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Dear America: You can't have it both ways.......Sincerely, Phil Mickelson

Monday June 19, 2006 | 03:38:36 pm 490 words, 2063 views  

This morning on ESPN radio’s Mike and Mike in the Morning, host Mike Greenberg remarked that this U.S. Open would be remembered more for Mickelson’s stumble than for Ogilvy’s win. Unfortunately, Greenberg is probably correct. Everyone will spend the next several weeks questioning Mickelson’s decision to hit driver on 18, and questioning “Bones’” decision to actually let him hit driver. In fact Johnny “I once shot 63 on Sunday” Miller called Mickelson’s performance the biggest collapse in U.S. Open history, although he must have meant since last year, when he said at Pinehurst that Retief Goosen was experiencing one of the biggest meltdowns by a great player in major championship history.

Anyone who is criticizing Mickelson for playing the 18th the way he did is forgetting several things, most importantly the fact that this is the U.S. Open, and hitting an iron off of a long par four certainly does not guarantee a par. In fact, Ogilvy was the only one of the contenders to par the finishing hole, and he had to make a fantastic up and down to do so.

Another detail for which Mickelson detractors are developing amnesia is the fact that Mickelson sees himself as the most creative shot-maker on tour, and he has total confidence that he can figure out ways to make par from just about everywhere. Obviously he has been proven wrong, both yesterday and in the not-so-distant past, and I know Phil called himself an idiot, but that is easy to do in hindsight. Had he hit an iron into the rough, made bogey and lost in a playoff, everyone would been calling him the same words that some of our readers use to describe Chris Baldwin.

Mickelson’s all-in on Sunday at Winged Foot was not in the same league as Jean Van de Velde’s 72nd hole debacle at Carnoustie for one simple reason- Mickelson has now won three majors and will be heard from again, while Van de Velde had only one chance. Let’s face it- Mickelson will be upset for a few weeks, but he’ll recuperate rather quickly while cuddling up in his green jacket and admiring himself on all of the commercials he makes these days.

Mickelson is undoubtedly the most beloved player on tour, and the people who are ripping his decision making from yesterday have given up their future right to cheer him when he takes a risk and succeeds. You can’t cheer Mickelson when he shoots 100-under at the BellSouth using two drivers, praise him when he works the ball out of the trees to set up unthinkable birdies, marvel at his ability when he hits a bunker shot backwards over his head, and then thrash his decision making when the same style of play causes him to finish second in the U.S. Open.

Sorry folks, choose one style of play you want to see from Phil, stick with it, and shut your mouths.

Permalink 14 comments

Comments, Pingbacks:

Comment from: tim [Visitor]
Exceedingly well put.
PermalinkPermalink 06/19/06 @ 16:55
Comment from: Jim COULTHARD [Visitor]
Phil's 3 Majors has nothing to do with the difference between this year's Open and the British Open Jean Van de Valde lost. The difference is that Phils needed a fairly challenging Par to wrap up the title in regulation. Jean could have won in regulation with a double bogey.
PermalinkPermalink 06/19/06 @ 17:42
Comment from: Stacy [Visitor] · http://www.worldgolf.com/blogs/golf-for-beginners
I think this U.S. Open will also be remembered as the one where Tiger Woods missed the cut.
PermalinkPermalink 06/19/06 @ 19:56
Comment from: Simon [Visitor]
This major will probably be remembered as the one which Mickelson lost. The only people who will think of it as the one when Tiger missed th cut are the people with their heads buried so far up Tigers arse that they dont realise there are other golfers in the world with talent.
PermalinkPermalink 06/19/06 @ 20:04
Comment from: RonMon [Visitor] · http://travelgolf.com/blogs/ron.mon
This is your best entry to date, Spence. I think the operative words are "Phil sees himself..." I would love to know what Bones was thinking, but those thoughts are in the vault, deeper than Elaine and George can dig. It was a flat-out choke, and I guess the fact that we don't see such things anywhere but the majors tells us loads about the quality of mental game that these gals and guys bring to the table.
PermalinkPermalink 06/19/06 @ 21:44
Comment from: Brad Moore [Visitor] · http://www.golferswired.com
I respectfully disagree with you though you do make a good argument. I'm just reminded of the line in "Tin Cup" -- sometimes Par is good enough to win. Phil is hands down the best golfer in the world right now and creative shot making has been a big part of that, it just seems to me Winged Foot and especially the eighteenth hole at Winged Foot were not places to get creative.
PermalinkPermalink 06/20/06 @ 06:44
Comment from: Shanks [Visitor]
Pretty convincing argument ..... but not enough. Phil had a 4-wood in his bag Sunday and hits it about 240 yards so that would've been plenty of club for the tee shot. But even allowing for the tee shot into the tents, why wouldn't he take a short iron and put it down in front of the green and then rely on getting up & down from short range? He'd only been doing it all day. Well, that, and he might be the best wedge player in the history of the game. Not to mention that his putting was excellent all week too.

When Phil won his first Masters he was touting his more mature decision-making. And much of the same discussion has followed his wins in the last 2 majors as well. To say now that he is not capable of it is contradictory. It is Phil that is trying to have it both ways to cover up the fact that he choked in his decision-making. Simple case of denial.
PermalinkPermalink 06/20/06 @ 08:14
Comment from: Ford [Visitor]
It's a great week to be a Phil hater. Anybody else find it ironic that Phil's caddy is named Bones?
PermalinkPermalink 06/20/06 @ 10:21
Comment from: Spencer Hux [Visitor]
Shanks and Brad-

I just don't think that punching out into the fairway there and getting up and down was all that simple. I don't know of the exact yardage he had (and the network did a horrific job of covering the situation), but I'm not sure a short iron gets him by the green or gives the opportunity to bend it around the trees as much as he needed to.

Sure, 4wood off the tee gives him enough distance, but that doesn't ensure a hit fairway either, especially the way he was swinging.

Ron Mon- excellent Seinfeld allusion. well done

PermalinkPermalink 06/20/06 @ 13:11
Comment from: Shanks [Visitor]
Not trying to change your mind but here's how I see it: the 4 wood tee shot on the exact same line would've gone 50 yards shorter than his drive did and stopped in the rough, short of the tents & trees.

Mickelson himself said that he had 185 to the front of the green and he thought he could slice a 3 iron onto the green. Even if he's trying to hit a 50-yard slice, it goes to reason that he could've hit a shorter iron straight through to the fairway and leave himself a pitch or flop.

PermalinkPermalink 06/20/06 @ 16:09
Comment from: Spencer Hux [Visitor]
A valid point Shanks. I thought Mickelson had a little farther to the front edge. I guess the way I see it is that there is never a guarantee for par in the Open, and I don't fault Mickelson for being aggressive, especially if he really thought he could hit the shot. It didn't seem like he hit the 3 iron all that well; otherwise the shot may have worked for him.

I see your point though. We may be looking at the "Mickelslam" if he had approached the hole differently. But I guess we'll never know.

How stupid is the name "Mickelslam" by the way?
PermalinkPermalink 06/20/06 @ 17:21
Comment from: Rich [Visitor]
Of course Phil should have hit 4 wood off the 18th tee. He hadn't hit fairways all day. He can hit a 5 iron 200 yards to the green from his 250 yard 4 wood. Earlier in the round he had hit a 176 yard 8 iron for God's sake. Let's face it he was just plain stupid! And Spencer, I'll cheer Phil when he's going well and playing smart and mock him when I think he's stupid. The style Phil should play is called winning golf, not reckless abandon. Do you think for one second that Tiger would have pulled out the driver on that tee, if he'd hit it the way Phil did all day? I can have it both ways, it's might right as a fan and I won't shut up becasue you say so.
PermalinkPermalink 06/21/06 @ 20:09
Comment from: Merrin [Visitor]
"The only people who will think of it as the one when Tiger missed th cut are the people with their heads buried so far up Tigers arse that they dont realise there are other golfers in the world with talent. "- Simon

With all due respect to the ACTUAL winner, I remember it more as the event Mickelson squandered. However, to think that those who think Eldrick Woods not making the cut was a bigger story are "blind Tiger fans" is not only false, but also a bit myopic. Phil might be the "beloved" golfer on tour as the writer stated, but Tiger has been the most dominant. And Im sorry, I dont care how much of a Phil fan you are, thats not to be denied. How many cuts has Tiger missed? Seriously...how many? That signifcant number ALONE makes it a relevant story.
PermalinkPermalink 07/25/06 @ 12:48
Comment from: Arthur Boyd [Visitor]
Someone used the word CHOKE when talking of Tiger's four bogeys at
Bridgestone. I say that word has no place in describing any of Tigers
rounds.
PermalinkPermalink 10/11/06 @ 03:01

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a WorldGolf.com Blog

WorldGolf.com blogger Spencer Hux writes about PGA Tour and LPGA Tour stars such as Tiger Woods, Phil Mickelson and Michelle Wie. He also follows the latest developments with some of the South’s best golf courses, plus balls and clubs.