Capelle On Golf

Phil Mickelson’s season would be a huge success by any player’s standards short of the elite players who measure success in major titles.

He’s finished in the top 25 in 18 of 19 tournaments. He’s also won twice and has five additional top 10s. His only miss came at the AT&T Pebble Beach where an 11 on the 14th hole in the third round caused him to miss the cut by five shots.

Back in 2004 Tiger Woods kept saying he was close while he was undergoing his swing changes. Close could aptly describe Mickelson’s year as well. His consistency means he must be playing reasonably good golf. But something’s been missing that’s kept him from having a truly exceptional year.

While his physical game has been spotty, overall it’s not been that bad. He’s 35th in GIR, 36th in scrambling, and 45th in putts per GIR. None of these stats is great, but together they make a formidable combination.

So while his physical game could be a little better, what’s kept him from winning a major and additional tour events is his mental game. At the Masters he trailed Trevor Immelman by three shots after 36 holes, then shot 75 on “moving” day to fall out of contention. At THE PLAYERS, the so-called fifth major, he trailed Sergio Garcia, the eventual winner, by two shots going into Sunday’s final round before closing with at 78 to slide back into a tie for 21st.

At the US Open his ill-fated no-driver plan in Tiger’s company led to rounds of 71-75 before making a nine on the thirteenth hole Saturday to shoot 76. With the pressure lifted, he crusaded in with a closing 68.

At the British Open his inability to deal with the elements led to an opening round of 79. He once again closed strongly with a no-pressure71 to make the top 20. At the PGA he made an early on Sunday with three straight birdies on two through four that put him near the leaders. But he closed with three bogeys and the rest pars to finish seven back.

And let’s not forget the WGC-Bridgestone. He was leading the tournament with four holes to play by a shot and looking good. Then he closed with three bogeys and a par to lose to Vijay Singh by two shots.

Clearly a patterned has emerged. When the pressure is off going into Sunday, he tends to close strongly. When he needs a strong round on moving day, he can’t get it. And when he’s in contention on Sunday, he falls back. The end result being a finish somewhere within the not so comfy confines of the top 25.

At this week’s FedExCup opener at Ridgewood C.C. he trailed the 54 hole leader by seven before closing with his first sub 70 round, a 68 to finish 19t, continuing his strange pattern that leads to good, but not great results.

Mickelson appears in commercials for Crowne Plaza during which a panel of fans gives him advice such as “hit it straighter.” If I were at the table my advice would be to dump scientist Dave Pelz, cut back on the weights, and hire a mental guru. Then he might rediscover his putter and the magic that enabled him to close the deal on three majors and 31 other tour titles.