Left in the Shadows

In any other year, Phil Mickelson would have been on the covers of all the golf magazines, in the headlines of all the newspapers and delivering sound bites on all the television stations.

In any other year, Mickelson’s four victories, three second-place and 12 top-10 finishes would be good enough for a PGA Tour player of the year award.

In any other year, his $4,746,457 in earnings would have made him No. 1 on the tour money list.

But Mickelson, playing in the Hyundai Team Matches beginning today at Pelican Hill in Newport Coast, did all that in 2000, a year that clearly was unlike any other.

Tiger Woods, who won nine times, had four second-place finishes, was in the top 10 17 times and boggled minds with record earnings of $9,188,321, left little room in golf news for anything else, including Mickelson.

Mickelson, 30, finished in the top 10 in his last six tournaments and was in the top 20 in 14 of his last 15.

But even when Mickelson fended off a late charge by Woods to win the Buick Invitational at Torrey Pines in February, the headlines were along the lines of “Tiger Loses.”

Same thing when Mickelson overcame a one-shot deficit to Woods in the final round and won the Tour Championship last month in Atlanta.

“That’s fine,” Mickelson said. “Tiger won nine times this year so it is an oddity when he loses. I haven’t felt [slighted]. I think that would be putting it wrong to say that.”

Mickelson ended Woods’ streak of six consecutive victories by winning at Torrey Pines. He ended Woods’ streak of 19 consecutive victories when leading after three rounds, beating Woods by two in the Tour Championship.

But Mickelson, runner-up to Woods on the final 2000 money list and ranked third in the world behind Woods and Ernie Els, prefers not to compare himself to other golfers.

“I don’t set my goals based on head-to-head competition against one individual,” Mickelson said. “I think that would be selling myself short.”

At one time, Mickelson was pegged to be as dominant as Woods has been. He won the U.S. Amateur, won the NCAA individual title and was a four-time collegiate All-American.

As an amateur, he won the 1991 Northern Telecom Open in Arizona. After turning professional, Mickelson showed no signs of slowing. He won every year on tour between 1993 and 1998, a total of 13 victories.

But when he didn’t win in 1999, whispers circulated that Mickelson didn’t have the drive to take a place among golf’s elite. Some said that the birth of Mickelson’s daughter, Amanda, last June changed his priorities.

“I didn’t believe any of that stuff,” said Rocco Mediate, who will play as Mickelson’s partner this weekend at Pelican Hill. “I’ve never doubted Phil’s ability or his focus. He knows how good he is and he’s gotten better. He fixed what needed to be fixed.”

After his winless 1999--the only winless season of his career other than 1992 when he played only 10 events--Mickelson made adjustments in his swing. He began working with swing coach Rick Smith and focused on his short game. Yes, the master of the flop shot and deft putting stroke went to work on his short game.

“By short game I mean 150 and in,” Mickelson said. “Around the green, chipping and putting, but also getting the ball close, getting enough birdie opportunities with my short irons.

“Yeah, there are some shots that I’m able to do that maybe others are not, but they’re not really scoring shots that really help me score better. The flop shot is a really fun shot and everything, and at times a necessity, not really a shot that is going to help me shoot low rounds. If I’m putting myself in the position where I need a flop shot, I’m not hitting it well enough or striking it well enough to score.”

The extra work helped produce the remarkable 2000, but CBS television analyst and Senior PGA Tour player Gary McCord said he thinks the golf world has not yet seen the best of Mickelson.

“He is as armed and dangerous as anyone in the game, including Tiger,” McCord said. “When Tiger has a year like that, it’s hard to make a ripple and [Phil] knows there is a big gap between Tiger and everyone else, but he also knows he has the tools to close that gap.”

This season, Mickelson finished third in driving distance (288.7 yards) behind John Daly and Woods, third in putting (1.726) behind Brad Faxon and Woods, and second in scoring average (69.25) behind Woods.

Mediate recalls his first encounter with Mickelson, at the 1991 Northern Telecom. Playing together in the third round, Mickelson blasted a drive 30 yards past Mediate’s. As they approached Mediate’s ball in the fairway, Mickelson grinned.

“He says, ‘Did you catch all of that one?’ ” Mediate said. “And from that moment I knew he was for real. The thing about him now is that Tiger doesn’t affect him. He wants Tiger, just like Tiger wants Phil.”

Mediate said that because Woods won the money title by such a landslide, he expects Mickelson to come out even hungrier next year.

“Tiger has made some guys work harder,” Mediate said. “He’s made some players better. Phil is one of those guys.”

Mickelson is a much different person and player than the college kid who won as an amateur in 1991. He’s established in his career and he looks at life in a different light.

And as a player, he said, he has yet to reach his prime. The swing changes he’s been working on are beginning to become ingrained and he’s pointing to mid-2001 as a target for hitting his stride.

“It didn’t feel comfortable last year, but I played through and I still performed well,” Mickelson said. “Now they’re starting to set in where it becomes second nature. My ball-striking has become much tighter, the misses have been much straighter and I haven’t had the huge numbers that I’ve had in the past.”