ShareThisBy RAY McNULTY
Scripps Howard News Service
Monday, May 14, 2007
Maybe, if we're lucky, what happened on Mother's Day at The Players Championship merely set the stage for an unforgettable Father's Day at the U.S. Open.
Because Phil Mickelson proved something on this special Sunday on the Stadium Course at the TPC at Sawgrass.
He proved he's back.
Back from the agony of his stunning, 72nd-hole defeat at Winged Foot last June.
Back from the major disappointments that followed at last year's British Open and PGA Championship and last month's Masters.
Back to being the world's No. 2 golfer.
More importantly, Mickelson proved that he's back to playing the type of championship-caliber golf that makes him Tiger Woods' rival _ and, really, his only rival _ on the PGA Tour.
So maybe, just maybe, next month at Oakmont Country Club, we'll finally get the major-championship Sunday we've been waiting for.
Woods versus Mickelson.
Coming down the back nine.
Playing for a U.S. Open championship.
"I'm really excited about the direction I'm headed," Mickelson said after a near-flawless final round that carried him to his first Players Championship triumph in 14 tries.
And he should be.
He was the only golfer in a strong field to complete the tournament without an over-par round. He made all 59 of his putts from inside five feet and did not three-putt any green. He went 26 consecutive holes without a bogey, a remarkable run that began on No. 10 Saturday and ended on No. 18 Sunday, when he needed only a double-bogey to win.
Thing is, his final-round 69 could've been better.
He birdied three of his first seven holes and added another on No. 11. But he missed five other makeable birdie putts.
"It was a good round, but I'd like to get the putter hot," Mickelson said. "I'd like to imagine what the round would be if the putter was hot."
Certainly, putting will play a more-decisive role on the demanding greens at Oakmont.
But at least one expert likes Lefty's chances.
NBC analyst Johnny Miller was so impressed by Mickelson's performance in The Players that he told his audience: "If next week were Oakmont, he'd be the favorite. No doubt about it."
And Miller ought to know.
He won the 1973 U.S. Open there, shooting a final-round 63.
Mickelson' victory, though _ particularly, the way he closed out the tournament _ actually evoked memories of another major: The Masters title he won in 2006.
"It looked kind of eerily similar in that I shot 69, was 4-under through 17, had a three-shot lead walking up 18 and ended up bogeying the last hole when I had the tournament in hand," Mickelson said. "And they both felt great."
This one, however, surely felt different.
The Players isn't a major.
And he won this tournament with golf guru Butch Harmon as his new swing coach.
The two men began working together three weeks ago, after Mickelson grew frustrated with his inability to hit the ball as well as he did when he won at August in 2006.
Since then, Mickelson has tied for third at the Byron Nelson Championship in Dallas and the Wachovia Championship in Charlotte and, now, won a tournament that is widely regarded as golf's fifth major.
"I'm excited about the way my ball-striking seemed to get better as the week went on," Mickelson said. "It seemed to get better from Dallas to Wachovia and from Wachovia to here. So I believe that if I keep working at these things and progressing, I should be ready to take on the ultimate tough challenge at Oakmont."
Harmon said Mickelson's showing at The Players was just the "tip of the iceberg" and he expects bigger and better things in the coming weeks and months.
"Obviously, he's got as much talent as anybody in the world, other than maybe Tiger," Harmon said. "And I think if we can get him (playing) out of the fairway, he can rival Tiger, maybe.
"He's got a short game as good or better than Tiger's. It's just a matter of trying to get him to play a little bit more conservatively, not quite as aggressively. That might be a little bit bigger problem than his swing." Harmon laughed.
Woods, when he reads or hears Harmon's remarks, probably won't.
You see, Harmon used to be Woods' swing coach _ and that can only pour more fuel on the Woods-Mickelson rivalry.
But will both players be at the top of their games when they get to Oakmont, where the 107th U.S. Open tees off four weeks from Thursday? Woods rebounded from three disappointing rounds by firing a Sunday 67. And Mickelson, with Harmon in his corner, seems to be playing with more poise and confidence than ever.
"I can't wait for Oakmont, because that's what we're gearing up for," Mickelson said, later adding that "I'm not where I want to be yet, but I feel like I'm on the right path."
We can only hope this is merely a setup for an Open showdown with Woods on Father's Day at Oakmont.
(Ray McNulty is sports columnist for Scripps Treasure Coast (Fla.) Newspapers, The Stuart News, Fort Pierce Tribune and Vero Beach Press Journal. On the Web at www.tcpalm.com.)
