AUGUSTA, Ga. -- There was a time around here when Phil Mickelsons nerves were stretched so tight, you could bounce a quarter off em and have it land in Atlanta. That was exactly 10 years, five majors and three green jackets ago. He arrived that week 0 for 42 in the tournaments that matter and left as one of the most contented men on the planet. Back at the scene of that first major win for his interview session Tuesday, Mickelson was charming and so much the master of his domain you half-expected him to wade into the gathering of reporters and pull that same quarter out from behind someones ear. Now 43, Lefty was at ease, deftly tucking many of those reporters first names into his answers and lavishing praise on the conditions at Augusta National and even long-time rival Tiger Woods, who will miss his first Masters in 20 years while recovering from back surgery. "Its a weird feeling not having him here, isnt it?" Mickelson said, unbidden. Then again, he could afford to be gracious. Mickelson sat down at the podium fresh off a big win in one of those high-stakes practice rounds for which hes become notorious "Curious on practice rounds," a reporter said. "Watching former champions going out with younger players, youve done that in the past, and the mentoring that goes on in the early part of this week. Just curious the extent that you do that now as a past champion." "Yeah, mentoring or wagering," Mickelson said to laughter. "Either way you want to look at it. "Rickie Fowler and I were partners today and he went on a tear. He shot 30 the front nine; he eagled 13, he birdied 17 and 18, threw another one on 15, I think. Just played remarkable golf. It was fun," Mickelson added, "to have him as my partner." "Speaking of wagering," another reporter asked a few moments later, "I head you lost a dollar to a patron behind the sixth green; couldnt get up and down. Is that right?" Mickelson tried not to blush. "He was mouthing off about hard shot, get this up and down, no chance, blah, blah, blah. And it wasnt that hard a shot, and I should have gotten it up and down and I did hit a good shot. I had a 7-footer straight uphill and I missed it, and I had to pay him," he said. "Thats what happens when you lose." "Do you always carry small bills?" came the follow-up. "Did he have change?" "I had to get a five from a caddie," Mickelson replied, trying harder not to blush. "I dont." The longer he goes on spinning tales that are insightful or funny -- and sometimes both -- the more Mickelson sounds like one of the games elder statesmen. But unlike Jack Nicklaus, 74, and Arnold Palmer, 84, who reminisced about his last major win 50 years ago, Mickelson is still a very real threat to win every time he tees it up. Hes still ranked No. 5 in the world, but hasnt had a top-10 finish this season and his last win was last summers almost magical victory at the British Open. More problematic, perhaps, Mickelson has been hobbled by back and muscle injuries for months, not pronouncing himself "100 per cent healthy until last week. He even admitted to some nerves "because I always like coming into this week with a win. ... being in contention a few times and having that confidence and experience to build on." But if Mickelson was concerned about his chances, he might have been the only one in the room. "Now that youve won five Majors," came the question, "how cognizant are you of climbing the ladder of historical greats where you have (Lee) Trevino at six, Arnie at seven? Is that something you think about, where you stand in relation to those figures?" "Not really," Mickelson began. "But I do know that Arnold and Tiger have four jackets and I have three. I know Jack has six, but nothing I can do about that right now. Im just trying to get back to where the two ahead of me are." Yet its hard to imagine Mickelson having more fun with yet another green jacket than he did with the previous ones. He slept in it the first night after winning, wore it in the drive-through line at Krispy Kreme one morning, and donned it at dinner more often than a colour-blind waiter. Even though Mickelson could have gone on for hours, the moderator signalled last question "What are your strongest memories of being on 18 10 years ago?" he was asked. "What comes right to mind?" "I jumped so high I almost hit lightning that day," Mickelson replied. "Unfortunately the photographers, they just didnt time it right, so its very, yeah, I felt like that was an unfair assessment of that leap. Because I probably could have dunked a basketball if need be." Soccer Jerseys 2020 .com) - Quarterback Cardale Jones will return to Ohio State next season. Adidas NHL Jerseys 2020 . 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The club began the homestand with a 5-1 win over Pittsburgh on March 1 and fell to Colorado on Tuesday before posting another blowout win in Thursdays tilt against Columbus.FONTANA, Calif. -- With tires and tempers blowing up all over the track for 400 crazy miles, Kyle Busch stayed calm and relied on his remarkable knack for big finishes at Fontana. Busch won on this 2-mile oval for the second straight year Sunday, holding off Kyle Larson, Tony Stewart and his older brother Kurt on a frantic two-lap sprint to the finish. Kyle Busch capably blocked Larson and outlasted a crowded field to win a race featuring a track-record 35 lead changes and numerous tire problems. Busch stayed out of trouble and roared up late for his second straight stunner in Southern California, following up the Las Vegas natives final-lap surge to victory a year ago. "Holy cow, what do you expect when youve got a green-white-checkered finish and everybody has to come down pit road and put four tires on?" Busch asked after his third career win at Fontana. "That was Days of Thunder right there. Unbelievable day." With his 29th career Sprint Cup victory in his Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota, Kyle Busch is NASCARs fifth winner in five races already this season. He led just five laps -- the fewest of his career in a win. Jimmie Johnson was comfortably in front when he blew a tire with seven laps left, precipitating the wild finish. Jeff Gordon moved in front until Clint Bowyer spun with two laps to go, setting up an overtime finish. Gordon was hoping to finish on old tires when Bowyer spun, but then elected to pit along with most of the leaders. Kurt Busch gambled with just two tires, allowing him to restart in second, but his younger brother came up from fifth in the final two laps to win. "I came off the fourth turn in disbelief that we won this thing, because we were mediocre all day," Kyle Busch said. "It was really weird for us, not a race that were typically used to. But now theres a load off your shoulders that you can go out the rest of the season and race the way you want to." He also got a thrill from outlasting Larson, the 21-year-old rookie who held him off Saturday to win the Nationwide Series race. "I guess you couldnt ask for more, but I was surprised to get up there late in the race," Larson said. "We were probably a 12th-place car for most of the day." He had to settle for the best finish of his Sprint Cup career in the No. 42 Chevrolet for Chip Ganassi Racing. Kyle Busch, who went to Larsons car Saturday to congratulate him on his Nationwide win, pointed out his window at Larson after Sundays finish, pumping his fist in approval. "What a shoe that boy is," Kyle Busch said of Larson. KKurt Busch finished third, with Matt Kenseth in fourth and 2012 champion Stewart in fifth.dddddddddddd Several teams had serious tire problems on this weathered track, with multiple flats and cautions for various problems throughout the hot afternoon. The problems likely were the latest effect of NASCARs new aero rules, which are producing higher speeds that lead to extra stress on the tires -- particularly on the bumpy asphalt on Fontanas back straightaway, which already wears out tires aggressively. Those problems might frustrate pit crews, but they can also lead to phenomenal racing, as the sellout crowd on its feet for the finish could attest. "By no means is this a problem for Goodyear," Kurt Busch said, referring to NASCARs tire manufacturer. "Its just a thumbs-up for NASCAR for allowing teams to get aggressive in all areas." The intrigue and weirdness started early on at Fontana -- which somehow seemed appropriate for a race in which the Muppets Gonzo told the drivers to start their engines. Several drivers complained during an early pit stop that the red light was on, indicating pit road was closed. Gordon, Bowyer and Brad Keselowski did not pit because of the red light, and all were adamant NASCAR needed to correct their position in the running order. Robin Pemberton, NASCARs vice-president of competition, was told that the official in charge of displaying the flag got his uniform caught in a hole in a fence and couldnt move, preventing him from flipping off the red light. Its the second consecutive week an issue with the caution light affected the race: At Bristol last Sunday, someone in the flagstand leaned on the button that turned the caution lights on right before Carl Edwards took the white flag. Rain then began to fall heavily, and the race could not be resumed, so Edwards won under caution. Edwards finished 10th at Fontana and stayed one point ahead of Dale Earnhardt Jr., who finished 12th, for the overall points lead. Fontana didnt get a repeat of last years exciting duel between Denny Hamlin and Joey Logano, the unfriendly rivals who crashed into each other on the final lap while racing for the win. Hamlin was a last-minute scratch with a sinus infection, depriving him of the self-described chance for redemption after getting airlifted away from the track last year with a broken vertebra. Sam Hornish Jr. took his place in the No. 11 JGR Toyota and finished 17th. Logano, in a backup car after a crash earlier in the week, had to go to the garage after 114 laps, knocking him out of contention. He finished 39th. ' ' '