Mickelson this era’s Palmer

AUGUSTA, Ga. – In a world without Tiger Woods, Phil Mickelson would not challenge Jack Nicklaus’ record of 18 major titles, nor would he inspire comparisons to Michael Jordan and Muhammad Ali.

But how much greater would Phil’s legacy be had Earl Woods handed his toddling son a tennis racket, or had a grown-up Tiger turned toothless while wearing those blood-red Sunday shirts?

How many majors would Phil own today? Six? Seven? Eight? Nine?

Those would be the totals collected by Lee Trevino, Arnold Palmer, Tom Watson and Gary Player.

Mickelson has three to his name, and he’s been stuck on three since he turned the 72nd hole at Winged Foot into the greatest misadventure since Jean Van de Velde went completely mad at the British.

No, that doesn’t make Mickelson another Craig Ehlo in Jordan’s time. Three rings are better than none, after all. Yet in a world ruled by Woods, even a future Hall of Famer can look smaller than the dime used to mark Tiger’s next eagle putt.

This is how Geoff Ogilvy, the beneficiary of Mickelson’s Winged Foot wipeout, talked about the way players look at Tiger as opposed to Phil:

“If you are fearful, you would be less fearful of Phil. … (Mickelson) can have periods where he’s unbelievable, but he can also have periods where he’s completely off the map.”

Ogilvy referenced the rare Tiger breakdown at The Masters – the back-to-back bogeys that followed his miracle chip-in at 16 and forced a playoff with Chris DiMarco – and how Woods recovered with the shots needed to win that playoff.

“Phil would do less than that, for sure,” Ogilvy said, “just because … he’s more human than Tiger.”

More human than Tiger?

Actually, defending Masters champ Trevor Immelman said, “Whether (Tiger’s) human or not is still up for debate.”

This much is clear: Mickelson is all too human. He’s his generation’s Palmer, loved for the fatal imperfections and absurd risks as much as he’s celebrated for his skill.

This much is also clear: Mickelson might get his last great crack at Tiger this weekend in a Masters that threatens to go down among the all-time epics.

Much has been made of the brash and gifted teenagers in this field, and of the return of Greg Norman, who showed up in the form of an Augusta National ghost, talking about his many Masters demons and the ways his wife, Chris Evert, helped him quiet them.

But this tournament promises to be special because of Tiger and Phil, Phil and Tiger. Woods is No. 1, Mickelson No. 2. Phil already owns two victories this year, Tiger already has one in three starts made on his surgically altered knee, the one secured by another signature putt at Bay Hill that not a single viewer thought he’d miss.

“You have to believe in yourself if you are going to make those putts,” Woods said.

Woods and Mickelson have never been on this kind of collision course entering the Masters. They’ve never played at this level, at the same time, with the same blind faith.

“I would love to be in the same group as him and walk down together on Sunday,” Mickelson said. “Hopefully, we will both play well. … We have 54 holes where we have to play great golf.

“I don’t think that’s a question for him. I think he’s playing some great golf and I think he’s going to be there.

“I think that I’ve been playing some of the best golf of my career and I believe I’m going to be there.”

“I feel like right now I’m playing some of the best golf that I’ve ever played,” he said again. “I’m driving the ball better than I ever have. … I feel very comfortable and confident in my game and in my equipment, and I feel like I’ll be able to in the next five years achieve levels of play that I haven’t achieved earlier in my career.”

Who says Mickelson has five years left in his prime?

He’s fast approaching his 39th birthday, and Tiger already has a wary eye trained on 23-year-old Anthony Kim and the teen wonders, Danny Lee, Rory McIlroy and Ryo Ishikawa.

Though Woods maintained today’s fields are much deeper than they were when he arrived on tour – “The game is getting closer and closer together,” he said. He’s still leading this race by Secretariat lengths.

His left knee is fine. So is that unmatched belief in himself, the most reliable club in his bag.

Golf is ready for Woods and Mickelson at their best, barreling toward the 72d hole.

With Tiger scanning the crowd of younger dance partners, it’s time for Phil to move and move fast.