With the aura of Tiger Woods casting a shadow over almost anything to do with golf, especially during US Masters week, it is easy to forget that it was actually Phil Mickelson who won the tournament last year.
It is also easy to forget the year Mickelson almost had in 2006 had it not been for his collapse on the final hole of the US Open at Winged Foot. Instead of winning his third straight Major, Mickelson was left ruing a double bogey on the 72nd hole that allowed Australia Geoff Ogilvy to steal the title.
Although he has three Major triumphs and 27 other titles, Lefty, and a host of other golfers, has been dominated by Woods. There is a palpable sporting tension between Mickelson and Woods. However, Mickelson acknowledges Woods’ contribution to the game and his own inability to match the feats of the American-Thai.
Foxsport carried an AP story quoting what Mickelson said in the March issue of ESPN the Magazine:
“The reality is, even if I play at the top of my game for the rest of my career and achieve my goals – let’s say, win 50 tournaments and 10 majors, pretty difficult to do, since I’d need 20 more wins, including seven more Majors – I still won’t get to where Tiger is right now. So I won’t compare myself with him.â€
Woods went on a seven-tournament winning streak earlier this year and once again goes into the Augusta event as favourite. Mickelson, however, wants another Green Jacket and is eager to make reparations for his drop in form over the second half of 2006.
