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Lefty's season of missed opportunities
by TOM LaMARRE, Sports Xchange
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Worth a thousand words:
Lefty defends his title this week in the Deutsche Bank Championship, trying to backload some juice into a year that at best can be termed disappointing.
"I think that the Players Championship and the FedEx Cup have enough credibility to where it can offset a season if you were to do well in those events, and not win a major," Mickelson, who did not come close in the Grand Slam tournaments, told reporters last week at the Barclays.
"The majors have had that sense of history that is hard to replace in just two years. But, still, I think anybody that does well and plays well in the FedEx Cup and wins the FedEx Cup, I think that would ease a lot of -- would ease anything if they didn't play well in the majors."
Mickelson finished 19th last week in the Barclays, the opening event of the FedEx Cup playoffs, continuing a season that almost any other player would consider a rousing success.
Lefty won the Northern Trust Open and the Crowne Plaza Invitational at Colonial this year and could have had a third victory but lost in a playoff to J.B. Holmes in the FBR Open.
However, it could have been a huge season because he has posted seven finishes in the top 10 and has wound up in the top 25 all but one of the 18 tournaments in which he has made the cut -- missing the weekend only at Pebble Beach.
At one point this year, Mickelson said, "I feel as though I keep turning 66s into 70s. ... I'm going to have to stop letting those shots slide in the middle of the round that are costing me in the end."
He added last week: "We all go through these spells where you're playing well, but you're not getting out of it what you want. And I feel if I'm just patient enough, eventually it will turn."
Another thing that has cost him is his play on the weekend.
Mickelson ranks seventh on the PGA Tour with a scoring average of 70.46 before the cut, but his third-round average of 71.06 is 104th and his final-round average of 70.44 ranks 26th.
Included are a final round of 78 at the Players Championship, 76 in the third round of both the U.S. Open and the British Open, and 75 in the third round of the Masters.
"I feel like I've been playing some pretty good golf," Mickelson said. "I haven't taken it to that last level of winning, but I've been just below.
"I'm excited about the next six weeks. It's the end of the season. If we can play well and finish the season on a high note, it will set up the offseason, it will set up next year and just put a better taste going into the offseason."
Paul Azinger, captain if the U.S. Ryder Cup team, hopes that Mickelson's mediocre play last week is not the beginning of the familiar Phil Phade into the offseason that has characterized his play in recent years.
When he won the Deutsche Bank last year, it was Lefty's first victory after the PGA Championship since he captured the 2000 Tour Championship.
Azinger is counting on Mickelson more than ever for the Ryder Cup in three weeks at Valhalla with Tiger Woods on the sidelines because of knee surgery.
"Phil is a good friend of mine and arguably, I think, one of the best players that's ever lived, with 34 wins and three major titles," Azinger said recently.
"We're going to have a great time. I've already sought a lot of Phil's input with respect to course setup, and we've talked about picks already."
Mickelson was on a high after winning the Deutsche Bank a year ago, outplaying Woods head-to-head in the final round to win by two strokes and taking over the lead in the FedEx Cup standings.
However, he passed up an opportunity to follow up on his advantage when he skipped the BMW Championship the next week.
Nothing wrong with that because Woods, Ernie Els and Padraig Harrington also passed on tournaments in the PGA Tour playoffs, but it turned out to be another missed opportunity for Lefty.
He lost his momentum by returning home to California in order to see his children start school, and Woods won the BMW Championship and the Tour Championship to claim the FedEx Cup.
That's only part of a trend of left turns that led to missed chances for Lefty the last few years.
Mickelson was on the verge of overshadowing Woods when he came to the final hole in the 2006 U.S. Open at Winged Foot, needing a par to win his third consecutive major. But his hopes veered off course along with his tee shot, which hit a hospitality tent. There was much speculation about which player would step up with Woods out for the last half of this season, but instead of Mickelson it was Padraig Harrington who seized the chance by claiming the last two majors of the year.
Mickelson is an immensely talented player, a virtual lock for the World Golf Hall of Fame whose misfortune it has been to play in the same generation as perhaps the best golfer in history.
Instead of playing the spoiler role of Tom Watson, who often was a thorn in the side of the great Jack Nicklaus, Lefty has been the forlorn figure far too often.
"I feel like I'm close," he told reporters last week.
Unfortunately, it's starting to look as if that might wind up being the story of his career.
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| Darren Clarke picked the right time to make his pitch for a spot on the Ryder Cup team. (Stuart Franklin / Getty Images) |
Notes and quotes
The popular golfer from Northern Ireland didn't need that long.
Clarke, one of the Euros' mainstays in their recent domination of the Ryder Cup, claimed his second victory of the season when he captured the KLM Dutch Open by four strokes over Paul McGinley of Ireland at Zandvoort, Netherlands.
"It feels good to play well when you know you have to," said Clarke, who in April won the Asian Open for his first victory in five years. "I can't have any say in the wild cards and it's up to Nick to pick who he sees is best going to help the team, but I needed to play well to make him look at me. Now I'll try to do that again next week at Gleneagles."
Clarke closed with his second consecutive 4-under-par 66, making six birdies in s span of nine holes after falling one stroke behind with a bogey on the second hole of the final round.
McGinley, who resigned as Faldo's assistant captain in the hopes of qualifying to play in the Ryder Cup, closed with a 64, but it was not enough.
"There are only two picks, so it's a tight situation, but I'm going to have to win (at Gleneagles) to give myself a chance," McGinley said. "As everybody knows, it's about winning. I have no complaints -- I have not played well enough, but there's one more event and I'll certainly be giving it 101 percent."
The 10 automatic picks for the European team will be determined after the Johnnie Walker Championship this week at Gleneagles in Scotland. Faldo is scheduled to announce his Captain's Picks at the beginning of next week.
Gilder's tee shot from 202 yards on the sixth hole Friday stopped a foot past the hole.
Not to be outdone, playing partner Allen Doyle hit almost the exact same shot, and his ball nudged Gilder's before it stopped. D.A. Weibring, the third member of the group, hit his shot to within 2-1/2 feet, and all three made birdie.
Gilder, who tied for 32nd in the Boeing, began his streak at the 2004 Jeld-Wen Tradition, and he has not missed a tournament since the Greater Hickory Classic a week earlier.
However, he has a long way to go to equal the Champions Tour record of 264 consecutive events, set by Dana Quigley from 1997 to 2005. Quigley's run ended when storms on the East Coast prevented him from leaving Rhode Island for the Senior British Open in Scotland.
So he sought out countryman Padraig Harrington, whose only three victories in the last 13 months have come in major championships.
"He came to my house and basically was talking about how to peak, how to go to a big-time event and produce your best performance," Harrington said last week at the Barclays.
"He was obviously a very talented competitor himself and knew what to do but was feeling that he was slightly underachieving at the big events."
Harrington isn't taking any credit, but Egan rolled through the preliminary rounds in the Olympics before losing to Zhang Xiaoping of China in the final match, 11-7, and took home the silver medal.
That wasn't the first time Harrington has been sought for advice. He also was asked to speak to the Dublin soccer team a few years ago.
"The following day, they went out and lost to Carlow, which is one of the favorite teams losing to one of the lower-down teams, so it was a bit of an upset," Harrington said. "I wouldn't say I have a 100 percent record in these things. But it is great to see Kenny do so well."
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| Phil Mickelson fared better on Wall Street than rival Tiger Woods did. (Jarrett Baker / Getty Images) |
Mickelson, dressed in his golf gear, and representatives of Barclays, including president Robert E. Diamond Jr., were on hand to promote the Barclays tournament and PGA Tour playoffs.
The Barclays was played nearby at Ridgewood Country Club in Paramus, N.J., last week.
For the record, golfers have not had a very good record on Wall Street.
When Lorena Ochoa, Anna Rawson and Nicole Castrale of the LPGA Tour rang the bell on May 13, the Dow Jones Industrial Average was down 39.90.
When Tiger Woods did the honors on Aug. 28, 2007, stocks were down a whopping 276.58.
Annika Sorenstam had her turn on Aug. 17, 2006, and the DJIA actually rose, but only by 13.77.
After Lefty rang the bell, the Dow fell 130.84 points, but at least he can say he was better than Woods.
Member Comments
Marty,<br /><br />1) I really don't think that you get what you see with Phil. I think that he is burning inside, and he works very hard to hide it.<br /><br />2) What can I say, it's simply that the millions and millions seemed to be reserved to those that excelled, and not the 100th place like it is now on tour. kind of defines "spoiled" if you ask me.<br /><br />3) Always remember, the past is only good if it serves an example in the present... I won't go too far and say that Jesus existed over 2000 years ago.......<br /><br />Just a thought....
topgolf9/15/2008 18:34:00 PM(Report inappropriate content)
well, I don't think he should retire, after all, I'm sure there is a whole lot worse things he could be doing for a living! I for one, would not reall care a less about what people think when my home(s) are well over a million dollars each and PAID for, when I drive whatever kind of car of my choosing, when my wife and kids can afford to eat the best foods, wear what ever clothing they wish, go to the best schools and get the best eduactaion money can by, . . why would he care what anyone really thinks about him? I mean seriously, I sometimes think people take him more seriously then he takes himself. Now that's not to say he doesn't CARE where he's at! And yes Topgolf, I am SURE there is that competative edge in him that BURNS to be better, to make it to the top otherwise he wouldn't be in the spot he's in. But I think with Phil, you get what you see. The laid back, easy going, same smile, same drab ol stuff from him. I know people usually like or dislike Phil. He seems to be a very polorizing kind of guy when it comes to golfing fans. I just think he is who we see on TV and he's put his neck out there a few times with comments that were his point of view. Like the whole Olympics deal. I don't happen to agree with Phil on his point of view of "maoney, money, money" when it comes to bringing golf to a world wide sport in the Olympics. I think if you're going to make golf an Olympic even, then it should be in the spirit of the Olympics and be ameture players ONLY. Now maybe a PRO could be a coach for thier country, but as far as playing, . . golf doesn't need the money THAT bad. <br />But now we keep going round and round, like a dog chacing it's tail with this whole. Jack did this, Lee did that, and trying to compare what they did to what todays' players do today. I just can not for the life of me figure out WHY we have to keep doing that! These are the players of TODAY! They are NOT Jack, they are NOT Lee, they are NOT Chi-Chi, . . those giys HAD thier time and when they were out they were great! But for the LOVE OF GOD, can we please move on with the people who are there NOW! I mean if we keep looking back all the time, one day we're going to run into one hell of a big tree! <br />Tiger is Tiger and Tiger is where he is because as you stated, he is SO much intuned to where he wants to go and what he wants to accomplish. That's Tiger and he's a very special individual who will go down in golfing history as the greatest to ever play the game. But that's just how HE is, we can't pin that whole "Well why doesn't the other players do what he does to get better" thing on the others! I don't know, maybe because THEY are NOT Tiger, and we have to give credit where credit is due, Tiger is a phenom that only comes along once every 40 years or so! (please don't quote me in the whole "40" year thing, it just sounded good!) Like Fred Couples said, he could NEVER practice the way Tiger does. he just never had that type of motivation for practicing! If he got board after 10 minutes, Fred would just walk away and go fimd something else to do with his time. It's going to be different for each person. Now would it be exciting to see 140-something PGA pros who were equal to Tiger Woods, . . well I guess? Not too sure how well that would work, but sure, I'll go with that. But I DO know how exciting it is to see 1 Tiger Woods perform his mo-jo out there and do stuff with a golf ball and golf club that at times can BOGGLE the mind! And again, I don't think Phil really cares about what Tiger does compared to what he's doing. I just honestly believe Phil is just as happy, providing he is doing well for proving for his wife and kids, and he LOVES what he does for a job. It seems everyone else wants him to do MORE, . and I (maybe like Fred Couples) personnaly don't think he cares, as long as he's making a good living. I mean, we wont see Phil as a Wal-Mart greater anytime soon, now will we?
MartyinMaine9/15/2008 12:56:00 PM(Report inappropriate content)
BORED!!! B-O-R-E-D!!! Always the same smile, always the same reaction, always the same answers to the media....I do not find his erratic play exciting in any way. I find pure, refined, perfected talent exciting to watch. He does not frustrate me because I don't really pull for him in any way. Not that I dislike him...<br /><br />But trust me on this, despite his banal answers to the media, he is steaming inside!! He has learned to let the steam out by thinking of how great a life he has....That's one way of doing it. Hogan let his steam out by perfecting his game....Nicklaus let steam out by understanding the game and the strategy of becoming a champion...Trevino let out steam by hitting balls all day and drinking at night....<br /><br />Notice again how (from my opinion) Phil's reaction differs from the others I mentioned: he has the luxury to realize how great a life he has. That luxury prevents him from rivaling Tiger... (Tiger, by the way, is so obsessed--to the point of it being pathological--with winning that his reaction is to push himself to danger of physical injury--he's good enough that he doesn't have to do that to win!)<br /><br />Again, Phil's luxury prevents him from rivaling Tiger....About 80% of Tour players are in his same position.. For someone to rival Tiger, they will have to learn to try to improve on a daily basis, leaving no room for complacency. In addition, this reflex must be developed at a very young age when one does not have the consciousness of the ultimate futility of it all........Why climb the mountain ?...we all know the answer, at least we did when we were kids!!!
topgolf9/13/2008 17:49:00 PM(Report inappropriate content)
Marty, great response to the dog!<br /><br />I, for one, get very frustrated watching Phil (and you are SO right that it's impossible to get bored watching him). It's OK that he wants to place such a high emphasis on his family, so he should just retire and devote 100% of his time to his family.
kycol19/13/2008 11:01:00 AM(Report inappropriate content)
Topgolf, do you get bored with Phil or fustrated? I can't see how anyone could be bored watching him. It's like watching the car wreck in NASCAR, you don't know when it's going to happen, but you sure know it will! And when he does get into trouble, it's either sink or swim and you never know if it's going to be one of those shots where you think to yourself, HOW the hell did he do that, or, . . what the hell did he do that for? there is always something going on with Phil, good or bad. <br />Now as far as 1hairydawg, you comment shows you really have no full idea of what "golf" is. It's not a beer drinking, hoot and hollar'in game. You hate Tiger, but yet want the crowds to screem and roar? Well, usually when Tiger is there is when you'll get that sort of reaction from the crowds. but once again, the simplistic mind of Adam Sandler, who is a great comedy "ACTOR" has nothing to do with REAL golf. It's only make believe for a movie! So go grab you a cold one and head out to the closest NFL stadium and act a fool all you want, there is no room for it in golf.
MartyinMaine9/13/2008 9:52:00 AM(Report inappropriate content)
hairy,<br /><br />Lebron:0 freethrows made in complete silence (left with the noise in his head, the old open jumper problem!)<br /><br />Football: rarely can the players even hear the crowd. Every single fan needs to be screaming. You think they hear you screaming from the balcony seats!!!<br /><br />Think of the number of sports that don't allow screaming (nearly all of the olympics, tennis, ...)<br /><br />You think about it!
topgolf9/5/2008 16:04:00 PM(Report inappropriate content)
You guys amaze me! I love golf, Phil M., hate Tiger, but these guys are not true atheletes. I personally think the PGA should adopt the "Happy Gilmore" style - let the gallery hoot & holler, raise 'cane, etc. How many freethrows do you think Lebron would sink if the entire arena was "hush quiet" when he towed the line, or how many touchdowns would Peyton throw if the NFL crowds were kept quiet like at golf tournaments. Think about it!
1hairydawg9/5/2008 13:50:00 PM(Report inappropriate content)
By the way, Phil hates being number 2. He knows that he had his chance at number 1 and fell short. As a result, age and life experiences have made him respond to his troubles the way he does. Hogan said that players deal with "the struggle" the best way they know how. Phil's way is not the worst way to deal with it, but it sure as hell IS boring!!!!Always the same answer!<br /><br />He might be wisest to go for early retirement. After all, it already appears that family is more important. Why not fully embrace it. He has an incredible fortune to have the wealth to enjoy his family to the fullest and still embark on more conventional, no-risk business ventures (course design, sports shows, etc...). AND, nobody would think less of him. He would find all the right words to explain his decision.......<br /><br />What I truly love about Phil is, behind the persona he gives, HE TRULY HATES BEING NUMBER 2!!!!!!!! Damn tough situation to be in when number 1 is Tiger!<br /><br />I say, GO PHIL, BUT don't be so damn boring!!!
topgolf9/4/2008 22:22:00 PM(Report inappropriate content)
We laugh at Jean Van de Velde for his ONE screw up in history... Phil does it several times a year.....
topgolf9/4/2008 22:06:00 PM(Report inappropriate content)
kycol1,<br />I agree with you that if Phil, or ANY PGA tour pro dedicate more time and effort to their craft, it would be interesting to see what happens. But the point about Phil is just that. He wont take away from the dedication of family in order to try and reach some platue "we" out here, feel he's capable of. I see Phil as a guy who is very comfortable right where he's at, making one hell of a good living and if he gets to the top, great, if not, . well that's okay too. I'm sure if you saw Phil dive down into the lower 50's or even the lower 20s for that matter, you'd see him buckle down and give more push. But I don't see that happening with him anytime soon. He is who he is and it's funny how much other people get SO fustrated with HIM because of the way he is. It's almost like people are unhappy if he doesn't fit the mold THEY want? Phil is a fantastic golfer and one hell of a great guy!
MartyinMaine9/3/2008 15:14:00 PM(Report inappropriate content)
You people that make excuses for Phil kill me!!! If Tiger had the miserable 2 months that Phil has had..this board would be all over Tiger saying he is a washed up has been..Be consistant folks and quit making excuses and telling us about Phils majors and his 35 tournaments...we all know about those..I am so sick of the double standard where these 2 are concerned...
rmbuster129/3/2008 6:54:00 AM(Report inappropriate content)
Hey, guys and girls, the prince of diving, Phelps, appears on a hot SEXY*WEALTHY dating site called ++++++DateRichSingles....com+++++ According to the press, the site offered him one-year free gold membership. If it is true, I guess millions of cutties will go there for a romantic date. Beleive it or not? Obviously an ad.<br />@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@<br />!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
9/2/2008 20:52:00 PM(Report inappropriate content)
Two Fedex tournaments and two missed cuts. That about sums itup don't you think??? I think his poor play as of late is due to the absence of Tiger...JMHO...
skynzfn9/1/2008 12:37:00 PM(Report inappropriate content)
BgolfFan you said "Tiger got off on the wrong foot with me, early in is career when his father stated his making more of a world impact than Jesus Christ. Now, that I found offensive! Give me Phil any day!<br />Here is the real quote:<br />Several years ago, Sports Illustrated sent one of its writers to interview Earl Woods, the father of Tiger, in order to get some background for their Sportsman of the Year story on the famous golfer. What happened is related by John Feinstein in his book on Tiger Woods, The First Coming:<br /><br />In talking to Earl Woods, Smith got quotes in which the father insisted that his son had been sent by God and that he would be the most important human ever ? not the most important golfer or the most important athlete, but the most important human. "Tiger will do more than any other man in history to change the course of humanity," Earl Woods said. When Smith asked Earl Woods if he honestly thought his son ? a golfer ? would have more impact than Nelson Mandela, more than Gandhi, more than the Buddha, Earl Woods didn?t blink. "Yes, because he has a larger forum than any of them. Because he?s playing a sport that?s international. Because he?s qualified through his ethnicity to achieve miracles. . . . There is no limit because he has the guidance. I don?t know exactly what form this will take, but he is the Chosen One. He?ll have the power to impact nations. Not people. Nations. The world is just getting a taste of his power."<br />So he did not say Jesus, and think about it, is it really fair to hold it against Tiger for something his Father said, after all he had no control of that.
Luvthegame8/30/2008 19:02:00 PM(Report inappropriate content)
I feel the USA would have a better shot at the Ryder Cup if they laft "Lefty" at home. When it comes to this tournament, for the "Hot Shot " player he thinks he is, his record is deplorable.<br />The media loves him because he panders to them. But, lets face it, he has the wrong nickname. Yes, he plays a lefty when he is really a righty. <br />Mabey if he changed his name to "Chocker" he wouldn't get his lefts and rights confused on the course.
Dust_Buster8/30/2008 13:25:00 PM(Report inappropriate content)
I'd rather have the 14 majors, the 65 career wins, the FedEx Cup, the lowest career scoring average in golf history, the 9 PGA Player of the Year awards, the 7 Vardon Trophies, etc.<br /><br />Yeah, I get that Phil puts such emphasis on his family...and that's great...but he just isn't dedicated to being the best he can be at his craft. If he'd give that a go, I'd love to see what the results would be.
kycol18/30/2008 12:02:00 PM(Report inappropriate content)
kycol1,<br />I agree with you that Phil should be talked about as "ONE" of, . . the greatest players ever, however not even close to THE greatest player ever. He may very well be one of the nicest, most friendly guys ever to walk the course since Arnold Palmer and deserves a spots in golfing Hall of Fame and history. As far as Phil being Phil's problem, I'm not to sure Phil looks at it that way. I think he is just as fine with where he is and the money he's making! I honesly believe that there is more concern about Phil's game from everyone other then Phil himself. I don't see Phil as Phil's problem, I think he laughs off the mistakes as just a part of the game. I see him as a guy who's out there having a great time playing. If it's a hero shot that works, great, if it fails miserably, I think he moves on real quick. I don't see him loosing a whole lot of sleep over anything out there on the course. He's a pretty happy go lucky kind of guy who loves what he does for a living, but it is NOT his number one concerns in life. I respect and admire Phil very much, but once again, I don't think he gives a rats @ ss about any of the critiszm he gets. He just looks like he's having way too much fun out there to really care where "WE" all think he should be or what he should do! As far as the whole Phil fan, or Tiger fan, Lee fan or Jack fan, well, for me, I'm a GOLF fan and I LOVE what ALL these people bring to the table. I'm a fan of all of them.
MartyinMaine8/30/2008 10:55:00 AM(Report inappropriate content)
kycol1 yes you are right. i saw a golf mag article where phil gave putting tips yet he was 168th in putting (i checked) and yes phil is his own biggest problem. the hero shot is not what wins tournaments but rather the shots (all of them) that keep the ball in play
wes1a8/29/2008 20:05:00 PM(Report inappropriate content)
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