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In praise of Mickelson Pay close attention to the prediction below ...
First Faxon, then Love, now Mickelson. Next thing you know, some much-maligned tour wife is going to win a tournament.
As you might expect, I've been dodging a lot of shrapnel the last few weeks, as On Tour regulars Brad Faxon, Davis Love III and Phil Mickelson have pretty much taken over the golf world. Despite the onslaught of snarky e-mail (or maybe because of it), I must confess that I've thoroughly enjoyed watching the boys play such exciting, if occasionally uneven, golf. Faxon we've dealt with already, and Love will get a column of his own shortly; now is the time to re-examine Mickelson, who has to be regarded as the hottest player in golf right now, young Eldrick be damned.
His 0-fer in '99 (ending a tour-best streak of seven straight years with a victory) did serve as a necessary wakeup call for Mickelson, who for most of the '90s was known as a player of outrageous natural gifts but limited work ethic. Sure, he could still stand to get in slightly better shape -- press-room joke last week: Why did Phil Mickelson eat a bad hamburger? It was the only way he could lose those 10 pounds -- but getting lapped by Woods and David Duval in '99 motivated him to work tirelessly to sharpen his wedge game, groove his putting stroke and tighten his long swing. As solid as Mickelson has become through the bag, what I like most about him as a player is his fearlessness. Behind that vacant smile and preppy wardrobe is a true warrior. He's the only guy in golf who seems to actually enjoy tussling with Tiger. While others have tripped over themselves congratulating Woods, Mickelson is faint, at best, in his praise. He won't concede anything to anyone -- not surprising for a guy who is now 4-1 in playoffs in his career, plus undefeated in Ryder Cup singles matches -- and this bulletproof confidence has made for riveting viewing the last couple of Sundays. Sure, trying to hit a driver off the deck into the wind on the 72nd hole of the AT&T is not a high-percentage shot, but what I loved about Mickelson was not only that he was playing for victory, and nothing else, but that afterward he expressed no regrets. In his mind there is only one way to play: pedal to the metal. Before the season even started Mickelson strutted into the press room in Maui and threw down the gauntlet, saying, "The game has changed. I feel par should be attacked and birdies should be made on almost every hole." His hyper-aggressiveness has earned him 18 career victories, as many tour events as Greg Norman has won, and Phil is still but a tender 30 years old. We all know there is still a gaping hole in Mickelson's résumé: a major championship. The same bravado that carries him to victory in places like Tucson and San Diego is exactly what has held him back in the Grand Slam events. Mickelson obviously has the talent to win majors; despite the widespread misconception, he doesn't choke those four weeks a year. Rather, his game and his mindset clash with the demands of major-championship setups, where par is considered a very good score. Winning majors demands an entirely different style of golf, built around minimizing mistakes, not firing at flags. Over the last couple of years Mickelson has clearly begun to understand this, as his very-solid record in the majors attests. I'm ready to go on record here: Phil will win this year's Masters. I've never picked him before in any major, but the time has come. Not only is his game peaking, but nobody in golf right now is more mentally tough. This was driven home to me during the decisive hole of the sudden-death playoff at last week's Buick Invitational. No sooner had Frank Lickliter sped off in his Hummer than the e-mails began streaming in protesting that Mickelson had violated the spirit of the rules during the whole unplayable/provisional/lost-ball imbroglio on Torrey Pines' 17th hole. I beg to differ. Mickelson showed an incredible amount of poise and intelligence and competitive spirit, not to mention a nuanced understanding of the rules. While everybody else was confused or overwhelmed by the moment, Mickelson was in total control of the situation. There is an important dichotomy that needs to be understood here: Amateurs think the rules are there to penalize them, while pros think the rules are there to help them, and they grope for every possible advantage. I remember when Nick Faldo used to practice his penalty drops. You see, pros always pick out a nice patch of turf and aim for a specific spot. The drop is not as much a roll of the dice as the average fan thinks. Back at Torrey Pines Mickelson wasn't cheating, he was pushing the letter of the rules to their logical extreme. I commend him for playing to win. Right now, nobody in golf does it better. Sports Illustrated senior writer Alan Shipnuck periodically waxes about life On Tour for CNNSI.com. Click here to send him a question or a nice, friendly comment.
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