 71 74 70.

286 Retief Goosen (SA) 69 72 72 73.

287 Hunter Mahan 71 73 72 71.

288 Luke Donald (Brit) 70 71 78 69, Mike Weir (Can) 72 72 70 74.

289 Dustin Johnson 69 74 73 73.

292 Brian Gay 72 72 76 72,

Marc Leishman 70 74 70 78.

293 Kevin Na 73 70 75 75.