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Lefty Righty
Shark.com Staff
February 12, 2007
Maybe now, more than seven months later, the hangover is finally gone for Phil Mickelson.
In a performance that seems to prove Mickelson is finally over his final-hole meltdown at last year's U.S. Open at Winged Foot, Lefty steadily pulled away from the field Sunday with a six-under 66 for a five-shot victory over Kevin Sutherland in the AT&T Pebble Beach National Pro-Am.
Mickelson, of course, believes he already got over that crushing defeat. But the way he started this year, with a missed cut and no finishes inside the top 40 in his first three starts, seemed to indicate otherwise.
Returning to Pebble Beach, a place where he's had so much success, certainly has him headed in the right direction. He opened with a 65 in the first round and kept at least a share of the lead with rounds of 67 and 70.
 | | After a double bogey on the par-3 fifth hole, Mickelson birdied four of the next six to regain control. |
Mickelson had to overcome a lost ball Sunday that led to a double bogey on the par-3 fifth hole, dropping him temporarily behind rookie John Mallinger. But Mickelson birdied two of the next three holes and four of the next six to regain control.
Taking advantage of unexpectedly sunny conditions at Pebble Beach, Mickelson birdied half of his 18 holes Sunday to tie a tournament record at 20-under 268, as well as matching the largest margin of victory. It was Mickelson's third win at Pebble Beach and the 30th of his career, tying him for 16th place on the PGA Tour's all-time wins list with Leo Diegel and Vijay Singh.
"This is exciting," said Mickelson, 36, playing in his fourth consecutive event. "I've gotten off to a good start. It gives me momentum, and I can't wait for next week and the upcoming majors. I'm really excited about the year."
Mickelson said he used the double-bogey on the final hole at Winged Foot as motivation to improve his game during his long offseason. He said it made him realize he needed to improve his driving if he was to add to his three major championships in the last three years.
Sure enough, when the heat was on Sunday, Mickelson missed just one fairway. He ranked fourth for the week in driving accuracy (81.8 percent). That helped him to lead the field in greens in regulation (79.2 percent) and putts per green in regulation (1.596).
"I have never driven it as well as I'm driving it right now," Mickelson said after the final round.
The victory improved Mickelson's world ranking from No. 6 to No. 4 and continued his pattern of playing well early in the year. Of his 30 career wins, 10 have come in California. He also converted a final-round lead into a win for the 16th time in 22 tries.
Mickelson was planning on skipping this week's Nissan Open, but said he was so encouraged by his game, he decided to play for a fifth consecutive week so he can get a chance to play on a tree-lined course such as Riviera Country Club.
 | | Mickelson: "(The Masters) has been on my mind since the PGA, as it is with everybody." |
Mickelson insists he hasn't been keeping up with media reports tying his recent struggles to that horrid finish at the U.S. Open.
"I hadn't really looked or read anything," Mickelson said. "I've just been trying to get my game a little sharp, and I was a little rustier than I thought I would be after a four-month layoff. As each week wore on... I could feel I was getting better and better and I was getting a little sharper and sharper."
Despite Mickelson's comments, he very much cares what's said and written about him, especially his mental approach. Don't forget he has a little Dr. Phil in him -- Mickelson majored in psychology at Arizona State.
But what he cares most about is his legacy, and he doesn't want to keep playing second-fiddle to Tiger Woods. Next week, they will step onto the same course for the first time since last September at the Match Play Championship in Tucson. Mickelson says he can't wait.
"We (PGA Tour players) like competing against the best, we really do," Mickelson said Sunday when asked about Woods' absence from Pebble Beach.
Can Mickelson be the one to finally challenge Woods and make this rivalry one for the ages? Only time -- and the upcoming majors -- will tell.
Mickelson has proven the last three years he finally has learned how to win majors -- even though he still occasionally kicks one away. Maybe the Winged Foot lesson will help him win some more. All Mickelson knows is he can't wait to get to Augusta National in two months.
"(The Masters) has been on my mind since the PGA, as it is with everybody," Mickelson said. "Our next thought is the next major, our thought or focus is always the next major."
| The Par Report is posted every Monday on Shark.com. It does not necessarily reflect the opinion of Greg Norman. |
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