Capelle On Golf

Phil Mickelson was ranked #2 in the world when Tiger Woods went home to get his knee repaired. With a golden opportunity to ascend to #1, Phil went into a funk and had fallen to #5 on February 8.

Like one of those knock-me-down dolls, he has bounced back to the number 2, replacing Sergio Garcia. That feels right for two reasons: Mickelson has won twice on tour this year while Garcia is winless. And Phil owns three majors to Garcia’s zero. A number two player without a major seems kind of bogus.

Will Phil become the new #1? He’s within striking distance now with an average of 8.62 compared to Woods’ 9.14. Garcia is third at 7.51.

But should Phil rise to #1 that would mean little until he owns that position after Tiger logs at least 8-10 more starts or Phil wins a major before Tiger this year. Still, it is fair to say that Phil the #1 player in the world over the first three months of the year and, at this early juncture, is the early leader for POY.

I’m a big Phil fan for several reasons (we’re both left handed golfers who grew up in San Diego), and because he’s a genuinely nice guy, and a bit of a smart ass. Still, I have questioned his decisions and his entourage on many occasions, and the skeptic in me is not totally convinced that the Harmon version of Phil is a major player.

One of Butch’s goals was for Phil is to eliminate the right side of the course. But on the back nine on Sunday lefty went right on 12 and 16, scoring a bogey and a par on a par 5 and a 305 yard par 4. But then he turned right around and played perfect golf down the stretch. He bombed his tee shots down the gut on 17 and 18 while nursing a one shot lead, then made easy pars following excellent iron shots.

Phil is a proven front runner and winner in PGA Tour events, having captured 33 non majors. Since his masterful play at Augusta in 2006, he has added seven tour victories to his resume. And these weren’t Podunk Opens.

2007 AT&T Pebble Beach National Pro-Am – a five shot win with awesome ball striking.
2007 PLAYERS Championship – another impressive display of ball striking.
2007 Deutsche Bank – he out dueled Woods in the same group.
2008 Northern Trust – a two shot win at -12 on Hogan’s Alley.
2008 Crown Plaza – solid final round except for the tee shot in 18, then the miraculous birdie.
2009 Northern Trust – Scorched Riviera with a 63 (rd. 1) and 63 (rd. 3), the played clutch -2 golf on the last four holes to win by a shot.
2009 WGC CA – 19 under at the Blue Monster, displaying all facets of his game.

That’s a list of high profile wins. Tough fields, great courses like Pebble Beach and Spyglass, TPC at Sawgrass, Colonial, Riviera (twice), and Doral. And another was against Tiger.

Yes, his PGA Tour record is glossy, making his three majors look puny in comparison. And that raises the question once again: Has Phil got it upstairs to win the big ones? If so, at 38 he’s still got a shot to join the likes of Lee Trevino, Nick Faldo, and Seve Ballesteros as one of the top six or seven golfers of the Modern Era (1958 on).