Springfield, N.J. ? His spirits soared when Phil Mickelson realized a birdie on the par-5 18th hole at Baltusrol would allow him to win the PGA Championship and validate him as a major force in golf.

Then, he reached out for an extra bit of luck he didn’t need.

Ten yards beyond his ball in the middle of the fairway was a stone plaque to commemorate the 1-iron Jack Nicklaus hit onto the 18th green when he won the 1967 U.S. Open. Mickelson reached out with his 3-wood and tapped it twice.

“A little touch for some good karma,” he said.

Mickelson delivered another dramatic finish to his second major title Monday, flopping a chip from the deep grass some 50 feet from the cup for a tap-in birdie that gave him a one-shot victory over Steve Elkington and Thomas Bjorn.

Ultimately, he might do Nicklaus a favor as a threat to Tiger Woods’ pursuit of the Golden Bear’s record 18 major titles.

Mickelson’s victory, which stretched over five days because of Sunday storms, gave him a second consecutive year with a major title.

Woods is the only other player to do that in the last 10 years.

Elkington and Bjorn made par on the 554-hole closing hole, and all they could do was watch on television as Mickelson played the chip shot first learned in his backyard as a kid.

“If there’s anybody you’d back to get up and down from there, it’s Phil Mickelson,” Bjorn said. “He’s not a one-major guy, he’s a 10-major guy. And it’s going to be easier and easier for him to win them now.”

This one wasn’t easy.

Mickelson had the pressure of being in the lead four straight days. A putting touch that been so true the first three rounds began to abandon him. He returned Monday morning for what amounted to a four-hole shootout.

“I had to gut it out and just find a way to make some pars, and find a way to make a couple of birdies,” Mickelson said. “I’m just ecstatic that I was able to get it done.”

Mickelson closed with a 2-over 72 and finished at 4-under 276. It was his fourth victory of the year, matching Woods and Vijay Singh for most on the PGA Tour this year.

He also moved past injured Ernie Els to No. 3 in the world.

Woods couldn’t leave New Jersey until he knew someone could beat the 2-under 278 he completed Sunday afternoon before storms halted play. He wound up in a tie for fourth, two shots behind. The Masters and British Open champion came up four strokes shy of a shot at the calendar Grand Slam.