PGA Tour Confidential: HSBC Champions

Every week of the 2009 PGA Tour season, the editorial staff of the SI Golf Group will conduct an e-mail roundtable. Check in on Mondays for the unfiltered opinions of our writers and editors.

Gary Van Sickle, senior writer, Sports Illustrated: Let's start in Shanghai. Pretty exciting stuff, on the final three holes especially. At 16, Phil Mickelson whiffed a flop shot, chunked the next one and holed an 18-footer to save par. Tiger Woods fluffed a flop on the same hole, dumping his into a bunker, then clanged his bunker shot off the flagstick to save par. Ernie Els shot a closing 63 but put his second shot in the lake on the reachable par-5 finishing hole. That bogey cost him a chance at winning.

Should we read anything into this? Is Mickelson going to have a monster 2010?

Cameron Morfit, senior writer, Golf Magazine: It's interesting the way Phil and Tiger's long, multi-faceted relationship is trending. Tiger used to own Phil like Hideki Matsui owns Pedro. Not anymore. At this moment in time, Phil is clearly the best player in the world. The question is, can he sustain it into 2010 and someday overtake Tiger in the ranking? The way Phil is putting, anything is possible. He seems reborn.

Jim Herre, managing editor, SI Golf Group: More clutch putting from Phil has to be a good sign for him in 2010.

Damon Hack, senior writer, Sports Illustrated: Seems to me Phil has become a lot more comfortable seeing the red shirt on Sundays. Deutsche Bank a couple of years ago, the Masters in April and now Shanghai. Phil has always been Tiger's biggest threat, and now he's starting to cash in some chips.

Van Sickle: Making putts again will rejuvenate anyone. See Payne Stewart and Vijay Singh (briefly) for details. I believe Phil is poised for a big 2010, a strong late-career run and maybe, finally, even a U.S. Open.

Alan Shipnuck, senior writer, Sports Illustrated: Phil's best golf has always been good enough to scare Tiger. The big difference is that Tiger plays at a high level every time he tees it up, while Phil usually only shows up for three or four weeks a year. I'll believe Phil is the best player in the world when he can sustain this level of play for a full season. (And pick off a couple more majors.)

David Dusek, deputy editor, Golf.com: It's so much better for golf to have a real challenger for Tiger in the No. 2 spot. Mickelson wins at East Lake, has a great Presidents Cup and now wins in China with a star-studded leaderboard. Can we just play the Masters next week, after Disney?

Morfit: The most amazing part of the week was not something I saw but something I read, that Phil said mid-round Saturday, "Someone's got his putter back!" I can't believe he said that out loud. Everyone knows not to taunt the Golf Gods like that. And yet he still won. He clearly feels bulletproof.