August 6 — With Tiger Woods’ golf game circling the drain and Phil Mickelson just one shot off the lead after two rounds of the 2010 Bridgestone Invitational, Lefty finally appears poised to grab the No. 1 ranking from Tiger.
Not quite DFL. Bridgestone defending champ Woods may be wishing there were a cut this week so he could run away and hide after finishing his second round in a tie for 71st with the immortal Simon Dyson and four others. That’s 71st out of 80 golfers, with only five players between the still top-ranked golfers and dead last place.
Small wonder Woods declined to speak with the media after carding a 2-over 72 to match an opening-round 74, his worst rounds ever at Firestone Country Club, where he had won seven times in 10 events.
“F**k no,” Woods told an intrepid PGA Tour rep who asked if the struggling golfer would like to meet the press, according to Golf.com’s Gary Van Sickle.
Tale of two rounds. Mickelson, on the other hand, headed into the weekend just one shot back of Retief Goosen’s 7-under lead. Despite what he described as “some pretty crooked drives,” Mickelson kept his round on course with six birdies and two bogeys.
So, will this finally be the week that Mickelson dethrones Woods from his perch atop the world rankings? He’s had ample opportunity to do so but has squandered each chance so far.
Tiger’s toast. All Phil “The Thrill” has to do this week, however, is finish no worse than fourth place if Tiger ends up outside the top 37. And with Woods hacking his way from tee through green on a course he had dominated, it’s unfathomable that Tiger would suddenly find his swing in time to battle his way back into contention, let alone the discussion.
At this point, with Woods DFL in fairways hit this week, it would be far more surprising for him to play like the pre-Thanksgiving golf ace than if he decided to withdraw. He could always cite a “neck injury” and hop aboard the disabled list with playing partner Lee Westwood, whose actual torn calf muscle forced him to quit after Friday’s round and withdraw from next week’s PGA Championship.
Done for the year? Indeed, things are so bad that rumors are flying that Woods may remove himself from further competition this year altogether. Small wonder he refused to say he would play in the Ryder Cup as a captain’s pick, which may be the only way he’d make the team.
His play this week must also have the organizers of Boston’s Deutsche Bank Championship, which faces its own uncertain future, just a tad anxious. Woods will earn FedEx Cup points just for finishing this week, but at his current spot of 111th on the points list, he would remain outside the top 100 eligible to play in the annual Labor Day weekend event that benefits the Tiger Woods Foundation.
Take it away, Lefty. So for Phil, the door’s open, the table’s set, the stage is his, blah blah blah. Now all the world’s second-ranked golfer has to do is post a couple of those low rounds he believes are out there and he can finally ascend to the position he so desperately aches to attain.
(Emily Kay is a regular contributor to New England Golf Monthly. Check her out on the Boston Golf Examiner and National Golf Examiner websites. You may reach Kay at mlek@comcast.net)
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