Round 4: World Golf Championships-Bridgestone Invitational
August 8 2010
5:49 pm
Mickelson in a quandry
Phil Mickelson didn’t know quite how to explain the disappointing 78 he shot Sunday in the final round of the World Golf Championships-Bridgestone Invitational.
He had started the day in a tie for 10th, four strokes off the lead. Not to mention, he had a another chance to take over No. 1 in the world with a finish of fourth or better.
Instead, on a day that dawned with such promise, Mickelson finished in a distant tie for 46th at 3 over. So the 2010 Masters champ will head to next week’s PGA Championship in search of answers.
"It was a rough day if you couldn’t tell," Mickelson said. "It was a rough day. … I felt pretty good today. I felt good on the range, I hit some good shots. I felt like I was sharp and ready to go attack the golf course and make some birdies. And it just didn’t happen.
"I don’t know what to say. I mean, then the round obviously got away. But it didn’t feel like it was far off. But it turned out to be."
Asked whether the first two rounds, where Mickelson was one stroke off the lead, or the last two were more indicative of the state of his game, Lefty wasn’t quite sure. He said it wasn’t unlike the way he felt after tying for 35th the week before he went to Augusta National and won his fourth major.
"I mean, you’re only as good as your last performance," Mickelson said. "This wasn’t very good. … Although it looked way off, it didn’t feel like it was that far off. I felt like there were still some decent shots that I hit, but the round just got away from me there."
The par-5 second hole started the slide. He hit his approach into a greenside bunker and then airmailed his third over the green before finally chipping on and two-putting for bogey.
"If that hybrid carries onto the green, I have a two-putt birdie and everything is fine," said Mickelson, who went on to make six more bogeys and a double bogey before finally making his only birdie of the day at the 17th hole.
"And then I felt like maybe I was pressing for birdies from there and just couldn’t quite get any.”
Of course, Mickelson will go into the PGA with yet another chance to unseat Tiger Woods as the No. 1 player in the game. He’s been second for a record 258 weeks but right now Mickelson has other more pressing concerns.
"If I keep finishing ahead of them every week eventually it’ll happen, but the problem is there’s guys behind me that will pass me because I’m not playing well enough right now," Mickelson said. "I’ve got some work to do to get my own game sharp.
"Fortunately I have some more tournaments here where I’m able to try to get in a groove and play more consecutive weeks. But it’s important with this last major coming up next week that I try to get this thing turned around here in the next three days." – Helen Ross
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I think it’s time to really look at Phil the man the player. It appears that with the numerous opportunities that he has had to unseat Tiger it evident that He does not have the stomach to handle the pressure of being number one. If you look at the chances and the results you can tell what he is made of. It’s Ok Phil only the brave dare to achieve greatness. Phil is clearly not getting the most out of his talent. So So Sad. Man up Phil.
Wow Karl. Phil is the best golfer in the game right now. Look at what all he’s accomplished on the course and what he has to deal with off the course. You’re probably not half the man that Phil is. He’ll take the number one seat because he’s good enough, just watch and it’ll happen. Don’t be that guy who comments on others peoples’ disappointments like you can go out there and do any better. Watch out world. We’ve seen what Phil Mickelson can do after a bad round of golf… Victory is imminent.
Golf is a game of “focus” Phil…Tiger…Els all great players are in a season where they are loosing their focus. They will recover, in the meantime other golfers will imerge. The 2011 season is on the horizen…we shall see.
Why can’t Phil move into the number 1 position? Personally, I think the bigger tragedy is the fact that Tiger IS still ranked number 1. Sure, Phil has thrown away every opportunity he has been given to take over the top spot (put Lee Westwood’s count at 1 now), but how on Earth Tiger is still ranked number one is beyond me. The entire ranking system needs reworked.
2010 isnt over yet Larry. Phil never plays well after the US open until the playoffs. :)
ROGER: PHIL NEEDS TO BACK OFF HIS DRIVER AND HIT SONE FAIRWAYS. MAY ALSO NEED TO CHANGE PUTTERS, I FIND HE MISSES TOO MANY PUTS INSIDE TEN FEET.
Sorry, now way Phil is the best player in the game. He hasnt done anything of note since the Master’s. He has had his chances to take the #1 title but can’t do it. He cant even decided if he wants it. One week its not a focus and the next he wants it. He doesnt handle pressure very well at all.
A vert talented plater who will always be #2.
QUANDARY, not quandry!
Just another case of Phil falling victim to “being Phil”. Sometimes he should just hit the straight-forward shot rather then trying to make something happen
Mickelson number 2 for 258 straight weeks. Didn’t Sticker take the number 2 spot for one week, thus meaning Mickelson hasn’t been 2 for 258 consecutive weeks?
So I’m a very big Tiger fan. Right now, I don’t think Tiger deserves to be #1. But neither does Phil. If you look at what he has done this year, besides winning Augusta, he hasntnreally done much. Missed the cut once or twice…outside top 25 a bunch of others. If I had a vote, maybe Rory Mcilroy(sic).
Phil is a great player but I also feel he is missing that “I AM #1 ATTITUDE” that gets the great ones over the top. As for why Tiger is #1 it is based on wins and scoring over a period of time and NO ONE has as many wins as Tiger over the last 6 years. If you look at the #1 STATS you will see that each player has GAINED POINTS and LOST POINTS. During this last year Tiger has been losing more points than he is gaining. Phil has been gaining some points but is still losing points due to his up and down play. The one that is sneaking up is Lee Westwood who is only .2 behind Phil who is .5 behind Tiger. Tiger has more TOTAL POINTS than Phil but Lee has the most TOTAL POINTS of any player now. The difference is Tiger has played in 40 tournaments, Phil 42 and Lee 50 so Tiger wins the AVERAGE POINTS and that is what determines #1.
“By winning the Northern Trust Open on Sunday, Stricker passed Phil Mickelson to move up to No. 2 in the world rankings.”
Yes I was correct. Stricker took over the number two spot back in Feb.
This is the reason I can’t stand Phil. Don’t get me wrong, he is a great husband and a great father. No one can ever comment negatively about him off the course….BUT, he is probably the most talented guy out there, including Tiger. Tiger has out worked Phil over his career, that is why he has accomplished more. I agree with the poster above. I don’t think Phil has the stomach or the stones to be the best. He simply can’t handle it. But that is OK, he has made a name for himself as the second best golfer of his generation. I just don’t want to hear that Phil is the best out there…NOT even close and he never will be.
Tiger and Phil are #1 and #2 based on the OFFICIAL WORLD GOLF RANKING formula but some people are confusing who is the best player right now as compared to #1 in the World and the BEST PLAYER RIGHT NOW statistically should go to Ernie Els who leads in FEDEX CUP Points, SCORING AVERAGE, and 2010 MONEY LEADER. Of the 11 top STATISTICS the PGA posts on the STATS page McIlroy is in the top 10 in only one of those: 8th in the World Rankings.
Phil doesn’t need to apologize for what he has done. Phil has 38 tour victories, 4 majors, a TPc win, won as an amatuer on tour, and won the US amateur. I don’t think Phil needs to change anything or have any regrets. When you play like Phil does, some are going to get away, but he has had an unbelievable career, and I believe in his 40′s he will continue to amaze. Continue to be who you are Phil, and you will continue to have the fans there with you.
Nobody on the tour has established any consistency at WINNING tournaments this year. The most wins anyone has is two, I believe. With Tiger way off what we’ve grown to expect over the past twelve years and Phil having an off year (other than Augusta), there are lots of excellent players but no great ones out there.
Phil Mickelson is an outstanding person. He is the model of what all golfers should be; professionals and amateurs. He is a great husband, father, and an even better man. If Tiger Woods ever recovers from his disastrous lifestyle and realizes that he is no longer 20 years old anymore, MAYBE I would consider giving Tiger a portion of the respect that I have for Phil. Although he is far too stubborn, I recommend that Mr. Woods look to Phil for advice in order to restore himself.
What’s all this nonsense about Phil just being Phil! He’s obviously pressing right now and it all goes to the fact that he’s in trouble with every tee shot. He’ll figure it out and take over #1. He’s won 36 PGA tournaments and 4 majors. He’s felt plenty of pressure before and come through. Tiger’s got big problems. Massive personal and financial distractions. I just hope he can work through it.
Phil is an awesome player who takes shots that none of us would ever dream of taking. Take that incredible shot he made at the Masters from behind the trees. To make a shot like that when the Masters Tournament hangs in the balance is incredible.
Can you question Phils shot selections? of course you could but when he makes them we call him a genius when he doesnt, we say he made a bad choice. All I know is that when he is in contention on Sunday afternoon its exciting.
Yes Phil is no Tiger but he is not supposed to be..we as fans are the ones who want that. Phil just wants to win tournaments and leave his mark. If Phil does feel that he needs to beat Tiger its probably because the media built up this rivalry and he cant escape it.
Who knows why he cant crack that number one spot..its possible that he will never do it, and that would be a shame beacause he is one this gerations top golfers, no doubt about it.
Anyone else wonder if Phil was being a gentleman by intentionally NOT taking the #1 ranking from Tiger while Tiger is obviously not playing his best?
“Yeah, Phil became #1 but only because Tiger was all messed up….”
Not the way I would want to get that ranking.
Hey, we all choose who WE rate #1 -and thats all that matters, the rankings are flawed and, unlike tennis, many players can win any week even when the supposed #1 plays well. Get over it get on with it and enjoy it
Phil, Don’t wear those brown shoes any longer. Everytime you wear them your score suffers!
what happen to all these top players on Sunday?
Els +6
Tiger +7
Phil +8
I do have to comment on the person explaining the rankings…Tiger’s AVERAGE is based upon his total points being divided by 40 because that is the minimum divisor. Tiger has really only played about 22 events, and if you divided his total points by that number, you would realize how much better Tiger REALLY is than Phil and Westwood, and they would still not be close. Remember, Tiger did win 7 times last year and finished outside the top ten just 3 times out of 18, one of which was match play. The only truly scary thing for a Tiger fan right now is this: typically when Tiger is off, he is still rather consistent, finishing in the top 10, or at least in the top 20…and sometimes is even in contention and the other guys fall apart and he wins. This year, despite only missing the one cut, he still has not been consistent at all. However, I think that this is because this time around he is dealing with mental issues, which was always what made Tiger the best of the best: his mental toughness. You take that away from him, and he is just about as good as Phil. That has always been the difference between Tiger and Phil. If Tiger can let some time go by, and get by this period in his life and find some contentedness and happiness, we might see the Tiger of old. Or…this could be it for him. I have always said Tiger was SOMEWHAT lucky winning so quickly that it bred confidence, which in turn had a snowball effect. Let’s hope it doesn’t happen the same way on the way down, with him losing his confidence and not being able to get it back.
Oh yeah, and Randy..your comment was so …wow…idiotic? Is that the correct word? Grow a brain.
And did anyone catch the quote Tiger threw out on Friday? “If Phil plays like he is supposed to this weekened then he will be number 1.” Think that wasn’t a little psychological jab at Phil? If so, it certainly worked.
OH, and another thing to the “AntiTiger.” As someone who has met Phil personally on several occassions, all I am going to say is this: It really bugs me when people make comments about others that they don’t know. Do not pretend to know anything about what kind of a father or husband Phil Mickelson or Tiger Woods is based upon the media. I am guessing you would be surprised to know that Phil Mickelson is one of the most unliked players out on TOUR, and these are the people who actually interact with him and have a clue about who he really is.
So, please, spare us your comments about how great who is in which aspect, and who you think needs to do what to earn your (none of them give a crap about you) respect, because you know a little more than nothing about these men, and that is being generous.
Well said Aaron – if Phil could get the top spot, he’d take it any way he could. Problem is he still doesn’t have the intestinal fortitude to pull it off.
If Phil gets to #1, IMO he won’t be there long, because he lacks that killer instinct that makes (made) Tiger great. Phil is great at winning by having a great Sunday and coming from behind, but he is sporatic when he’s on top.
As was stated on the broadcast today, Phil does not care about backing into #1, he wants to win. Obviously he did not play well, and that happens to every tour player. Those who don’t think he has the stomach for it, he has stepped up many times, including in his personnel life. I love Phil because he tries shots we all do, and many times pulls it off. He will get to #1 if he plays well, no matter what he is # one with the fans.
How does Tiger stay at #1? By winning multiple times every year. He does it with authority. How does Phil get to #1? By hoping to finish above a certain spot and hoping Tiger finish below a certain spot. All this in Tiger’s worst year on tour. And still he couldn’t do it. He’ll never be a #1 in my book. And of course I’m talking about golf, not #1 father or husband, since I presume the forum is on golf.
If Lee Westwood didn’t have to withdraw from PGA championship due to injury, i think he would’ve won and passed both Tiger and Phil. as for stars playing poorly…a ton of them, obviously tiger, phil the past few months, sergio, adam scott, villegas have all played poorly. what the heck happened to vijay and davis love? can’t remember the last time i saw their name on the leaderboard.
Mickelson’s favorite word ‘attrition’; just back into the #1 spot, Tiger has been giving him many many many opportunities to do so. At least Vijay did it the proper way; winning 9 times in 2004, that I can respect. Vijay didn’t get the benefit of Tiger imploding and constant media attention that he himself was totally to blame for.
Right now, Tiger is not the best by performance this year. But based on the measuring system in place, he is. He has given Phil a platter with #1 on it but Phil keeps dropping the platter. I certainly wouldn’t want Tiger to keep handing me #1…maybe it’s too heavy to carry for most.
I’m with Connor…go earn it like Vijay did.
Surely Westwood should be in there somewhere ,how many seconds and thirds has he had lately compared with Woods and Phil.
Phil will never win as long as his driver fails him. he should cut down on his backswing don’t go beyond paraell and shift his weight to the right on his down swing and not a reverse pivot as he does most of the time and pushes the drive to his left. he should be on his right side after his swing and until he completes his swing on his right leg he will have a problem with his game.
Good man, Phil–you refused to kick Tiger while he’s down. It would have been easy to post a 67-68,tie for 3rd, and wake-up No. 1… No,you blew up your scorecard so you can catch Tiger when he is Tiger and not pile-on while he’s obviously still reeling from personal issues. Once again, you took the high road and yet, Tigere’s problems are of his own making and while you’ve shown your loyalty, don’t look a gift horse(Tiger?) in the mouth. Get that killer,gambler instinct honed and take over No. 1–you deserve it.
Aah you guys will never reach a conclusion. I like both the two golfers Tiger and Phil on the course. But it’s apparent who the world #1 is… Tiger. Tiger is going through all this turmoil in his life and anyone grabbing the #1 position at this era of Woods will be a #1 without considering TW. It has to be an ace without advantages just like how David Duval and Vijay Singh did it.
Hnic complains that “Mickelson hasn’t been 2 for 258 consecutive weeks”, but Hnic, the story does not use the words “consecutive” or “straight” .. it only states the fact that he has spent 258 weeks at #2 in total. To those wondering how Tiger is still #1, the OWGR system covers form over several years, admittedly with performances decreasing in importance over time. But the wins Tiger has stacked up in 2008 and 2009 put him so far ahead of anybody that even in the worst form of his career, he sits on top of the rankings. This year will hurt his ranking, though, when the wins of 2008 and 2009 drift further into the past. If he does not start winning again before 2011, expect to see him fade in the rankings rather quickly next year.
Lets face it, Phil is a super Choke. This is about 6 weeks and he flat can not handle the pressure. He collapsed at the british open when tied with Tiger. He has over 30 wins but he actually is not a Sunday player, he will shoot 5 under on thurs and friday but get to sat and sunday and he maybe will shoot par. Phil the thrill will make 4-5 bogeys and 4 – 5 birdies,. When is the last time we saw him come from behind to win a tournament on Sunday
The Tiger mystique is over…the rankings just hasnt caught up to him yet. Even if he is some-how able to shake the rust and get his head straight…things have changed.
A. His game is not superior than the field – Other golfer are hitting it longer, putting it better and with just as much feel and creativity
B. No one is afraid of him – That EDGE he used to have is gone…none of the top players are AFRAID of him on Sunday…not like they used to be
Whether its Phil, Westwood or even Kuchar!! Tigers hold on #1 is over and now it is a battle for the rest.
Me parece que hubo un problema con Cabrera porque en un momento en los primeros hoyos, se quejó diciendo que tuvieran en cuenta que no estaba jugando solo, que eran dos…
a partir de ahí no pegaron más un tiro ninguno de los dos…
Some of you folks need to get off your “crusades” of judging off course behavior (good or bad) and it relevence to wins. These are two great players playin like poop~! That’s all. They (along with Mr. Westwood)are not close to their previous performance(s) but a “tour supported” system has them rated as such!Thank goodness we dont have to put up with this crap being scrolled out here~! It’s a game people!Take pleasure in Hunter’s or Rory or Ryo’s play not the decline of two superstars, who have given us more than we should expect!
I have been an avid Tiger fan forever…he has been an inspiration in my life and certainly helped my own career indirectly, and I am not about to go south on him. It is quite clear that the events that have transpired over the past 9 months or so have had their toll on the man…and that is what he is, a man. We all put him up on a pedastal and continually expected super-human feats from him probably because history told us that he does deliver, hey he is Tiger, but now we are watching what can happen to the greatest golfer that the game has ever produced, what can happen to this man when his personal life is a mess.
I have 2 kids of my own roughly the same age as his and I would be absolutely devastated if something like this was happening in their lives. I would be a blithering mess…so in the whole big picture of things, I believe Tiger will survive this stage in his life and redominate the game…he is just too good of a player and done too much to fathom that it will never return.
Heads up Tiger…you are a tough cookie, hang in there…
Everybody has their own opinion, but it is difficult to say somebody is a super choke when they have 46 pro wins including:
-38 PGA Tour victories (indeed over 30, nearer 40 obviously), 4 Major Championships, 2 WGC’s, The Players Championship.
I’m sure a player with only 3 winless years has plenty more to offer the game and he’s in a no win situation to an extent when you have Tiger Woods (or rather had) playing and winning like a machine. I believe he will make 50 PGA Tour wins with at least another major so that will presumably make a half decent career for a ‘super choke’.
Rather than a choker i think he often makes stupid decisions which are clearly not ones of a choker, but somebody who is going for too much. This may have cost him in the past, although if he had played safe in May 2008 at Colonial he may have ended up in a play-off and lost if he had not played an arguably better shot than at Augusta (where he also showed guts because, even though he did not make eagle, the shot out of the trees basically guaranteed a birdie as a par there would have been like a bogie to him for a man with his length and a loss of momentum after his gutsy play of going for the flag at 12, where, funnily enough, he also made the birdie).
Obviously Tiger has been out there on his own in terms of victories in the past but his greatness is not an excuse to belittle the next best player. For everybody out there struggling to rounds of 90 plus, put yourself in Mickelson’s shoes and imagine how much dedication, skill and mental capacity it takes to win all these tournaments consistently (12th in all-time list isn’t bad). Where are all the other players out there who at least have a go, win consistently with multiple majors along the way?
And remember he’s not been without his troubles either, nearly winning at Bethpage last year (would have been a miracle) and then to claim the Masters this year with a stunning final round was pretty impressive. And as for not being a Sunday player, in 2009 he held off the charge of Ernie Els at the HSBC and dug out a win over Nick Watney in the WGC-CA after spending some of the weekend in hospital. Apparently he also put to bed that myth of not coming from behind when he beat Tiger by 3 after trailing by 2 in the Tour Championship, and winning the 2010 Masters by 3 after beginning round 4 trailing by 1. Was also 2 down with 6 to play in the 2004 Masters (the year this ‘choker’ won his 1st Major). And as for final round pairings with Tiger, in the 2007 Deutsche Bank he beat him by 2 shots to win the tournament and again performed better in the 2009 Masters where they both ended up falling short.
Now I’m obviously a Phil fan and with the good points of winning, there comes the missed chances of losing and he regularly frustrates when I think he over-analyses things (which is why I think he does badly over here on links). But winning again makes it all the sweeter. But because I like Phil doesn’t mean I detest Tiger. IM SIMPLY A GOLF FAN!! (and the sport will continue long after Tiger) In a way the guy has had it hard because he was drilled into what he was going to be from such a young age. Now over here I settle for watching the PGA Tour on the computer and followed Tiger on the shot tracker yesterday. Not in a patronising way, I started to feel sorry for him; I couldn’t believe he was +18 and it must have been humiliating. Even with a rigid upbringing, his mistakes are his own and anybody who criticises him is just a hypocrite (glass houses and stones etc.).
People always write off talented people and start to write complete self-serving rubbish because they are an easy target when they fall below what they have previously achieved, but these top stars have more talent in their little finger than the people doing the bitter, jealous sounding writing (i.e. Federer and Nadal, both written off but have come back), and this goes for both Tiger and Phil also.
If Phil does get the number 1 spot it’s because Tiger is playing like a 4 year old if Tiger was on his game it would not even be in the talks so to the people who think Phil will make number 1 your living in a dream world joke is on you HA HA HA GO TIGER GO…….
Dan, to answer your question, the last time Phil came from behind to win a tournament on Sunday: the 2010 Master’s, where he was 1 back of Westwood. His next tournament he came from behind to win on Sunday? Last year’s Tour Championship where he was 4 back of Kenny Perry and 2 back of Woods going into Sunday. By the way, Eldrick’s never came from behind to win a major on Sunday….