Struggling Phil likely to make 12th Cup team
THERE’S this notion — and based on the black-and-white results, a legitimate one — that Phil Mickelson is fighting for his professional life to make the American team for the Presidents Cup, which takes place at the end of September at Liberty National Golf Club in Jersey City.
Then there’s the reality of the situation: The chances that Mickelson will not be on the U.S. team are approximately the same as me hoisting the FedEx Cup chalice and banking the $10 million winner’s share.
Mickelson, by his own admission, has not been in good form this summer, having missed the cut at both the British Open and the PGA Championship.
He hasn’t exactly boosted his standing through three rounds of this week’s Northern Trust at Glen Oaks Club in Old Westbury, where he entered Sunday’s final round at 1-over after shooting 71 Saturday. The only plus side to Mickelson’s week was his fight to make the cut Friday on the back nine, with three birdies on his final eight holes.
So the Mickelson Presidents Cup watch has been on, and it has intensified with this week and next week at the Dell Technologies Championship, the last two chances before the team is finalized.
But the reality, again, is this: Mickelson would have to break a limb for U.S. captain Steve Stricker to turn up at Liberty Na- tional a month from now without him on the team bus.
The top 10 players in the point standings automatically make the team. Then it’s up to Stricker to make his two captain’s picks. Mickelson entered the Northern Trust 18th in the point standings.
Forget the points for a moment. The seven players outside of the top 10 who are ahead of Mickelson on the points list are (in order from No. 11): Kevin Chappell, Brian Harman, Jason Dufner, Gary Woodland, Brandt Snedeker (who’s injured), Brendan Steele and Ryan Moore.
Not exactly a murderer’s row of nobrainer selections for Stricker. Of those seven, four never have been part of a Ryder Cup or Presidents Cup team. In fact, of the 10 players who currently would qualify, four have never played on either.
Mickelson has played in all 11 Presidents Cups, dating to 1994, and has accumulated the most points in U.S. history with 29 from his 23-16-12 record. He, too, has played on the past 11 Ryder Cup teams and has become a defacto captain of sorts with his leadership and camaraderie.
There, too, is the business end of this. There’s not a more popular player in the sport than Mickel- son, particularly in the New York metropolitan area, where he could run for political office tomorrow and win by a landslide. The PGA Tour suits crave packed grandstands, bustling corporate suites and a raucous atmosphere. Mickelson’s presence will enhance that.
Now, for his form. Two years ago, Mickelson was 29th on the points list entering the Presidents Cup in South Korea and then-captain Jay Haas chose him as a captain’s pick. Mickelson went 3-0-1 that week and led the Americans in points en route to a U.S. victory.
This is why it came as little surprise when Stricker said this the other day about the chance of Mickelson being on the team: “I’ll probably leave it up to Phil at some point, telling me if he thinks he can be ready to play and if he’s capable of helping out.’’
Smart move. Mickelson desperately wants to be on the team, but he’s not selfish enough to force his way on if he doesn’t think he will contribute points. Mickelson was diplomatic when asked about Stricker’s comments regarding this being his choice.
“That’s great … but you’ve got to bring something to the team and add something,’’ Mickelson said. “If there are other players that bring more to the table and are playing better, then they need to be on it. You can also look at it and say, I’ve had the opportunity to be a part of a number of them, so it would be great for others to do that, too.
“But,’’ he was quick to add, “I’m not quite ready to pass that on yet. I want to be on the team.’’
Mickelson can greatly ease Stricker’s mind with a strong Sunday finish at the Northern Trust and a good performance next week.
“I know how important he is to the team,’’ Stricker said. “I’ve been on quite a few teams with Phil and I’ve seen what he brings to the team, I’ve seen how he helps these rookies who he plays with and how he is in the team room after we’re done playing. He’s a vital guy for our team room. But ultimately, you need to have him playing well.
“These teams mean a lot to him, I know, so he’s a guy that we are watching very closely.’’
Watch closely, and you will see him representing the U.S. next month at Liberty National in his unprecedented 23rd consecutive team event.