AUGUSTA, Ga. — They walked from hole to hole like office co-workers at a weekend member-guest tournament. Occasionally, the two old friends smiled and chatted, or patted each other on the back. Their caddies had been roommates all week. One big happy foursome.

And during their easy camaraderie, Phil Mickelson and Fred Couples found time to decide the Masters.

Riveting drama? You've come to the wrong Sunday.

It was a Masters that never quite caught fire. A green jacket won not with thunder and lightning, but competence and poise, by a man who is taking his legacy to a new level. Major championships once were an unsolvable Rubik's Cube for Phil Mickelson. Now no one can beat him.

They couldn't yesterday, anyway, which makes it two majors in a row and three of the last nine. Positively Woodsian. This from a man who once heard from every corner of the compass that he was 0 for 42 in the majors as a professional.

"Three-for-nine sounds better, huh?" he said.

And even if there was no spectacular winning shot to roar about, there can be no complaint about a victor who plays the final round at Augusta without a bogey until the 18th meaningless hole, while the other mightiest names in the game sputter around him.

So the best story did not win yesterday. But the best player did.

They just happened to be in the same pairing.

"We were trying to push each other on," Couples said.

Mickelson showed everything he was once accused of lacking on Sunday at a major. His game had judgment and composure. He never blinked. And no one close ever attacked. The confidence given him by his breakthrough in the majors has turned him into a monster when he's in the lead.

"I watched how you do it," Couples said of his playing partner.

So maybe it wasn't the most theatrical way to settle a Masters. For thrill's sake, the winner would have been Couples at the age of 46. He would have been the oldest champion in history, 20 years after Jack Nicklaus made time stand still.

His regrets yesterday were all the putts that didn't drop, when they might have mattered. But it was a long day for a middle-ager with a back that sometimes screams. Couples had to go 31 holes, and not until the 27th on No. 14 did he begin to give way, when he three-putted for a bogey from within three feet.

"I didn't hit the ball like I was 46," he said. "I putted like I was 66."

And when it was over? "I am physically exhausted."

But it had been fun, the two of them in the middle of a Masters.

"We were just relishing the moment and relishing the opportunity," Mickelson said.

"We were telling each other, 'Let's make some birdies,' " Couples said.

Then came No. 14.

"I think I quieted down our talk there for about 10 minutes," Couples said. "I don't think he wanted to get near me."

"As much as I wanted to win," Mickelson said, "I hated to see that happen."

It is a curious thing, to see the last pair at Augusta yak it up so. But what is wrong with smelling the azaleas? Not that it is easy to imagine Tiger Woods and Mickelson walking the back nine together, exhorting each other to make birdies.

"Yeah, that probably wouldn't have happened," Mickelson said.

Woods now has serious company for the No. 1 spot in the game.

"Today it would be Phil because he just won on one of the hardest courses you can play," Couples said. "But Tiger's the one to beat every week. They're going to win this thing several more times, those two."

Woods could not ignite his putter and was a thunderstorm on the horizon that never arrived. His chance to charge ended with two missed eagle putts from inside of 10 feet on Nos. 13 and 15.

"I'll probably go snap this putter in about eight pieces," he said later.

Behind his growing frustration walked Mickelson and Couples, sharing a nice day of golf.

Mike Lopresti is a columnist for Gannett News Service.