Unless it’s a major, golf doesn’t get any better than Sunday at beautiful Pebble Beach, especially when Tiger Woods and Phil Mickelson are on the leader board and locked in the same teeth-grinding twosome, with the waves of the Pacific Ocean crashing metaphorically in the backdrop.
Make no mistake about Mickelson and Woods: The two Southern Californians plain don’t like each other, which makes their pairings all the more fascinating.
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On Sunday, however, there was no back-nine drama as Lefty did to Tiger what Woods had done for so many years to so many other players. While Mickelson shot 64 on his way to victory, Woods stumbled to a 75.
“I do believe that for the first time today, Tiger Woods was intimidated,” Golf Channel analyst Brandel Chamblee intoned.
When paired up in the final round, Mickelson actually has beaten Woods the last five times.
“I just feel very inspired when I play with him. I love playing with him,” Mickelson told reporters.
“I hope that he and I have a chance to play together more in final rounds.”
Mickelson’s win came amid a drought. For 10 straight tournaments dating to the Greenbrier in July, Mickelson had failed to finish better than 10th, his longest such stretch since 1993.
After his work was done Sunday, Mickelson was greeted by his wife, Amy.
“What a round,” she exclaimed. “Are you kidding me?”
When Mickelson is playing with Woods, there is no kidding around.
– Kevin Dunleavy
