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 Taylor began the final round six strokes off the pace but five
birdies after the turn propelled him to a closing seven-under-par 65
at a blustery Pebble Beach Golf Links as he posted a winning total
of 17-under 270.
Overnight leader Mickelson, seeking his first PGA Tour win since the
2013 British Open, stunningly lipped out a five-foot birdie putt at
the last to force a playoff and had to settle for second place after
carding a roller-coaster 72.
Swede Jonas Blixt, one of four players who held at least a share of
the lead in the final round, was a further stroke back in third at
15 under after shooting a 69.
"It's been a long time and I didn't think it was going to happen,"
an emotional Taylor, 39, told CBS Sports after clinching his first
PGA Tour win since the 2005 Reno-Tahoe Open, and his third overall.
"I've worked so hard and just kept getting knocked down and knocked
down," said Taylor, who has not played a full season on the PGA Tour
since 2012 while bouncing between it and the satellite Web.com tour
over the past three seasons.
"I can't believe it actually happened again. Just amazing. I'm at a
loss for words right now. I didn't even have my tour card and got in
this week on past champion status, and now I'm playing in the
Masters pretty soon. It's a dream come true."
Taylor had moved into a share of the lead for the first time with a
tap-in birdie at the 15th, then drained a 28-footer at the par-four
16th to edge one ahead before clinching the winner's cheque for
$1.26 million.
Mickelson, a four-times champion at Pebble Beach, struggled with his
iron play for much of the day and needed to finish birdie-birdie to
force a playoff after sinking a clutch par putt from 12 feet at the
16th.
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He made the first of them, rolling in a tricky 13-footer from the
back of the green at the par-three 17th, but lipped out for birdie
from short range at the par-five 18th just when he seemed headed for
a playoff.
"I am not quite where I want to be yet and I am a little bit more
determined to get it back," said Mickelson, who had been aiming to
match Mark O'Meara's record five wins at Pebble Beach. "I also know
that I am close.
"As nervous as I was and as disappointed as I am that I didn't win,
this was so much fun for me to get back into the thick of it, to
feel the pressure, to make a couple of clutch putts on 16 and 17.
"It never crossed my mind that one on 18 wouldn't go in."
(Reporting by Mark Lamport-Stokes in Los Angeles; Editing by Larry
Fine)
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