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Tiger Woods v Phil Mickelson? The jury is now in

Tuesday August 29, 2006 | 13:32:21 337 words, 5785 views

Well, I guess it is now safe to say that the Jury is “in” on how well Phil Mickelson would rebound from his devastating blowup at the US Open. We haven’t seen him even sniff the leaderboard since, and we all know what the Tiger Woods has done.

Four in a row, and two of them majors … and I think it is safe to say that the World Championship at Firestone was close to being a major. It was a real treat to see Tiger give back 4 shots to the field on Saturday only to claw his way back into it at the turn on Sunday. Thank God that Cink put up a fight and we got to see Tiger remain focused, close the deal with that final putt on the 4th playoff hole and win again. At least he wasn’t on cruise control down the stretch.

As for Phil, one can only wonder how much his loss of his third major in a row has effected (affected?) his belief in himself. As we all know, we come home after a round, and if we have made a mistake it can bug us for days. How much more so does Phil replay that final hole in his mind? How much does that eat away at his confidence? How much does it pop during play these last few tournaments? I don’t know, but it must be lurking there somewhere, don’t you think?

They say in bull riding, that after a fall, you have to get back on and have some success. I don’t see Phil doing that. Tiger’s dominance over that latter part of the season can’t be going unnoticed by the world’s number two, as he falls further and further behind in the World Rankings. Dave Pelz can boast all he wants about his number one student; he simply isn’t up to the challenge. He can say, “that should be me,” but the fact is, his body language tells a different story.

Christopher “CB” Maxwell

9 comments

Comments, Pingbacks:

Comment from: Tony Montana [Visitor]

Phil needs to get in shape. Every golfer that wants to seriously want to challenge needs to get in shape. Mental shape will not be good enough when stamina is needed to close those last 2-3 holes decisive to win championships.

Tiger can do it because he's focused mentally and physically in shape.

It will take many years and many pushups for anyone else to maintain the pace that Tiger has.

Permalink 2006-08-29 @ 15:17

Comment from: Merrin [Visitor]

It's possible Phil is just going through a slump instead of the Winged Foot Freefall everyone keeps assumes.

Permalink 2006-08-29 @ 16:17

Comment from: Ghet Rheel [Visitor]

I'm a huge Tiger fan - not much of a Phil fan. But I will say this. Phil may have more natural golf talent than anyone else on the tour... including Tiger. For the average Joe, Phil's conditioning is, well, average. For an elite multi-million dollar athlete, Phil's physical conditioning is pathetic - apalling. Phil could be in very good shape within six months. He could be cut and toned within a year. If anyone has the wherewithall to pull it all together it is Phil. His sponsors should think seriously of tying his compesation to his physical conditioning. It is done in other sports routinely. He'll feel better, play better, think better.

One more point. Phil should consider another caddie. A big severence package may be in order. Phil and his caddie are dangerous as a team. They seem to revel in acts of daring on the golf course. What was that movie? Dumb and dumber? I know they are great friends, but they seem to bring out the worst in each other when it comes to course management decisions... Tin Cup City.

Permalink 2006-08-29 @ 17:08

Comment from: CB Maxwell [Visitor]

Merrin,
Slump...nice try. When Roberto Duran, said "no mas" was that a slump?

Permalink 2006-08-29 @ 21:52

Comment from: mamboking [Visitor]

I would only add that Phil is notorious for packing up his bags after the PGA championship. He has even skip the TOUR championship the last couple of years. I am sure that the US Open fiasco affected him somewhat but I think the biggest reason of his poor play is his mental fatigue where he his brain has pretty much called it a year by now. If I were Tom Lehman, I would keep him from play at the Rider Cup until the last day for the single matches.

Permalink 2006-08-30 @ 09:56

Comment from: CB Maxwell [Visitor]

Mambo King...good point, but one would think after a collapse like the Open that he would have stepped up to prove to himself he could compete with the world's number One. He hasn't....58 shots behind Tiger in the last four events he competed against him.

Permalink 2006-08-30 @ 11:19

Comment from: InTheBunker [Visitor]

What's missing with Phil is desire!! The will and hunger( not that kind of hunger for sure). Things have come easy for Phil in golf based on natural ability. Now, there's an obstacle he can't overcome without supreme dedication and his physical condition says he's not committed. His prep for majors is a good effort, but not enough.

Now, it's all about image--golf is not his priority, family is. That sells in corporate America; truth be told, the elite golfers do not make a living winning tournaments, they make their living as corporate pitchmen. Phil legacy is set.

Permalink 2006-09-01 @ 11:30

Comment from: agradegolfa [Visitor]

Phil and Americans are just too arrogant - "the USA Open was yours and you threw it away Phil". Whatta laff - what about Colin Montgomerie who also had a double to lose it. Whattabout Gentleman Jim Furyk who missed a short putt to lose it, and whattabout Australian Geof Ogilvy who was the only golfer to par the 17th and 18th yet is treated like he stole the Open. I thought the lowest score won the tournement. Now we read more about Phil. Get some perspective you people and after just watching Phil at the Ryder Cup, he should pack his bags and get outta town. Whatta pathetic effort. He has the fighting capabilities of a limp lettuce leaf. In a contest between Phil and Tiger, Tiger is a superstar - Phil is a good golfer - not great but good.+

Permalink 2006-09-25 @ 23:29

Comment from: Fred Frey [Visitor]

It's a shame to see Nike using Tiger Woods to infringe on my sleeve patent. Are they so big they can run over people? Trying to find a loop hole to screw my u.s.patent rights. I am sure Tiger doesn't know Nike Golf is trying to screw me out of my patent rights, and using an icon to do it. This isn't fair to Tiger or to me. I guess that's how Nike got where they are today.

Permalink 2008-02-25 @ 14:42

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