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Lefty on top

So, Phil Mickelson takes home his second jacket in three years at Augusta. Beating out a charging Tiger, a wily veteran looking for another shot at glory and a cast of top contenders, Lefty got the job done.

Somehow, despite Tiger’s best efforts to stay in the thick of it, he never really had that look of someone that was going to win it all. Neither did some of the early leaders in the tourney such as Campbell or Clark. However, it was nostalgic and wonderful to watch Fred Couples find his youthful side and compete well into Sunday afternoon. If it weren’t for a sad-sack putter, it could have been Nicklaus-esque to see him bring it home.

Indeed, this tournament started and ended with Phil. Mickelson came in as the favorite. Yes, Tiger was the defending champ, but Phil was hotter. In fact, you could argue that he was the hottest golfer in the world when he arrived in Augusta. He carried with him the largest galleries and the most media scrutiny.

We wanted to believe Woods would give Mickelson a run at the end, but we knew deep down it wouldn’t happen. As much as people want to adorn Phil with praise and acknowledgement as one of the top golfers in the world, no one wants to believe that he is better than Tiger. We put Woods up on a pedestal, perhaps rightfully so when he is winning tournaments on a regular basis. And there are still some skeptics out there that do not believe in Mickelson, for whatever reason.

When he wasn’t reaching the pinnacle of majors, it was because he wasn’t dedicated enough or that he was a choker. Some said he was not in the right physical conditioning. Well, I think we can safely put physique questions to bed, as Mickelson has never played better, yet has seemingly put on a few pounds. We’re not talking Manzeir territory, but it’s pretty close.

In any event, we must put to rest the questions about whether or not Mickelson is every bit as good as Woods or not. The truth is he is- at least over the last few months. Woods is no longer way out in front of Mickelson, and, for the first time in their rivalry, Tiger may actually fear or be wary of Phil’s increasing winning prowess. There won’t be any Tiger Slam talk for a while, that’s for sure.

Comments or Questions? Email Matthew@BetUS.com.