The 10 best moments from the 2010 Masters

Phil Mickelson's incredible and near-flawless 5-under 67 on Sunday. The warm embrace with his wife, Amy, after sealing his third Green Jacket. Tiger Woods facing the press and the music. Helen Ross covers all that and more, as she takes a look back at the most memorable moments from the Masters.

By Helen Ross, PGATOUR.com Chief of Correspondents

AUGUSTA, Ga. -- No bogeys on the scorecard. A near-flawless 67. The love of his life and his three children waiting behind the 18th green.

All those things contributed to what Phil Mickelson called an "incredible" Sunday as he won his third Masters by three strokes over Lee Westwood. He now has four majors and 38 PGA TOUR victories, but likely none as heart-wrenching and soul-satisfying as this one at Augusta National.

For the last 11 months, Mickelson and his wife, Amy, have been on a roller-coaster ride of emotion as she battled breast cancer and he tried to play the game he does so well. But with the family in Augusta this week, Mickelson clearly had a sense of peace.

Mickelson's victory was just one of many stories to emerge from a magical and mesmerizing Masters, though. Here are some of the others.

FACING THE MUSIC: Tiger Woods' unusual Monday news conference was his first since the Thanksgiving night car accident that turned his life upside down. So the hype was off the charts, and media outlets already credentialed for the Masters still had to apply to attend. Reporters lined up before the doors opened a full 45 minutes in advance of the 2 p.m. start to make sure they had a good seat. No new ground was broken, though, and with the exception of questions about a Canadian doctor under federal investigation who had performed a blood-spinning procedure on Woods' leg the queries were relatively tame. The beleaguered world No. 1 appeared surprisingly relaxed, though, and even managed a few smiles

RUBBER CHICKEN: Two days after he answered questions from the media for the first time since the scandal broke, Woods made a surprise appearance at the Golf Writers Association of America's annual dinner to accept his 2009 Player of the Year award. He's been before, many times, to get the same piece of Waterford crystal but no one really expected Woods to show up on Wednesday after everything that had happened lately in his life. In a class move he did, though, and he also stayed through speeches by several other honorees, including Padraig Harrington and Ernie Els, before making his exit on the eve of the 74th Masters Tournament.

HONORARY STARTERS: The mood was light on Thursday morning as Jack Nicklaus joined Arnold Palmer on the first tee at 7:40 a.m. The Golden Bear joked that he had never been to Augusta National that early, but later he said that he liked serving as an Honorary Starter so much he hoped he would be invited back in 2011. Between them, he and Palmer have 10 Green Jackets -- and they are the only two players who are members at the Augusta National.

BACK IN ACTION: You could say you were there -- but as far as seeing anything, about the best you could hope for was a glimpse of the head of Tiger Woods' Nike driver at the top of his backswing on Thursday. The crowd around the first tee at Augusta National at 1:42 p.m. was 20 deep -- so dense in fact that patrons were essentially land-locked until Woods and playing partners K.J.Choi and Matt Kuchar began to walk down the first fairway. With the exception of a plane pulling a sign with a disparaging remark, the reception was overwhelming positive and Woods didn't disappoint when he opened with a 68. His putter let him down and his swing was erratic on Sunday, though, and he had to settle for a tie for fourth.

TURN BACK TIME: It's hard to imagine anyone or anything overshadowing Tiger Woods' return to competition after a five-month layoff. The venerable Tom Watson did, though. The age-defying veteran played like a man half his 60 years as he shot a 67 that left him one stroke off the lead. And the man who set the pace in the first round? Well, that was none other than Fred Couples, who, at the age of 50 posted his career low at Augusta National. Watson couldn't keep pace like he did at Turnberry last summer but he still finished his 129th major in 1 under. Making the experience even better? His 27-year-old son Michael was caddying for him for the first time at a major championship.

FAMILY MATTERS: You can't overestimate how much motivation -- and peace -- Phil Mickelson drew from the arrival of his family last week. The group had not been together at a tournament since last year's PLAYERS Championship, which was just weeks before Mickelson's wife, Amy, learned she had breast cancer. The treatment has taken its toll on Amy, who surprised her husband at The Presidents Cup but did not come out to Harding Park. Her presence in Augusta, along with their three tow-headed children, was just the tonic her husband needed.

VIVA ITALIA: The 16-year-old from Verona, Italy, Matteo Manassero, was impressive in making the cut and finishing as the low am at the Masters. Last summer he played in his first major and tied for 13th at Turnberry. As talented as he is, though, should Manassero really be turning pro in three weeks? Well, he's talked with another teen-turned-pro, Rory McIlroy, and feels confident of his decision. Watch the BMW Italian Open to see how he does in his pro debut.

MR. COOL: Let's face it. Fred Couples is a guy'S guy. He's rich. He's good-looking. And he can play golf with the best of them -- even at the age of 50. Couples, fresh off three straight wins on the Champions Tour, made a spirited bid to win his second Green Jacket at Augusta National last week and eclipse the then-46-year-old Jack Nicklaus as the oldest winner. He seized the lead with a career-low 66 in the first round, relinquished it with a 75 on Friday and then got back into the mix with a third-round 68. Couples was two strokes off the lead when he made the turn Sunday but the Amen Corner got him when he went bogey-double bogey-bogey, shot 70 and finished sixth. Still, it was fun to watch.

FIZZLED OUT: With two victories in his last three starts, one of which came against a star-studded lineup at the World Golf Championships-CA Championship, Ernie Els went to Augusta National favored to break his hard-luck streak at the Masters. The two-time runner-up simply never got untracked, though. He suffered a momentum-killing double bogey on the 18th hole in a first-round 71 and didn't break par over his next two rounds. He did manage to make the cut for the first time since 2006, though, and closed with a 68 but the Big Easy had much higher hopes.

THIRTY MINUTES: There were an abundance of spectacular shots hit during the 74th Masters Tournament -- Nathan Green and Ryan Moore picked up aces at the 16th hole, for example -- but nothing matched Phil Mickelson's heroics on Saturday afternoon. He was trailing Lee Westwood by five when he came to the par-5 13th hole but a half hour later the two were tied after Lefty's spectacular burst. Mickelson made an 8-foot eagle putt at No. 13 and holed a wedge from 141 yards for another at No. 14. As if that wasn't enough, Lefty nearly made an unprecedented third straight eagle, too, when his wedge stopped up inches from the pin at No. 15. Three holes, 30 minutes and 5 under -- not too shabby. It was vintage Mickelson and got him back into the tournament he would go on to win.