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Inside the ropes: Mickelson says he'll keep going for it
March 6, 2012When Phil Mickelson won exquisitely at Pebble Beach and lost with a thud in a playoff at Riviera when it appeared he might win again, some people began predicting that it might be the start of a career year. By Chris Carlson, AP Phil Mickelson returns to action this week at the WGC-Cadillac Championship at Doral, where he won in 2009. EnlargeClose By Chris Carlson, AP Phil Mickelson returns to action this week at the WGC-Cadillac Championship at Doral, ...
The Tiger Woods I used to know
February 29, 2012This is a Tiger Woods I don't recognize, this Tiger Woods who gags 5-footers that could keep a match alive, as he did last week against Nick Watney at the World Match Play. The Tiger Woods I used to know would've sunk that putt the way a carpenter sinks a nail, without a thought, and the next three after it. This is a Tiger Woods I can't fathom, this Tiger Woods who goes to Pebble two weeks before and lets his rival, Phil Mickelson, leave enough spike holes in his back to start a...
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Woods and Wie: Is love what they're missing?
February 28, 2012More than perhaps any current or former tour pro I’ve known over the years, Brandel Chamblee is a thinker, a man of introspect and observational intellect. Now that he’s a Golf Channel analyst, your opinion of his opinions is none of my business, nor do I care for it to be, but as a colleague of Chamblee, I consider his voice a refreshing departure from many of those who once played the game for a living. Something Chamblee said after Tiger Woods’ second-round loss at Dove Mountain h...
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Relaxed Mahan too much for McIlroy
February 28, 2012MARANA, Ariz. – It is the same repeatable swing, same garish wraparounds, same boyish mannerisms, but even before his 2-and-1 finals victory over Rory McIlroy on Sunday in the high Arizona desert those closest to Hunter Mahan knew there was something different. Even before he finished in the top 10 in four of his last five events in 2011, before he went 4-1 at last year’s Presidents Cup, before he was Houdinied out of untold riches at the Tour Championship, Sean Foley could see the dif...
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Mickelson y Tiger por caminos opuestos
February 16, 2012Raúl Bretón Siempre lo descartan. Muy pocas oportunidades le otorga los analistas de golf. Es una reiterativa historia que que se repite una y otra vez, pero lo único latente de todo este mundo de golf es que Phil Mickelson reduce al mínimo esos pronósticos fallidos de los que jamás lo toman en cuenta al momento de un gran campeonato. Manejó muy bien la presión y los controles durante esa última jornada de Pebble Beach en donde comenzó con desventaja de seis golpes ante ...
Read moreRelaxed Mahan too much for McIlroy
MARANA, Ariz. – It is the same repeatable swing, same garish wraparounds, same boyish mannerisms, but even before his 2-and-1 finals victory over Rory McIlroy on Sunday in the high Arizona desert those closest to Hunter Mahan knew there was something different. Even before he finished in the top 10 in four of his last five events in 2011, before he went 4-1 at last year’s Presidents Cup, before he was Houdinied out of untold riches at the Tour Championship, Sean Foley could see the difference.
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Inside the ropes: Mickelson says he’ll keep going for it
When Phil Mickelson won exquisitely at Pebble Beach and lost with a thud in a playoff at Riviera when it appeared he might win again, some people began predicting that it might be the start of a career year.
That’s saying something, considering the 22-year body of work that will put him in the World Golf Hall of Fame in May.
However, based on his history, not even the guy they call Phil the Thrill knows what to expect when he tees it up again on Thursday in the WGC-Cadillac Championship at Doral, where he won in 2009. Continue reading
The Tiger Woods I used to know
This is a Tiger Woods I don’t recognize, this Tiger Woods who gags 5-footers that could keep a match alive, as he did last week against Nick Watney at the World Match Play. The Tiger Woods I used to know would’ve sunk that putt the way a carpenter sinks a nail, without a thought, and the next three after it.
This is a Tiger Woods I can’t fathom, this Tiger Woods who goes to Pebble two weeks before and lets his rival, Phil Mickelson, leave enough spike holes in his back to start a colander; who misses five putts of 5 feet or less on Sunday, including one on 18 no longer than a kielbasa. The Tiger Woods I used to know had a Sunday putter so hot you could brand heifers with it. Now, I’m surprised he doesn’t get frostbite.
This is a Tiger Woods I never imagined, this Tiger Woods who stands over a putt like it’s ticking, who talks now of “the putter release point” and other mechanical goop you usually hear from guys headed back to the Nationwide Tour. Tiger used to have parts of guys like that in his lower intestine.
But this is the Tiger Woods we have. And if this Tiger Woods ever hopes to catch Jack Nicklaus and his 18 majors, he has to fix his putting. This, however, is like saying Baghdad needs to fix its bridges. His golf swing looks silky again, but right now, Woods is as far from his old putting self as Chaz Bono is from his old driver’s license picture.
“That [Tiger] is not back yet,” says putting guru Dave Pelz. “I don’t know if he’ll ever be back.”
What happened? I have my guesses:
“When I taught Tiger, all I ever did with his putting was try and notice if he was doing anything out of his norm. Now Tiger has changed so much about his stroke that it seems like it would be hard to figure out what’s wrong.
”– Hank Haney
The Nike Theory
During the Tiger Sex Scandal, most companies fled Woods like Red Riding Hood. One that stuck with him? Nike. Not long after, at the 2010 British Open, Woods started using a Nike putter instead of the Scotty Cameron Titleist putter he’d won his 13 majors with. It was like Jim Bowie suddenly carrying a putty knife; B.B. King playing an oboe. Maybe Nike said, “We’ll hang with you through all those pancake waitresses, but we don’t want to see somebody else’s putter next to your ball.” Whatever. Since that day, Woods is 0-for-majors and winless on the PGA Tour.
“If I’m coaching Tiger right now,” says Woods’ old coach, Butch Harmon, “I’d take the Nike out of the bag and put the Scotty back in and see how good that looks in his hands.”
Maybe it’s in his contract, maybe it’s out of loyalty, maybe it’s because Tiger — who is nothing if not stubborn — refuses to admit he was wrong. But 100 guys out of 100 would’ve gone back to the Scotty two years ago. Hell, Arnold Palmer used to bring 12 putters to the putting green and pick a new one daily.
“Which is weird,” says former tour star Peter Jacobsen, “because I think Nike would much rather see Tiger hoisting trophies over his head again than see their swoosh lined up next to his ball.” Continue reading
Relaxed Mahan too much for McIlroy
MARANA, Ariz. – It is the same repeatable swing, same garish wraparounds, same boyish mannerisms, but even before his 2-and-1 finals victory over Rory McIlroy on Sunday in the high Arizona desert those closest to Hunter Mahan knew there was something different.
Even before he finished in the top 10 in four of his last five events in 2011, before he went 4-1 at last year’s Presidents Cup, before he was Houdinied out of untold riches at the Tour Championship, Sean Foley could see the difference.
PhotosAs the thoughtful swing coach recalls, there was a paradigm shift. There was a change in attitude so profound as to make those inside Mahan’s inner circle marvel at the transformation.
“I tell you where I saw it the most. When I started with Hunter I would say his identity was really swept up in how well he was playing so he’d play well and be in a good mood, play bad and be in a bad mood,” Foley said. “Then (wife) Kandi came along, huge difference, she just wouldn’t let him sulk.”
For Mahan’s caddie John Wood the transformation became profound at last year’s Presidents Cup in Australia where he chaperoned rookie Bill Haas to victory on Day 3 and emerged as a legitimate team leader.
“With Haas he kind of took on that elder statesman role,” Wood said. “He’s not as rattled by stuff like he used to be, he just kind of stays in his bubble.” Continue reading
El “nuevo” Sergio Garcia
Raúl Bretón
Five things we learned this week in golf
At the beginning of the week, I chose Phil Mickelson as my super sleeper in my experts’ picks for the AT&T Pebble Beach National Pro-Am because I felt that the hard work on his game would finally pay off at Pebble. The pro-am was his fourth tournament in a row.
Mickelson had started his 2012 season at the Humana Challenge in Palm Springs, Calif., where he tried to peel the rust off his game. A week later, he missed the cut at the Farmers Insurance Open after a first-round 77. In Phoenix, he looked great for three rounds before a final-round 1-over 73.
Instead of returning home to sulk with Butch Harmon, Mickelson continued to play. Sure, Lefty recently has worked with Harmon and his putting coach, David Stockton, but it was the competition that prepared him to earn his 40th career win, and fourth Pebble Beach pro-am win, on Sunday.
The range might give you confidence in your swing, but the best confidence comes with playing well in competition. Mickelson proved that axiom in his performance this past week in Pebble Beach, where he started the final round 6 shots back of third-round leader Charlie Wi.
Before Mickelson takes off the week of the Accenture Match Play to spend time with his family, he will head to L.A. to play the Northern Trust Open, his fifth tournament in a row. He won’t carry out this dizzying schedule for the rest of the year, but he’ll look back on this sometimes-difficult stretch as the one that set his course.
Jessica Korda wins Women’s Australian Open with birdie in 6-player playoff
Pro Golfer Tiger Woods
Eldrick Tont “Tiger” Woods (born December 30, 1975) is an American professional golfer whose achievements to date rank him among the most successful golfers of all time. Formerly the World No. 1, he is the highest-paid professional athlete in the world, having earned an estimated $90.5 million from winnings and endorsements in 2010. Woods has won 14 professional major golf championships, the second highest of any male player (Jack Nicklaus leads with 18),
and 71 PGA Tour events, third all time. He has more career major wins and career PGA Tour wins than any other active golfer. He is the youngest player to achieve the career Grand Slam, and the youngest and fastest to win 50 tournaments on tour. Additionally, Woods is only the second golfer , Woods has won 16 World Golf Championships, and has won at least one of those events each of the 11 years they have been in existence. Woods has held the number one position in the world rankings for the most consecutive weeks and for the greatest total number of weeks. He has been awarded PGA Player of the Year a record ten times.
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