Where Tiger Woods and Phil Mickelson went, the gallery followed.

Phil Mickelson reacts after a birdie on No. 3 as Tiger Woods gets ready to place his ball on the green in the final round Sunday. (Rainier Ehrhardt/Staff)

As the No. 1 and 2 players in the world made it interesting at Augusta National Golf Club on Sunday, the crowd became larger and the roars grew louder.

Although the pair faced a seven-stroke deficit heading into the final round of the Masters Tournament, they made a charge up the leaderboard, each pushing for another green jacket.

Their hopes of winning fizzled out on the last few holes. Mickelson finished fifth with a 9-under 279, and Woods tied for sixth at 8-under 280.

It was the third time Woods and Mickelson have been paired in a major. They were together in the final round at the 2001 Masters, when Woods won his second green jacket, and at the 1997 PGA Championship, where Davis Love III was victorious.

The men were cordial, although just four months ago Woods' caddie, Steve Williams, spoke out about his disdain for Mickelson.

Both players and their caddies shook hands after arriving at the first hole. Though Mickelson grinned when greeted by the loud cheering, Woods didn't crack a smile when welcomed a few minutes later.

Then it was down to business.

"I don't think we were really paying much attention to what each other was doing," Mickelson said. "We both were more concerned with trying to make birdies to catch the leaders than what each other was doing."

Lefty made an early climb when he birdied six of the first eight holes to get within one shot of the lead, tying the lowest round for the front nine with a 30. Johnny Miller set the record in the third round in 1975, later matched by Greg Norman (fourth round, 1988) and K.J. Choi (second round, 2004).

Woods stayed steady through the first seven holes -- with pars on six holes and a birdie on No. 2. He eagled No. 8 with a 25-foot putt to get within three strokes of Mickelson.

Woods got to 10-under in the final round, but the four-time Masters winner's chances ended with bogeys at 17 and 18. (Rainier Ehrhardt/Staff)

Mickelson, a two-time Masters champion, saved par on the ninth hole to tie the record. Woods, owner of four green jackets, shot 33 on the front.

On the back nine, both had several opportunities that could have put them in position to win. They also had some misadventures.

Mickelson's misfortunes came on Nos. 12, 15 and 17.

On the 12th hole, he double-bogeyed after his tee shot hit the bank and rolled back into Rae's Creek. He clutched the back of his head after the misplay dropped him to 8-under. Three holes later, he missed an eagle putt after he and caddie Jim "Bones" Mackay misjudged it when he saw Woods' putt roll right.

"Bones and I decided that it was going to go straight, maybe even try to go right," Mickelson said. "I didn't trust the read and made a very tentative stroke."

Woods caught Mickelson at 10-under with a birdie at 16, but an errant drive the next hole cost him.

"I hit a good tee shot down 17, the wind just held it just enough and wouldn't let it cut back," Woods said. "Consequently I was dead from there."

Woods bogeyed that hole and the last, while Mickelson parred 17 and bogeyed No. 18.

"I fought my swing all day," said Woods, who said he struggled even in practice. "I almost won the tournament with a band-aid swing."