Springfield, August 15:

Phil Mickelson delivered another dramatic finish in a major, flopping a chip out of deep rough to 2 feet for a birdie on the final hole and a one-shot victory in the PGA Championship.

The putt wasn’t nearly as long as his 18-footer to win the Masters last year, and there was no need to jump for joy this time. It was a sweet conclusion to a major championship season that had gone sour until he put together his best golf of the summer stretched over five days by a storm-delayed final round. The final putt was merely a tap-in, giving Lefty another year with a major trophy. Mickelson closed with a 2-over 72, playing the final four holes at even par. He joined Tiger Woods, Nick Faldo and Curtis Strange as the only players in the last 20 years to win majors in consecutive years. He finished at 4-under 276 and earned $1.17 million for his fourth victory of the year, matching Woods and Vijay Singh for the most on the PGA Tour this year. Elkington shot 71 and Bjorn had a 72, both leaving Baltusrol haunted by missed chances. Elkington’s par to finish at 3-under 277 meant Woods was free to leave. Woods wound up tied with Davis Love for fourth, two shots behind. Singh wound up with a 74 to tie for 10th.