Capelle On Golf

Ernie Els victory at the WGC-CA has sounded the alarm for the great rivalry of the coming years - Els vs. Mickelson for number two of the Woods Era.

Going into the WGC Els had won only once on the PGA Tour in the last six years, but he did post a couple of top tens in the last two majors in 2009. So, even though he crossed the 40 threshold last October, there may be life left yet in the Big Easy.

Now before I concentrate on Els-Mickelson, let’s take a quick look at the other two triple major winners of the Woods Era to see why they don’t belong in the debate. Phil vs. Vijay is no contest. Both have won three majors, but Phil leads in seconds, 6-1, thirds, 6-1, and top10s, 29-22. He’s got an eight year age advantage to build on these numbers. And, to seal this debate, the putting challenged Vijay Singh has zero chance to win a fourth major.

Harrington won three majors in quick order, two while Tiger Woods was absent. But other than these Ws, this 38 year old’s record in the majors is sorely lacking. Els leads him in seconds, 6-0, thirds, 4-0, and top 10s, 30-13. If Harrington won a fourth major and the others remained at three, then some of the winning-is-everything “experts” might elevate him to second best of the Woods Era. But, based on Mickelson’s and Els’ overall record in the majors, you would have to give one of them the nod.

Back to Els vs. Mickelson. Els is committed to his game, his knee troubles are evidently a thing of the past, and he’s got momentum going into the Masters. Mickelson’s game has slipped from its peak late last year, but he could find the magic at any time. So, the race is on as these two future Hall of Famers seek desperately to add to their records in the twilight of their major contending years. As it stands, they are virtually tied for second best, based on their records in the majors:

• Both have three wins.
• Both have won two different majors.
• Both have a Top 10 Slam to their credit.
• They are tied with 6 seconds each.
• Mickelson leads in thirds, 6-4.
• Els has a slight edge in top 10s, 30-29.

The first one to win a major would grab the undisputed lead in this rivalry, possibly for good. For Els, a win in the Masters would give him three legs of the Career Grand Slam, leaving only the PGA to complete the set. In his last six PGAs he finished 5t, 4t, 3, 6t, so his game is obviously suited to the season’s last major. At Whistling Straits, the site of this year’s PGA, he missed the playoff by one shot in 2004

A third green jacket for Mickelson would give him four majors, but he would still own but two legs of the Career Grand Slam. But a win might ignite another surge of major winning golf similar to 2004-2006 when he quickly added two majors after breaking the ice at the ’04 Masters.

I know, it’s tough to ignore the Tiger Woods Sideshow. But whether he plays anytime soon or not, Els and Mickelson and their duel for Second Best could make for some interesting spectating in 2010, and hopefully beyond.