Mickelson takes on Tour after victory
NORTON, Mass. – As soon as Phil Mickelson shrugged off Tiger Woods and the rest of the field at the Deutsche Bank Championship, he decided to take on golf’s powers-that-be.
Complaining that the PGA Tour Playoffs are too much of a commitment for players already tired from a long season, Mickelson decided to skip the BMW Championship this week outside Chicago.
He was playing a corporate outing – in Chicago, no less – and was not available for comment.
But he offered minuscule insight Monday evening after dispatching of the world’s No. 1 player at the TPC Boston, when he said he was “conflicted” and “torn” about whether to play.
“My frustration from this past year came from asking for a couple of things in the FedEx Cup that weren’t done, and not feeling all that bad now if I happen to miss,” he said Monday. “So I’m not really sure how it’s going to play out.”
Mickelson would not elaborate on his complaints, but he did say that with his kids starting school on Wednesday he was torn between spending time with his family and fighting for points in Chicago. He said he has brought up his issues with PGA Tour commissioner Tim Finchem, to no avail.
“It’s just that I’m conflicted,” Mickelson said, noting that it wasn’t just the playoffs but a hectic season overall. “I certainly feel the obligation to support the FedEx Cup, to support the PGA Tour, and support the game of golf. And I also want to have a balance in my life, and my family has sacrificed a lot this year because it’s been a very difficult schedule.”
Mickelson shot 5-under-par 66 on Monday in the final round of the Deutsche Bank to finish two strokes ahead of Woods, Brett Wetterich and Arron Oberholser. The victory was worth $1.26 million and 9,000 points in the playoffs, moving him to the top of the standings.
Wetterich shot 70, making a birdie on the final hole to earn enough points to move up 29 spots in the standings to No. 22 and giving him an excellent shot at making the Tour Championship.
Oberholser was within one shot of Mickelson most of the back nine, but he needed an eagle on the final hole to force a playoff. Instead, he missed a 10-foot birdie putt when the tournament was sealed and improved to No. 29 in the standings; had he made the birdie putt, he would have gone to No. 20 and clinched a spot at East Lake for the Tour Championship.
John Mallinger and Bo Van Pelt moved into the top 70 to advance to the third round next week in Chicago.
Even if Mickelson does skip the next event, he long ago locked up a spot in the Tour Championship.
But that would make it three consecutive weeks that a top five player in the world rankings has sat out one of the playoff events. Tiger Woods sat out Week 1, and Ernie Els sat out the Deutsche Bank to be with his kids as they started school.
Even missing Els, the TPC was not lacking in star power.
After playing in a threesome with Vijay Singh for the first two rounds, Mickelson and Woods paired up again in Monday’s final round. Thousands of fans stood six-deep behind the greens and watched Mickelson move to a five-stroke lead before Woods made a move.
“For 10 years, I’ve struggled against Tiger,” Mickelson said. “The way I was able to answer with a couple birdies when Tiger was making his charge – it felt pretty good. As we all know, he finishes better than anybody else. He certainly tried to do that (Monday). I was able to hold him off.”
It was Mickelson’s first victory since The Players Championship in May. Then he injured his left wrist that cost him his summer, and only recently has Mickelson been able to swing without flinching.
But Woods was the one who was struggling this week.
He missed 11 putts from inside 10 feet over the weekend – four of them from inside 7 feet. He three-putted three times. In the final round, he made just one putt from outside of 13 feet.
“It’s very frustrating,” Woods said. “That many three-putts, and I’m still right there, which means I’m hitting the ball well. I just need to clean up my greens for next week.”
Woods missed makeable putts on three straight holes, including a 15-footer on No. 12 after Mickelson hit his second shot into a hazard and wound up with a double bogey.
Woods gave himself a chance for an eagle on No. 18 from 33 feet. But Mickelson ended it when, after going over the green with his second shot, he chipped from out of a downhill lie to within 5 feet – an easy birdie.