Phil Mickelson outdueled Scott Verplank on Sunday to win the Houston Open in Humble, Tex., his first victory since last year’s Masters.

The win moved Mickelson to No. 3 in the world ranking, and Tiger Woods, who did not play in the tournament, dropped to No. 7. It is the first time Mickelson has been ahead of Woods in the rankings since the week before Woods won the 1997 Masters.

Mickelson shot a seven-under-par 65 in the final round to finish at 20-under 268, three strokes ahead of Verplank (68) and Chris Kirk (67).

Mickelson is hoping he can repeat some history at the Masters this week. He is the last player to win the week before a Masters victory, capturing the BellSouth Classic in 2006 before earning his second green jacket. The Houston Open became the run-up event to Augusta in 2007.