Here’s a question that, up until the final group stepped to the 18th tee of last week’s U.S. Open, we never thought would be up for discussion:
Who’s the player of the year so far on the PGA Tour?
What was utterly cut-and-dried – Phil Mickelson winning the Masters and the U.S. Open and being just a step away from joining Tiger Woods and Ben Hogan as the only men to win three consecutive majors – may have gone up like so much kindling Sunday when Lefty threw away history with his double-bogey 6.
Obviously there is still plenty of golf, and two majors, to be played, and it’s not like Mickelson missed the cut and sailed off into the sunset like some others, but just how costly was his disastrous finish?
Here’s another way of looking at it. Mickelson won the Masters, finished tied for second at the Open and has one other victory this season, the BellSouth Classic. Geoff Ogilvy, the only other player whose name should enter the discussion for player of the year at this point, also has a major and a second victory. His, the World Golf Championship’s Accenture Match Play, came versus a much superior field than Mickelson’s.
But does it count more in terms of figuring out who’s No. 1? Ultimately, the answer would have to be no, and the proof is in the definition of the category. For the year, besides his two wins, Mickelson also has five top-10 finishes. Ogilvy finished a very credible 16th (tie) at the Masters; however, apart from a second at the Honda Classic the week after the Match Play, his only other top-10 was a tie for 10th at the Wachovia Championship. Ogilvy has also missed three cuts in 15 events this season; Mickelson has been in the money each of his 14 tournaments.
Mickelson gets the nod right now.
See you in August
Mickelson and Ogilvy will tee it up a little less than a month at Royal Liverpool. Apart from that, it’s entirely possible the next time the two are in the same field will be at the International, Aug. 10-13.
It seemed as if officials from the local tour stop had a release trumpeting Ogilvy’s inclusion the moment Mickelson’s drive on 18 caromed off a corporate hospitality tent. As for Mickelson, who won at Castle Pines in 1993 and 1997 and has only missed attending once in the past 13 years (in 2004) , the feeling is he’ll be around this time, even though the International will be played the week before the PGA Championship.
“He’s not officially committed yet, but he always plays the week before a major,” International executive director Larry Thiel said Wednesday. “His management people have told us that he has us on his schedule, so that’s a sign to us.”
Players don’t have to officially commit to an event until the Friday before tournament week. Thiel said it’s becoming harder and harder to get players to guarantee their presence at an event.
“It’s become a really sticky deal with them, they wait longer and longer before they get the word out,” Thiel said. “I think they’ve become worried that if they commit early and then have to change their minds, it will come back to haunt them.”
No Monty
One player Thiel said won’t be at Castle Pines is the star-crossed Colin Montgomerie.
His double bogey on 18 at Winged Foot cost him at least a spot in a Monday playoff, if not his first major championship and first victory in the U.S. Montgomerie has never played in the International.
“We’ve always missed out on him because of our date,” Thiel said.
Winners, losers
When assessing the winners and losers – beyond the obvious ones – from the Open, be sure to include Steve Stricker among the former.
With his tie for sixth, Stricker was assured a spot in the 2007 championship at Oakmont. Even better, his check for $183,255 raised his season earnings to $735,119. Now 59th on the money list, Stricker, who lost his tour card before the start of this season, is virtually assured of retaining his playing privileges.
While not a candidate for the loser’s category, last week was something of a mixed bag for David Duval. In finishing in a tie for 16th, the Cherry Hills Village resident insisted throughout the week that he was a few good breaks from being more of a factor in the final outcome.
That was certainly evidenced by a number of categories. Duval had 115 putts for the week – the only players with fewer were Lee Williams, who had 114 but finished tied for 40th.
And, on a course where birdies were hard to come by, Duval’s total of nine was good for a tie for 17th.
Staff writer Anthony Cotton can be reached at 303-820-1292 or at acotton@denverpost.com.
