The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Lefty remains people’s choice
Even Mickelson’s struggles increase his fan appeal.
PALM BEACH GARDENS, FLA. — Can’t get your fill of Phil? Yeah, it’s that way for a lot of people with crowd-pleaser Phil Mickelson, and that’s why his missed cut at the Honda Classic last year was such a disappointment.
It’s not like Lefty missed it by a mile, though, (his scores of 70 and 71 at the Champion course cadded up to one stroke too many) and it’s not like he can’t quickly shake off his current mini-slump (two missed cuts in three 2015 starts). The problem has been his shaky putting, and just like everything else with Mickelson, it’s a flaw that makes him more relatable to fans.
Wednesday’s proam round was followed by a half-hour of autograph-signing for Mickelson. It’s never any different, but with Tiger Woods taking a break from golf for intensive therapy on his body and his game, Phil’s magnetism is more appreciated than ever by Honda Classic marketers.
He’s a five-time major champion and an every-time spectacle, whether Mickelson is putting together an ep- ic round like the Sunday 66 that won him the 2013 British Open or tromping through the trees on a stubborn search-and-rescue mission.
Even last season, a real clunker by his standards, featured a runner-up finish to world No. 1 Rory McIlroy in the PGA Championship at Valhalla. At 44, Phil still packs a punch, and he wants all the fearless kids on tour to know it.
Asked Wednesday if winning a PGA Tour event is tougher than ever for a player in his 40s, Lefty said, “Not at all.
“It doesn’t, because it makes the short-iron play, the distance control and the ability to get to tucked pins much more important, and that happens to be the strength of my game.”
All those components commonly link together for birdies, and it sure looked like one of those was coming when Mickelson lofted a tee shot within 5 feet of the cup on No. 15 Wednesday. Pro-am round or not, hitting that aqua-lined green always feels like a win. Then came the putt, another miss, another groan.
Yeah, it gets old pretty quick, but the optimism never fades, on either side of the ropes.
On the following hole, for instance, Mickelson’s approach shot rolled about 20 feet left of the hole. Before he had even reached the green, someone in the crowd shouted, “Hey, Phil. It breaks about a foot-and-a-half.”
His response, just as loud, was “Perfect. I wouldn’t have known that. Thank you.”
The crowd loved that, laughing and clapping. Didn’t quite make the putt go in, but the encouragement backed Mickelson’s general theme. Soon, maybe even this week, he’ll find that putting line, and that winning fire, again.
“I putted great in the offseason,” Mickelson said, “but started the season terrible. I’m just trying to put it all together.
“It’s the one area that let me down the first couple of weeks, but it’s a long season.”
Chop it up into bitesized chunks, and you’ll see the Masters coming, just six weeks down the road.
“(Mickelson) probably knows the most about that golf course (Augusta National), more than anyone, as far as when you look at his yardage book to the notes he has,” Rickie Fowler said Wednesday. “It’s not just in the book, either. He keeps a lot more between the ears.”
The Masters was Mickelson’s first major victory in 2004, and after far too many close calls. Altogether, there are three green jackets Phil can slip on whenever he feels his game slipping away.
That’s why Phil will be more likely to return to PGA National for a third time next year if the Honda feels more like legitimate Masters prep and less like drudgery.
What Phil needs is for that ball to start rolling like he remembers, like all it really needs is a push in the right direction.
Mickelson’s game works that way when he’s ready to win. Two of his last five victories on tour are majors, remember. An ornery course like the par-70 Champion and a Honda field heavy with world-ranked players may just remind him of that, too.