COMMENTARY

at East Lake to squander another opportunity. He tied for seventh at the Dunhill Links Championship.

And then, finally, he won the CJ Cup with a birdie-par-eagle finish for a 29 on the back nine. Inevitable? There was another multiple major champion who would say otherwise.

Because while golf celebrates a new No. 1 — the fourth this year, matching the most in a single year since 1997 — Koepka becoming the 23rd player at No. 1 is another reminder that the list does not include Phil Mickelson.

Lefty looked to be a lock to reach No. 1 in 2010, when Woods was recovering from the downfall in his personal life and the gap was shrinking by the week.

Mickelson won the Masters to get back to No. 2. He was runner-up at Quail Hollow. The Players Championship was the first time in his career that he had a mathematical chance to be No. 1. Needing a victory, he bogeyed three of his opening six holes, closed with a 74 and tied for 17th. Then it was off to Colonial, where he had won two years earlier. He missed the cut. At the Memorial, he tied for fifth.

“I don’t know the ranking system or world points or how that works, nor do I care,” Mickelson said that year. “I just know that if I continue to play well, ultimately in the long run, it will happen.” But it never did. He had nine more chances that year and except for a tie for fourth at the U.S. Open, never came particularly close. And when he showed up in Shanghai, golf finally had a new No. 1 — Westwood, which had to sting even more.

Westwood never won a major. He just played some of his best golf at the right time, which was the time Woods went on hiatus. Mickelson played some of his best golf when Woods was at his peak, which is why Lefty might forever hold the distinction of being No. 2 longer than any player who has never been No. 1.

That’s one problem Koepka won’t have.

Instead, he joins Johnson, Rose and Justin Thomas as players to occupy No. 1 this year.

The last time that happened was in 1997 with Greg Norman, Ernie Els, Tom Lehman and Woods.

Lehman lasted only one week. He reached the top ranking with a tie for fourth at Hilton Head and never was introduced as the No. 1 player in the world. Lehman took a month off and when he returned at Colonial, he was back to No. 2. But at least he was there. Mickelson wouldn’t trade his five majors or 46 worldwide victories for the No. 1 ranking. His legacy is secure without it. But he probably would have taken No. 1 even for a week.