Lefty is just gettin started…

Phil Mickelson had forty-two chances to win a Major, but even with all of the talent and potential in the world, he couldn’t put every aspect of his game together until his birdie on the eighteenth to win The Masters in 2004.  At that moment, his mystique of being the ultimate underdog vanished that Sunday afternoon at Augusta and since then, Mickelson’s achievements have silenced his critics and captivated his fans through his sheer determination as someone who can not only keep up with Tiger, but beat him.  

    Coming off dominant wins at the Bellsouth Classic and The Masters just weeks ago, Phil Mickelson is playing the best golf of his career and just like Ben Hogan at thirty-five years young, Lefty’s best golf has yet to be seen.  Since 2004, no golfer on tour has been hotter than Phil with eight PGA Tour wins, including two green jackets, a PGA Tour Championship, and almost thirty top ten finishes to his name, Lefty is on pace to claim yet another Major victory in 2006.   Having won the past two Majors on tour, there is no reason to think that Mickelson can’t make it three in a row in June for the U.S. Open at Winged Foot Golf Club, in New York, where he is most popular.  

    After finishing second in the U.S. Open in 2002 at Bethpage Black on Long Island and second again in 2004 at Shinnecock Hills in New Jersey, Phil is an early favorite to win at Winged Foot, but it remains to be seen how Tiger Woods will rebound from his disappointing Masters performance.   It was very evident how difficult it was for Tiger to concentrate on the greens, as he was intensely focused on his father’s declining health that weekend.  Mickelson needs to win both the U.S. Open and British Open this season to be only the sixth player in history to complete the Grand Slam, by consecutively winning all four PGA Tour Majors, The Masters, U.S. Open, British Open, and the PGA Tour Championship.  

    With another Major win this season, Mickelson has a chance to separate himself from the rest of the `Big Five’ (Woods, Mickelson, Singh, Els, and Goosen) and solidify himself as the only golfer that has a legitimate chance to dominate everyone on tour, but the only thing that stands between Phil Mickelson winning another Major is Tiger Woods.  Sure, Tiger has dominated year after year, but this is Phil’s turn and his moment to shine and one in which he will finally earn the respect and attention he deserves as the one man on tour who can and will beat Tiger Woods for years to come.  

    Without any added pressure from the media and a newfound respect and admiration from his fans and critics, Lefty’s confidence and a new comfort level are allowing him to focus, concentrate, and compete and play his best, with the best and win.  Phil has a legit shot to win the U.S. Open, but Tiger will make it interesting down the stretch late Sunday afternoon leaving us with exactly what we all want, for Lefty and Tiger to be tied going into the eighteenth and a chance for them to decide who is really at the top of their game.