Iain Carter BBC golf correspondent

Phil Mickelson's Masters victory and the manner in which it was achieved will provide international golf with a much-needed boost.

The majors confer greatness and provide the benchmark by which we can measure stars, superstars and legends. The Masters, the Open, the US Open and US PGA define the game.

Before his Augusta success, it was often claimed that Phil Mickelson's 22 tournament victories meant he could claim to be one of the game's greats.

But no other player has come close to greatness without winning one of the sport's big four titles.

Mickelson has a ready smile, almost regardless of the state of his scorecard

In an instant Mickelson's status was elevated - he has joined the elite of the game. It is where he belongs, and it is good for the game because he is a player who already commanded superstar popularity in the United States.

It would be wrong to compare him with Arnold Palmer, the man whose charisma laid the foundations for the game as we know it now, but there are similarities in the way that Mickelson communicates with the galleries.

There is a ready smile, almost regardless of the state of his scorecard. When the pressure was at its most intense on Sunday, "Lefty" remained eager to acknowledge his supporters with genuine warmth.

Furthermore, long before this triumph, he had assumed greatness in his willingness to satisfy the demands of autograph hunters.

Now the queues for his signature will grow ever longer, because Mickelson's win is sure to generate more interest in the game.

His back-nine pursuit of the target set by Ernie Els, culminating in the birdie at the last for victory, was pulse-quickening, stirring sporting theatre the like of which the sport has thirsted after for some time.

The successes of Mike Weir at Augusta last year and Jim Furyk in the US Open were worthy wins for players whose careers had suggested they would deserve to become major winners.

The same couldn't be said of Ben Curtis and Shaun Micheel who won the other two majors of 2003. And none of those players tops the charisma league.