Whay they're saying
Web posted
Sunday, April 11, 2004
You want to believe, but you're scared to. You have been burned so many times by Phil Mickelson (Stats | Bio) (Stats | Bio) that you stop, drop and roll at the mere sight of him.
And now here he is, so close to his first major championship that, if he reached out with a sawed-off putter, he could touch it. That, of course, isn't the issue. The issue is whether he'll grab it Sunday.
But you force yourself to try on the idea that this very well could be the year and this very well could be the tournament. You figure that if Mickelson wins the Masters, other natural wonders will follow. The sun will start to spin. Mountains will move. And the Cubs will ... nah.
- Ricky Morrissey, Chicago Tribune
Phil Mickelson (Stats | Bio) (Stats | Bio) did what a lot of us did in school. He sometimes daydreamed in class.
When the teacher was talking about algebra or science, Mickelson would glance between the rows of desks and imagine a golf ball rolling on the tile floor.
The problem with a daydream is that you snap out of it, sooner or later, and reality sets in. That's how it's been his entire career when competing in golf's major championships.
His best moments have been like that imaginary golf ball rolling down the schoolroom floor. It was only a mirage - there one minute, gone the next. He has 22 PGA Tour victories, but he's 0-for-46 in the big ones. Best player never to win a major.
Will this Masters be different? Tied for the lead with Chris DiMarco (Stats | Bio) at 6-under par, can Mickelson close the deal as he heads into Sunday's final round? Each of the past three years he has finished third at the Masters.
Almost, almost, almost.
Golfer Nick Price (Stats | Bio) said last year that Mickelson would have won two or three majors if he had played smarter, taken less chances.
Yet Mickelson seems to enjoy his image as a riverboat gambler. He objects as strongly to being labeled a "conservative" in golf as John Kerry would in politics.
Every time a writer tried to put the "C" word into his mouth at Saturday evening's press conference, Mickelson spit it out as if someone was calling him a wuss.
- Gary Lundy,
Scripps Howard News Service
It is time for Tiger Woods (Stats | Bio) (Stats | Bio) to lay down his sword.
His insistence that he needs no help with his swing and can coach himself is costing him. He's created a one-man battle against golf's critics, who want him to take back guru Butch Harmon.
Woods is letting his ego get the best of him. He's stubbornly clinging to a "My Way" theme that is proving delusional.
Woods' disappointing 75 on Saturday in the third round of the Masters should be enough to convince him he needs help. The effort left him 9 shots behind co-leaders Phil Mickelson (Stats | Bio) (Stats | Bio) and Chris DiMarco (Stats | Bio) .
After a 69 on Friday, Woods stood at even par and was 6 strokes off the pace. He looked ready to mount a charge. He didn't necessarily need to grab the lead, but had he cut his deficit to 2 or 3 strokes, it would have scared the bejeebers out of those ahead of him.
Now with Woods tied for 20th, Mickelson and DiMarco might have their bejeebers intact.
Mickelson, in position to finally break through for his first major, is obviously delighted that Woods isn't in his rear-view mirror. Asked how it felt to be leading when Woods is out of contention, Mickelson replied, "Well, it doesn't suck, I'll say that."
- Marla Ridenour,
Akron Beacon Journal
The golf course at Augusta National is almost too perfect.
You walk around, and you can't see a single divot in a fairway. There doesn't appear to be a blade of grass out of place, and you never, ever see a weed or clover blemishing the emerald fairways or what they call rough. You don't see broken tees on the tee boxes. You rarely ever see a loose scrap of paper blowing around here.
Steve Flesch (Stats | Bio) , who shared the best round of the day Friday with Davis Love III (Stats | Bio) , offered some wacky observations about the impeccably kept course after shooting 67.
"You're walking around thinking, 'This place has got to be like Disney World,'" Flesch said. "There's got to be a substructure underneath here with tunnels and escape hatches and stuff like that."
"I'm just common folk," he said. "I'm not used to this kind of stuff, their attention to detail. I got up on the par-3 sixth, and I just want a broken tee. Most courses, they're everywhere, but there isn't one to be found."
- Randall Mell, South Florida Sun Sentinel
