Outta curiosity, what if...

[Ravenous Bugblatter Beast]

What if Mickelson had won the US Open?

I mean, ever since that amazing meltdown where it looked like he was on the way to winning a 3rd consecutive major, Phil Mickelson just hasn't been anywhere close to being the number 2 player in the world behind Tiger. Do you think it got into his head? Or is it just a natural ebb and flow that we all seem to go through?

[bames]

One can clearly see a difference in Phail's demeanor. I'm sure I can't use this as a blanket statement that covers all golfers, but for the vast majority of us this game is so, so fickle. I believe that Tiger has developed the worst short-term memory in golf and this is why he rebounds so quickly. It is very impressive (and a good lesson to learn) how he plays each hole completely seperate from any other. There aren't any carry-overs in golf. Unfortunately along with Phail the majority of us can't seem to grasp that concept. I can stew for two complete holes over a botched shot!

Unless something extraordinary happens to him - I predict that Phail will never be the same.

[DaveE]

Originally Posted by bames

I believe that Tiger has developed the worst short-term memory in golf and this is why he rebounds so quickly.

I read somewhere that Tiger has a 15 yd. rule. He lets himself get pissed about bad shots but has to be over it before he walks 15 yds. I've tried it a few times and it helps.

To answer the first question, the Open and the PGA would have been more interesting if Phil hadn't blown the US Open. You can see it in his face that he isn't over it yet.

[bames]

Originally Posted by DaveE

I read somewhere that Tiger has a 15 yd. rule. He lets himself get pissed about bad shots but has to be over it before he walks 15 yds. I've tried it a few times and it help.

I really like that idea - I'm going to implement it today.

[Ravenous Bugblatter Beast]

That 15-yard rule sounds like a really good idea. I often try to do something like that, I hit a bad shot and will let myself be angry about it, and try to move on to the next. But maybe putting it into concrete terms like that is a good idea, be angry, but after 15 yards of walking let it go and move on.

[Bravo]

To the original post: I really think this is true. His US Open meltdown has shattered his fragile psyche....and I am going to be surprised if he plays well in the Ryder Cup...He ain't the same guy.

[BigJim13]

Originally Posted by Ravenous Bugblatter Beast

That 15-yard rule sounds like a really good idea. I often try to do something like that, I hit a bad shot and will let myself be angry about it, and try to move on to the next. But maybe putting it into concrete terms like that is a good idea, be angry, but after 15 yards of walking let it go and move on.

that is a good idea, i like that. As for Phil... I just don't see him ever being the same. I won't go so far as to say he won't win a major again, but it wouldnt surprise me. All these guys have been having fun while Tiger was messing with his swing, now the man is back and you can see it in everybodies eyes....THEY ALL backed up yesterday until it was to late to matter.

[warbirdlover]

It certainly has been affecting him but I think he'll get over it, probably next year.

[dave.]

I think its actually a 10 yard rule,not 15

Nicklaus didn't have a memory either,he simply erradicated any memory of missed putts,he trained him self to only remember putts going in.

[Rockford35]

I think this can be said about alot of competitive guys. DiMarco, Vijay, Hefty, ect.

Those guys get so geared up for some of these things that when they end up soiling the bed, they can't explain it. Golf is like that, we've all had it happen to us. Ever grabbed the driver and had no idea where it was going?

Phil will be back. He'll win some BS tournament in Hawaii and get his grin on again. Then, we'll see more smilin' Phil, more talk about his "push" for #1 in the world, and Tiger will kick his ass again.

Then, we'll play this record again for the next 8 years.

R35

[dave.]

yep,in 1979,I watched the Open mouth agape,and no one,not a soul,described Seve as 'blowing up' when he sprayed the ball far wider than PM did on the 18th,when he hit that tent.Seve went in 2 carparks,and missed fairways by miles,never mind yards.But in those days,we appreciated shot making and revelled in creativity,now its just a power game,and when a player misses a fairway 20 yards wide by 30 yards like Phil did,he is referred to as a having a brain dump.Seve missed fairways that were 70 yards wide.............by another 50 yards at least.

[Augster]

I think Hefty is finished. I don't think he'll be able to get himself into that position again in this new "Tiger era". And if he did, the ghost of the 2006 US Open will likely rear its head. Most likely though, he'd be in the final group with Tiger and melt away from the first tee on.

Mickelson didn't win the 2006 US Open because he's a mental midget. Tiger wins that tournament 100% of the time he would be in that position, on 18 needing par to win, bogey for a playoff. Hitting driver was asinine being he hadn't hit a fairway all weekend with it. From the fairway (with a 3-wood, 5-wood, 2-iron, 3-iron, 4-iron 5-iron take your pick) he'd have a long iron or a short wood into the green. There are no penalty stroke hazards around that green. Hit it up there. Get up and down to win, or 2-putt for an 18-hole playoff. Simple. That's ****up #1.

If I spot you his aggessive nature and give you his terrible drive off the tent, it brings us to ****up #2. By his own recount, and from others, he could have easily punched out up the faiway and left himself an 8 to 6 iron into the green. He hits one of those close, taps in to win, or misses and goes into an 18 hole playoff. HE OF ALL ****ING PEOPLE SHOULD KNOW THIS AS THAT'S HOW PAYNE STEWART BEAT HIS ASS PREVIOUSLY. With a punchout, knock it to 15 feet and make the putt.

Lastly, the US OPEN format was his 3rd ****up. He HAS to be thinking about this. HAS TO! Anyone can see he doesn't have his A-game that day. The US Open playoff format is 18 holes on Monday. He'll be able to work on his game after the round and in the morning. PLUS, he's in New York where the crowd loves him. PLUS, he has 3 majors and Ogilvy the Aussie has none. Ogilivy will absolutely WILT under that kind of pressure, getting heckled by the New York crowd over 18 holes. If it's sudden death or a 4-hole playoff on Sunday, then I can see Mickelson just wanting to try to make par to end it because he knows his game stinks that day. It isn't sudden death and a playoff with a little experienced Aussie with a "home game" crowd should have had him thinking 5 and trying to make 4.

If your thinking at the end of a major is THAT messed up, where you can make bad decision after bad decision and just GIVE it away, mentally, that will haunt you for a long, long time. The only way to prove you are over it is to get in a same, or similiar, situation to see if you are thinking correctly that time. One begets the other and I doubt we'll see Hefty in contention anytime soon, if ever, in the majors.

Does anyone know if Tiger's mom is sick? When she gets a bit older, then the others will have a chance again.

I don't know. Maybe Lehman will pair him with DiMarco, they'll tear up the Cup and Hefty will get his mental game back with a relaxed pairing, and a partner as a net.

[dave.]

Some very controversial comments Augster.I for one think PM deserves respect for his game and I don't believe it was anything more than just a bad day at the office at the US Open,I certainly wouldn't dream of criticising him for his shot choice.

On his day he can give Tiger a run for his money,in fcat,he is easily the best there is in the world at the moment after Tiger.And his short game is second to none,period.

[cypressperch]

Tiger Woods. Tiger knows this better than anyone. Tiger hits a lot of wonderful shots, but the media then acts as if he were the only one possible of hitting such shots. Look at that shot Mike Weir had out of that trap and just imagine Tiger had done the very same thing. That shot might have made that program on Tiger's Ten Greatest Shots. Come to think of it, I have hit a few shots in 48 years of playing that might have got on that program. The media are making Tiger into God. Actually, there is a spoof website where they are proclaiming that Tiger is in fact God.

The media are PARTLY responsible for the great edge Tiger has. Tiger's physical game is certainly a powerful force. But Tiger's greatest gift (or curse) is that he is probably the most driven golfer of all time with Ben Hogan the possible exception that proves the rule. There are plenty of golfers out there who would like to whip Tiger's butt, but they are not going to do what that would take. I just can't get over the idea of Tiger out there at 5 AM running mile after mile wearing a 60 pound weighted vest. You got mansions, a ship, a beautiful wife--but there you are pushing yourself that hard when you could probably win fairly often with a fraction of the effort. He is driven. He says he only wants to get as good as is necessary to satisfy himself personally, but it is very obvious that if he ends up satisfied he will have left Nicklaus, Hogan, Snead, and the others far behind. He is driven.

Phil obviously enjoys a good meal. Phil obviously is a devoted husband and parent. Phil has a very good game, contends in majors from time to time, earns a very good income, and is quite content. He is somewhat driven, but he refuses to be driven to the point that he could whip Tiger on a regular basis. He has achieved that at times, and he probably will again, but when you average it all out, no one is in Tiger's league.

Vjay was there momentarily, but maybe getting a bit old to challenge Tiger like he was. Ernie was a force to be reckoned with, but the injury and all of that world traveling will take its toll on anyone. Something is wrong with Retief who I think Tiger has a lot more respect for than the media. Having won against a lightning bolt as a kid, Retief has something that even Tiger may not understand.

Conclusion. The game, especially at the highest level, is more mental than anything else. Confidence is incredibly important. No one has more reason to be confident than Tiger and the media and the competition constantly attest to that fact. The bar is being raised like never before. Some kid at some municipal course might have the drive and the dream, but they will probably not have the necessary opportunity to fully develop. Some kid at a country club might have the opportunity and quite a bit of desire and talent, but probably not enough to get to the level that bar has been raised to. Of course, a special set of circumstances produced Tiger, and the next thing you know Tiger looks like a sure bet to top the Nicklaus standard. That was not likely either, but we are getting to witness it.

Ryan Moore's last amateur year was unbelievable. Maybe he will do something unbelievable as a pro. Every major that someone like that wins is one less for Tiger. I guess there is considerable truth in the idea that today it is Tiger vs. the Field.

Cypressperch

[BigJim13]

Originally Posted by dave.

Some very controversial comments Augster.I for one think PM deserves respect for his game and I don't believe it was anything more than just a bad day at the office at the US Open,I certainly wouldn't dream of criticising him for his shot choice.

On his day he can give Tiger a run for his money,in fcat,he is easily the best there is in the world at the moment after Tiger.And his short game is second to none,period.

I honestly believe that Tiger's short game is better than PM's, only slightly and they may be equal. They are actually in my opinion very close talent wise, its the mental where Tiger has the edge, over everybody.