Mickelson Surges and Woods Falters at AT&T National Pro-Am
We half-expected to see a resurgence on Sunday in the AT&T Pebble Beach National Pro-Am, but most of us imagined it going a little differently. This was supposed to be Tiger Woods tournament to win; it was supposed to be some sort of career defining moment for perhaps the greatest golfer to ever play the game, and we watched intently to see if the 36-year old could find the magic.
What we saw could have been classified as a larceny, because Phil Mickelson absolutely stole the show.
Mickelson birdied two, four, and five. He eagled the Par 5 sixth. Woods bogeyed seven, eight, and nine, and by the time the pair made the turn it was obvious that Tiger was no longer the story. It was a day of opposites to the two mega-stars who will be eternally linked as the two greatest players of their generation, and that’s been the case for quite some time.
Mickelson carded a 64 and won the tournament by three strokes, while Woods shot a 75 and slid all the way back into a tie for 15th place.
Phil worked a monstrous draw. Tiger worked a cut.
Phil celebrated an amazing come-from-behind victory with his loving wife. There was no celebration for Woods, and if he had won he would have essentially celebrated alone.
They’re two very different men, yet mention of one usually always merits mention of the other. That used to plague Mickelson, and it often manifested into monumental meltdowns.
When Tiger was dominating in the late-90′s and early-00′s, it was Phil who was left holding the moniker of “best golfer never to win a major.” Mickelson would eventually get the monkey off his back with a victory at the 2004 Masters, but a Tiger would be a little more difficult to shake.
However, Phil wouldn’t be deterred on Sunday. Tiger or not, Phil was going low, and despite their differences Mickelson took a page out of Tiger’s book to do so.
The lefty absolutely demolished Pebble Beach’s Par 5′s on Sunday, playing the four holes (2, 6, 14, and 18) at an astounding five-under par, and while Tiger’s putter once again went cold in a 31-putt round, Mickelson was getting it done with the flat-blade on his way to a bogey-free day.
It was a week full of stars, and the game’s two biggest stars headlined a great day of golf. Those used to be the kind of situations that Tiger Woods thrived in, but it was Phil who looked at home in the spotlight on Sunday.
He’s got the trophy to prove it.
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