Looks like Phil Mickelson won’t be tossing the coin to kick off any Patriots pre-season games between rounds of the 2012 Deutsche Bank Championship. Lefty, an avowed Red Sox fan who took some batting practice swings at Fenway during last summer’s FedEx Cup playoff stop at TPC Boston, likes New England’s Super Bowl rival in tonight’s heavyweight bout.
“The Giants sure are playing some great football and their offense is firing and their four front on defense look like they’re dominant,” Mickelson told reporters after posting a 4-under 67 in Saturday’s third round of the Phoenix Open. “So I think they’re going to be tough to beat.”
Even the most enthusiastic Tom Brady ball-washer would have difficulty arguing with Mickelson’s logic. Perhaps that’s why QB12’s super-model wife Gisele Bundchen took it upon herself to send out a nauseating e-mail to close friends and family asking them to “pray” for “Tommy” in Sunday night’s Super Bowl rematch against the team that ended what would have been the Patriots’ perfect 2007-2008 season.
Mickelson’s rationale and Bundchen’s overwrought concerns for hubby had no impact on most of the TV golf analysts covering this week’s PGA Tour event, however. Only Gary McCord, of the six commentators on the TPC Scottsdale course for CBS Sports picked the Giants to win, by a score of 31-23. Here’s how the other talking heads came down on the Big Game:
- Jim Nantz, Patriots (31-21)
- Nick Faldo, Pats (29-20)
- Ian Baker-Finch, Pats (31-24)
- Peter Kostis, Pats (21-17)
- David Feherty, Pats (27-23)
Nantz gave Pats fans a glimmer of hope when he noted that Feherty had hit the outcome and the score on the nose the last time he polled his colleagues. “I mean, the exact score,” Nantz said on Saturday’s Phoenix Open broadcast. “Feherty flat out picked it on the button.”
It was unclear whether Nantz meant last year, when the Green Bay Packers downed Pittsburgh, 31-25, or the 2008 Giants-Pats contest, played right down the road at the University of Phoenix Stadium in Glendale.
In any case, golf’s funny man, Feherty, was all over Indianapolis leading up to tonight’s clash. He even had the Broncos quarterback guffawing in a special filming of Golf Channel’s “Feherty” show.
During the program, which aired Saturday night, Feherty wondered what went through Tim Tebow’s mind after his dramatic — some might say “miraculous” — 80-yard touchdown pass to Demaryius Thomas to beat the Steelers in overtime in last month’s AFC wild-card game. After all, the genuflecting southpaw has taken a ton of heat for his unconventional throwing style, with Denver’s VP of football operations John Elway an early skeptic.
“I’ll give you three choices,” Feherty offered the media sensation, whom he greeted on one knee, Tebow-style. His guest snickered when Feherty rattled off the first option, “A) Well, it looks like I’m not gonna be a car salesman next year.”
Tebow laughed out loud when the host harkened back to Denver’s improbable string of fourth-quarter comebacks, “B) You know, I wonder if I could do that in the first quarter?” and chuckled somewhat uncomfortably at his final alternative. “C) Take that, Elway, you old fart!”
Back on the course, Patriots’ die-hard James Driscoll donned a Tedy Bruschi jersey to greet the fans at TPC Scottsdale’s famed 16th hole on Saturday. Mickelson, meanwhile, turned to swing coach Butch Harmon for some help after scuffling to a 70 on Friday.
Harmon flew in to provide some tips to his student before Saturday’s round, and Mickelson said they helped.
“We had a really good session, and I was able to feel much more confident,” he said. “I hit a lot of good shots, especially early on, and made some birdies.”
Driscoll and Mickelson, who fought his way back from a potential missed cut to a share of 10th place heading into the final round, had a way to go to catch the tourney leader. Driscoll started Super Bowl Sunday at 5-under — 12 shots back of Spencer Levin — while was slated to tee off in the finale Mickelson at 8-under.
Emily Kay is a regular contributor to New England Golf Monthly. View all her articles here. You may also follow Kay on Twitter @golfexaminer
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