Woods-Mickelson Is Nothing to Sneeze At

What troubles Tiger Woods the most? Is it the 605-yard 14th hole at Medinah Country Club? The longest course ever for a major, 7,561 yards? A pairing the first two days of the PGA Championship with archrival Phil Mickelson? The suffocating pressure of a major coupled with the fact that he’s trying to win his third tournament in a row?

Woods sniffed, then sneezed.

“Allergies,” he said.

As it turns out, Woods is allergic to grass, dust and trees, not par fives, Mickelson or pressure. In fact, the British Open champion said he was looking forward to all three, but especially his grouping with Masters champion Mickelson in the first two rounds Thursday and Friday at the 88th PGA Championship.

Geoff Ogilvy, the U.S. Open champion, also is part of the group, and he’s as curious as anyone who wonders how the Woods-Mickelson dynamics will work out.

“I’m sure it’ll be a zoo,” he said. “It’ll be interesting to see how they get along with each other.... It’ll be quite funny.”

The Woods-Mickelson showdown, if that’s what it is, has piqued interest around here like nothing else. One of the reasons is probably because it simply doesn’t often happen. The last time Woods and Mickelson played together in a major was the last round of the 2001 Masters, which Woods won.

“I don’t think there’s going to be many people out there,” Mickelson said jokingly.

Woods was deliberate and serious when he spoke with a group of reporters Tuesday afternoon at Medinah, and Mickelson was outgoing and playful when it was his turn. At stake this week with a victory for either of them is probably the player-of-the-year award because a second major title in one year tends to stand out on a resume.

But Woods, who has won four times on the PGA Tour this year, has been playing to a high standard since he missed the cut at the U.S. Open, while Mickelson has slipped. Woods tied for second at the Western Open, then won the British Open at 18-under-par and the Buick Open at 24 under. In his last three events, Woods is a combined 53 under.

Woods has played 10 of his last 11 rounds in the 60s and nine of them have been 67 or lower. He won the Buick Open with four rousing rounds of 66.

It has been going so well for Woods, he’s starting to remind himself of the best period of success he’s had, from 2000 through 2001, when he won 14 times, four of them majors, and held all four major titles at the same time -- the so-called Tiger Slam.

“I think it’s very similar,” he said. “I think I’ve had some great stretches in my career out here so far, and this is certainly one of the best. Hopefully, I can keep it going for a while.”

Woods said his plan was to attack Medinah’s four par-five holes with his driver, but he may use it only once or twice more. He is taking the two-iron out of his bag and plans on using the five-wood for his second shot. At issue is the number of dogleg holes that Woods would have to cut, over the top, clearing trees with his driver.

“It doesn’t make any sense,” to hit driver, he said.

Mickelson said his driver plans have not yet been decided, but he’s leaning toward the draw driver, the 46-inch shafted model, that was one of the clubs he deployed in his two-driver strategy at the Masters.

But his greatest strategy may be to turn his game around and rebound from his meltdown at the 72nd hole of the U.S. Open at Winged Foot, where he had a one-shot lead, but wound up with a double bogey after knocking his tee shot off a hospitality tent, his second shot off a tree and his third shot into a greenside bunker.

Mickelson, who had won the BellSouth and the Masters, had never looked more in control of his game, but he has done a quick fade since Winged Foot. He tied for 65th at the Western, tied for 22nd at the British Open and missed the cut last week at the International.

Mickelson said he doesn’t think there’s a hangover from his Winged Foot misadventure, but he understands why it’s a topic open to speculation.

“So it hasn’t been great, but then again, it’s only been two or three tournaments and the British hasn’t been my best event,” he said.

“It’s a fair assessment. I haven’t played to the level that I expected ... [but] I expect to play well.”

Dave Pelz, Mickelson’s short-game coach, said Mickelson didn’t hit the ball all that great at Winged Foot, and still nearly found a way to win.

“If he had hit it half decently, he would have won by a heck of a lot. If he had hit it great, I don’t know what they would have done

Pelz said Mickelson is the best player in the world when he’s clicking.

“He’s got a whale of a game now.”

Woods only smiled when asked about the comments of Pelz.

“I think I’m pretty tough to beat when I’m playing well too,” he said.