Capelle On Golf

Over the last three seasons during Tiger Woods has literally owned the British Open and PGA. Consider his record from 2005-2007:

British Open: W, W, 12t
PGA: 4t, W, W

With Tiger on the sidelines, conventional wisdom says that Phil Mickelson has a huge opportunity to bolster his resume by winning either of these events. Still, if the media has its way, Mickelson is in a no win situation. If he wins, the writers will say that it was because Tiger wasn’t there to stop him. If Mickelson fails to win either major, that just proves how deficient number two is compared to Tiger.

Phil’s Dilemma
So what’s Phil Mickelson to do? He should forget about the pundits (and those crazy driver-less game plans) and concentrate on wining. He can deal with the “experts” later and their ridiculous questions. “Phil, do you think you would have won if Tiger had played.” Or, “Should they put an asterisk next to your name on the trophy and in the record books?”

To erase all doubt, it would help for Mickelson to lap the field as Woods has done by winning five of his 14 majors by five or more shots. We know Mickelson is capable of playing some extraordinary golf. For example, at the 2006 Bell South Classic he annihilated the field by 13 strokes.

Should Mickelson orchestrate a virtuoso performance that features consistently long and straight tee shots (something Tiger’s not known for) even the staunchest of his critics will have to concede that Tiger might not have won had he been able to compete. And considering that Woods will be an Ocean away in Florida, it would be nice if the press can write an article about Phil’s victory that does not include Tiger Woods’ name.