Curry likes new All-Star format
SHENZHEN, China — Last season, Stephen Curry led fan voting for Western Conference All-Stars. The Warriors’ point guard would select his All-Star team if he wins the fan vote again this season.
The NBA All-Star Game is switching formats, doing away with conference-specific teams in favor of a pickup-style draft, the league announced Tuesday. The players who win the fan vote will be the captains. In that role, they will choose from a pool of 24 players (12 from each conference).
“It’s the playground-type dynamics when you could pick your teams growing up, when you
a spirited performance in the Presidents Cup, in which he went 3-0-1 to help the United States steamroll the International team.
Woods was an assistant captain for the U.S., relegated to a ceremonial role. He didn’t hit a shot — still saddled by injuries, still recovering from his latest back surgery. Woods’ biggest move occurred when he uncharacteristically hugged Mickelson, his longtime adversary.
Neither player has won since 2013, but Mickelson remains compelling and competitive at age 47. (He has four victories in his 40s; Woods, soon to turn 42, probably won’t win one in his 40s.) He posted three runner-up finishes last year, including an epic duel with Henrik Stenson at the British Open.
Mickelson slipped a bit this past season — he didn’t qualify for the Tour Championship — but he’s clearly capable of playing at a high level. And he fully expects to plant himself in contention Sunday at Silverado Resort.
“He still has as much fire as he’s ever had,” said Tim Mickelson, Phil’s brother and caddie.
The Mickelsons made their way around Silverado’s North Course in the pro-am Wednesday, on a sun-splashed morning in the Wine Country. Phil Mickelson appeared as engaged as ever, interacting with spectators in a way Woods rarely did.
On Mickelson’s walk to the No. 18 tee, one woman in the gallery asked him to pose for a selfie and added, “I won’t cut your head off.” It was a not-so-subtle reference to the selfie Mickelson took last week, when he inadvertently cut part of his noggin out of a photo with former Presidents Bill Clinton, George W. Bush and Barack Obama. Mickelson chuckled.
He seems relaxed, driven and comfortable with his place in the golf galaxy. Even if Mickelson has made 90 consecutive starts without winning since his British Open triumph in July 2013, he shows no signs of fading from public view.
“I love the challenge of competing,” he said Wednesday. “I love the opportunity and challenge of trying to win, and get my game back to the level I know it can be.”
Several players in this week’s field are less than half Mickelson’s age. Stanford alum Maverick McNealy, who will make his pro debut, was born in November 1995 — by which time Mickelson already had five PGA Tour victories.
Now he’s “Grandpa” to 20-somethings such as Jordan Spieth and Justin Thomas. Mickelson draws energy from his younger colleagues, and from the camaraderie of teaming with Spieth and Justin Thomas at last weekend’s Presidents Cup.
Those youngsters could learn a few lessons from Mickelson. He has made at least 18 starts in 25 straight seasons, a remarkable run of durability.
Aside from dealing with psoriatic arthritis, Mickelson has stayed healthy over the years — which he traces to his swing.
“Everybody’s got to find their own swing, but I’m fortunate in that the way I swing puts a lot less stress on my body than some others,” he said.
Mickelson didn’t mention Woods, but it requires no grand insight to spot the contrast. Mickelson’s swing is long and sweeping. Woods’ swing was almost violent, putting strain on his knees and back.
Not surprisingly, it caught up to him.
Mickelson, asked if he made a conscious decision to shape his swing while minimizing stress on his body, had an interesting answer.
“My swing showcases my strength, which is hands and touch,” he said. “The longer and more fluid it is — more hand-oriented, rather than body-oriented — the more my touch and feel and hands are showcased.
“So my swing was built around my strengths, whereas other people’s swings are built around their strengths.”
The formula has worked for more than a quartercentury. He’s not Tiger, but he’s still chugging along, still relevant after all these years.