Michelson Romps at Pebble
Phil went and grabbed another check Sunday, having an enjoyable romp at Pebble Beach on the final round going in with a 9 stroke lead. The television cameras actually caught him watching the windsurfers hit the waves off the 14th tee box. Nice….
Sunday, Pebble Beach, have a couple hundred grand waiting for you when your finished, can golf 7 or 8 over par and all those other poor saps are fighting it out for second place…..
This guys playing good, real good. But Tiger has taken a couple weeks off, so the early season showdown at La Costa is gaining some more intrigue.The last couple of years at the Accenture have been somewhat ho-hum as far as golf’sLuminaries go, seeing that Phil had an early exit last year, along with a lot of the higher seeds, so hopefully what we’ve seen this year bodes well for a semifinal or a final full of favorites.
Who knows? maybe even a Tiger Phil Showdown.
Mickelson Weighs In…
Phil Mickelson flexed some muscle today, winning the FBR Open (formerly the Phoenix open), and it pretty much flew underneath the radar due to the media avalanche of the Superbowl. But make note of this, Mickelson did something he has never done before. Phil got a lead and then held it……
The thing about it is Mickelson had this lead days ago, kept it, didn’t falter, dropped putts when they counted, and basically didn’t give anybody a chance; keeping his 4 stroke lead, and finalizing the “another day at the office” performance by draining a 20 foot fringe putt on the 18th hole, hugging his daughters, kissing his wife, and grabbing the big check.
The FBR event - formerly the Phoenix Open - draws (by far) the biggest crowd of any PGA tournament. An estimated 165,000 people were there on Saturday, and the tournament draws about half a million each year. The signature hole” The Asylum”, as it is known, is the par-3, 162-yard 16th hole. It is really a throwaway nothing par 3, except for the fact that there is a loud, boisterous throng of thousands cheering or booing a players every shot. Think of your loud, obnoxious fraternity brother crossed with Mardi Gras, add ample amounts of Pete’s Wicked Ale and multiply by 5000, and you have some idea of the crowd. Intimidating to say the least. And they have adopted Mickelson as their “desert son”. Unfair really, since Phil plays golf in San Diego and there are at least half a dozen pros in the tournament this weekend who call Scottsdale home.
Phil will be back in San Diego for the Accenture Match play at La Costa in two weeks, and should be brimming with confidence after Sundays Victory, and his puttting looked solid and consistent, along with his generally solid short game. The only question is, If tiger played, and was in the chase on Sunday, would Phil have cruised? Woods took the Buick at Torrey Pines South golf course, Mickelson’s unofficial home field. The Accenture at La Costa might be a good place for a showdown between the two, and maybe a little payback. Stay tuned
Tiger Tames Torrey
After all the self coaching, swing changes, a new bride, and finding himself in unfamiliar territory at #2 in the world rankings,Tiger Woods seems to have his swing back. Tiger hopes so. So do Tournament Sponsors, Golf Schools, TV stations, San Diego Golf Courses, and 8 year old kids eating Wheaties….
Vijay is a very good golfer, but has no flair nor flavor. I don’t think anybody decided to take up the game after seeing Vijay play. Mr. Woods started a golf revolution with a couple of creative swings and a fist pump.
I know one tournament in San Diego does not a season make, but after watching Tiger be victorious at the Buick Open “Fog Fest” that was Torrey Pines South Golf Club, are we seeing the beginnings of a year that could be the year of the Tiger?
It seems like a long time since we saw Tiger do his typical 5 shots down on Sunday rally that had almost become automatic a few years back, and now that it’s happened again, the golf world will be looking over it’s collective shoulder come Sunday morning if “that guy” is 4 back on the leader board and smells blood………
The west coast swing continues with golf in Phoenix at the FBR, and then right back to southern California the following week for the Pebble Beach Pro Am.
Tiger will be coming back to play golf in San Diego when the Accenture Match Play begins in a couple weeks at La Costa Golf Resort. He is the defending champion there, and the conditions at La Costa are A+ as we speak. I predict at least 1 win in those tourneys, and he should challenge on Sunday in the Tourneys he doesn’t win. If that is true, Tiger may well be on his way back to make this his year.