Sept. 13 — Remember back in the day when Tiger Woods would destroy Phil Mickelson each time they played together on the PGA Tour? Well, after Mickelson out-dueled Woods in the final round of the BMW Championship — the first time the No. 1 and No. 2 golfers had officially teed it up together since since the final round of the 2009 Masters — it’s clear Lefty has figured out how to undermine Woods’ mind games.
Johnson bedevils demons. First, a FedEx Cup update. After monumental meltdowns in the U.S. Open and PGA Championship, Dustin Johnson won the BMW event by firing a final-round 2-under 69 and winning by one shot over Paul Casey. While Johnson overcoming his own internal demons to enter the FedEx Cup finale as the second seed, it was the Woods-Mickelson match-up that thrilled NBC TV, which televised almost every shot the duo made.
Game within a game. Indeed, the game within a game had a mesmerizing impact, especially when one realized that Mickelson had come all the way back from his earlier humiliations at the hands of Woods to even out their head-to-head record at 11-11-4.
In fact, noted CBSSports.com’s Steve Elling, Phil The Thrill has had the advantage in their contests since he started working with Woods’ former coach Butch Harmon in 2007, the year Mickelson beat Woods for the Deutsche Bank Championship title at TPC Boston in Norton, Mass.
Seems Harmon has offered Mickelson some tips on how to deal with the oh-so subtle ways that Woods tries to one-up his opponents. For sure, Mickelson has been an avid student.
Brings out the best. “I love playing with Tiger,” Mickelson told NBC after firing a final-round 4-under 67 at Cog Hill Golf & Country Club, a layout Woods had demolished in his five previous wins. “He brings the best out of me.”
Mickelson tied for low round of the day and finished in a share of eighth place, while Woods had to settle for a 70 and an early exit from the FedEx Cup finale for the first time since the playoffs began in 2007.
Psyche! How’d he do it? Elling offered some clues about the “psychological tricks” Woods employs to overpower his playing partners. Among other tidbits, Harmon told Mickelson that Woods:
- Likes to putt out first so the throngs who follow him leave en masse for the next hole while the other guy has to deal with the disruption to clean up the hole
- Takes his time getting to tee areas so spectators save their loudest roars for him
- Strolls along when opponents play quickly and picks up his pace when paired with slower golfers to keep opponents off balance
Sure, Woods ended the week again as the top-ranked golfer in the world, and Mickelson may never dethrone him. But the perennial runner-up (Mickelson has been the bridesmaid for 257 weeks — the most time any golfer has held that position) definitely has the upper hand these days in their personal grudge matches.
You could almost see the big guy licking his chops when he suggested Sunday that the powers that be should pair the two together more often.
Bring it on. “I enjoy being paired with [Tiger],” Mickelson told NBC. “I hope the tour does it a little bit more on their own too. Maybe we could play sometimes [during] Thursday and Friday [rounds].”
Somewhere, Tiger Woods wondered how much more upside down his world could possible become.
(Emily Kay is a regular contributor to New England Golf Monthly. Check her out at the Boston Golf Examiner and National Golf Examiner websites.)
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