Posts Tagged ‘Phil Mickelson’
Phil Mickelson Wins Masters at Augusta National to Make Cinderella Story a Reality – April 2010
Phil Mickelson won this years Masters in dramatic style. During his golf round on Sunday he shot a bogie free 67, not an easy task for any professional golfer. Last year I posted about my disappointment in the major golf tournaments because golf ’s greatest players were never able to seal the deal in the final round. I think we may be in for the best year in competitive golf that we’ve seen in a long while if The Masters is any indication of what we can anticipate. The last Masters I watched as exciting as this year was in 1986 when golfing legend, Jack Nicklaus rallied on the back nine holes on Sunday to become the oldest player to win a major at age 46. Another fan favorite, Fred Couples and golfing legend Tom Watson set a good precedent for any golfer who thinks there may be an age limit to determine ones golfing skills by playing as well or better than many of the younger players in the field. They accomplished this feat at age 50 and 60 respectively. Tom Watson faltered after the first round but he played well enough to make the cut which is an accomplishment in itself at any age. Fred Couples, a past Masters Champion from 1992, is now dominating the senior tour and he led the field after the first round. Fred, at 50, played better than the majority of his peers finishing alone in sixth place at -9, just two shots back of Tiger Woods and K. J. Choi. Tiger and K. J. Choi were paired together and matched each others score for all four rounds and finished at -11, tied for fourth place. When Tiger Woods was interviewed on camera he expressed disappointment in his performance in this years Masters Tournment. His only goal was to win the tournament as his competitive nature will not allow him to settle for anything less than victory.
Tiger Woods made his first appearance on the PGA Tour in 1997 and I immediately became a fan. The events that transpired last Thanksgiving were the beginning of a traumatic period in the life of the worlds most renowned golfer, Tiger Woods. Although he put on a smile for his fans and the camera and was received well by his peers, the media and his golfing fans, he seemed distant during this tournament and justifiably so having his dalliances and indiscretions during his marriage being so blatantly exposed for public scrutiny. Tiger Woods is an incredible golfer, and I know of no other who could have performed so well after a four month plus hiatus from golf and with his personal life turned upside down since last November. As remarkably as he played he had opportunities to score better but seemed distracted as he made some un- Tiger like mental errors down the stretch. On one of the final golf holes he took a two foot par putt for granted, missed and had to settle for bogie. If not for this error in judgement he may very well have contended for a possible second or third place finish. The miss was uncharacteristic of Tiger’s normal performance especially when the competition is heating up down the stretch.
Phil Mickelson, on the other hand, was a man on a mission as he brought home the Green Jacket for himself, wife Amy and his mom and family. His performance during the tournament and especially in the final round on Sunday showed the world the golfing skills that make him the greatest player on tour in the present day era of golf, maybe second only to Tiger Woods. Tiger exposed himself to the world as the mere mortal that he is and not the superman who some perceived him to be before the incident last year. He has left the door open for Phil to move into his # 1 slot as Phil is a spectacular player who is coming into his own and is finally believing in himself. Unfortunately, it may have taken a family crisis to make that happen. His wife Amy was courageous as she made her way to the tournament with their children to be by her husbands side despite her illness. She wanted to share in this historic moment as she played an important role by inspiring Phil to win his third green jacket. Phil Mickelson now shares this honor with some of the most renowned names in golf, Jimmy Demaret, Nick Faldo, Gary Player and Sam Snead. Arnold Palmer, another golf legend has four wins along with Tiger Woods. Jack Nicklaus leads with an incredible six victories at this prestigious golf tournament, The Masters. I thoroughly enjoyed this years Masters and I look forward to seeing Phil Mickelson, Tiger Woods and the other great players on tour, hitting golf balls and competing in the rest of the majors in 2010. Happy Golfing to All!
One of my favorite tournaments to watch besides the majors is the Pebble Beach Pro- Am. Pebble Beach has long been ranked as one of the top 5 golf courses in the world and justifiably so. Dustin Johnson edged out David Duval by a stroke and is now second on the money list behind Steve Stricker who is in excellent standing and one of golf’s hottest players. Duval’s second place finish indicates a possible resurgence by one of the world’s top players a decade or so ago. Duval showed some semblance of a return to his old form last year at the U.S. Open when he tied for second place with none other than Phil Mickelson and Ricky Barnes.
Another fan favorite and tops on my list is Phil Mickelson who made a decent showing by tying for eighth place 5 shots back. He seems to be off to a slow start but improving every week which bodes well for him with the impending first major of the year quickly approaching, The Masters in early April. If Phil can keep this pace going he will be a contender at this most prestigious of golf events. I look forward to The Masters where all the best golfers in the world will be hitting golf balls to tough pin placements to try their hand at taking home perhaps golf’s most coveted prize.
The big question on everyone’s mind is, Will Tiger Woods make this his first tournament of this year since the Thanksgiving 09′ debacle when he fell from grace with his family, sponsors, and his many golf fans around the world? The Masters is less than two months away and I would not be surprised if Tiger Woods and Phil Mickelson are going to head to head on Sunday for the title. Stay Tuned and Happy Golfing to All!
Tiger Woods and Phil Mickelson are the world’s two top ranked golfers respectively. Their rivalry was heating up at the end of this past season when a putting lesson from Dave Stockton helped Phil to edge out Tiger in The Fed Ex Cup. Tiger’s return this season, after his knee surgery side lined him for nine months after the U.S. Open last year, was anti- climactic because he did not capitalize on any opportunities in the Majors in 2009. Even when he was leading Y.E.Yang in the PGA at the turn on Sunday, he could not bring home the trophy and now I think I know why. Even for the top player in the world you must maintain concentration if you are to achieve victory in golf tournaments and especially at the Majors. Tiger was surely distracted in his personal life as we are now all aware.
Tiger’s year has been fairly successful considering the distractions between golf tournaments. Achieving six championships while juggling more than twice as many women is a pretty incredible feat if you think about it. The public was not privy to Tiger’s personal indiscretions at the time of his victories and also his defeat at the last major championship, the PGA, by Y.E.Yang , as noted previously. Tiger has left the door wide open for Phil Mickelson to step right into his potential role as superstar without him in the mix. Phil has all the tools to be one of the best ever but some poor decisions down the stretch on Sunday in the majors have cost him dearly in the past. I think he is smarter now and if Tiger maintains his decision to take a leave from the tour, as he has stated recently, then I think Phil will be the new top dog.
My personal opinion is that Tiger should jump right back into golf competition and quit the women for now. If Elin has decided to leave him, as the most recent tabloids have indicated, then he has nothing to lose by staying and playing on tour with his one true love, Golf. Tiger, gather your golf clubs and golf balls and get back in the saddle. Playing golf and hitting golf balls in Hawaii this coming season and for the New Year will be the best medicine for you. Happy Golfing to All!