The U.S. Open begins today at the iconic Torrey Pines south course. It will be a homecoming for reigning PGA champion Phil Mickelson as he’ll be playing in front of family and friends on a course he got to know as a kid. The U.S. Open is the one missing piece from Phil’s grand slam resume, and it will be fascinating to see how he does on his home course. It’s interesting to read how Mickelson hated the Rees Jones redesign of the Torrey Pines course.
Torrey Pines hosted the legendary 2008 U.S. Open when Tiger Woods won the tournament over Rocco Mediate despite having a fractured leg.
As for the odds, Mickelson is still a long shot at 50-1, while the top contenders include Dustin Johnson (16-1), Brooks Koepka (18-1) and Jordan Spieth (20-1).
Phil Mickelson scores an historic win at the 2021 PGA Championship at Kiawah Island Resort in South Carolina becoming the oldest golfer to win a major championship. In a year when Tiger Woods is unable to play due to an auto accident, Phil storms into the limelight with an amazing win.
Phil Mickelson took some heat after publicly calling out Tom Watson for his strategy following another Ryder Cup debacle. For many of us who weren’t following closely, Mickelson came across as being pretty obnoxious.
But then word got out on how Tom Watson had actually behaved, and how poorly he led his team. Watson has always had a sterling reputation, but he came across very badly with how he treated his team. It was amazing to see opinions on this matter shift so quickly, and Watson ended up issuing a statement where he essentially apologized for his behavior.
The upshot is that Mickelson’s criticisms are now being taken very seriously, and the entire process of picking Ryder Cup captains is being evaluated. And that’s a good thing. The performance of team USA has been pretty lame, and it’s time to have a more logical and professional process. Let’s hope that then leads to better play and some wins.
Here are the odds to win the Masters title this year:
Adam Scott 10/1
Rory McIlroy 10/1
Phil Mickelson 12/1
Jason Day 14/1
Matt Kuchar 18/1
Sergio Garcia 20/1
Dustin Johnson 22/1
Bubba Watson 25/1
Henrik Stenson 25/1
Zach Johnson 28/1
I’m surprised Sergio made it that high as he’s always a lock to choke in big tournaments, but he still has talent.
The Masters won’t be the same without Tiger Woods this year, but let’s hope for a great tournament.
The importance of putting was driven home again at the 2013 British Open, as Phil Mickelson was on fire and Tiger Woods continued to struggle with his putter. For Mickelson, this victory gave him his first British Open championship and his fifth major. Mickelson may not be the most consistent golfer of his generation, but he’s certainly dominant at times when his game comes together. He birdied four of the last six holes for his come-from-behind victory as Lee Westwood faded as some predicted.
Meanwhile, Woods is naturally being scrutinized from every possible angle. Many writers are focusing on the fact that Woods has never come from behind on Sunday to win a major championship, but that hardly seems like the most important factor. No, his putter has been letting him down, and that’s keeping him from winning the big ones. When Woods was piling up wins, he was one of the best putters in history. And while he’s facing inuries and some of the same struggles golfers face as they get older, his biggest problem seems to be with his putter. He’s still good, but good is a long way from great.
This only highlights the mental aspect of the game, and we all know that Tiger has had more than his share of distractions. One that comes to mind is the drama with his old caddy Steve Williams. The two shook hands after the conclusion of the Open Championship on Sunday at Muirfield after Tiger was paired up with Adam Scott, and it looked like the beginning of the end of a silly feud, but you have to wonder if the unflappable Woods was flapped around a bit having to play with them on Sunday. We’ll never know of course, but we’re well beyond the point where a Woods victory was assumed by the handicappers setting the golf odds for majors.
Tiger has to deal with an adversary in Mickelson who refuses to fade away. Phil still can’t get over the hump at the US Open, but it’s tough to count him out these days, and he’s pushing himself into the conversation regarding golf’s all-time greats. There’s also a slew of younger golfers in the game who aren’t the least bit intimidated by Woods, who hasn’t won a major in five years!
So it’s great for golf that Tiger is in the mix, but the landscape has certainly changed.
