Will Phil Mickelson hang up his golf shoes for cleats?

Although FedEx golf rankings show Phil Mickelson in ninth place with a chance to win ten million dollar prize at the end of the 2012 season, his weekly record is not so good begging the question, "Is Phil Mickelson making his last stand in golf?" Is it time for Lefty to move on to his next adventure...in baseball?

PGA Tour golf tournaments from January through the present show an uneven season at best for Phil with one win at Pebble Beach, two cuts and one withdrawal at the Memorial in May. Although Mickelson played admirably at the Masters, he considers Augusta National to be one of his favorite and "fun" golf courses to play in spite of course changes which he believes to have hampered his birdie-making abilities.

The U.S. Open, on the other hand, was a complete disaster for Phil this year finishing in a tie for 65th position.

The European Tour may help to put Phil's golf game on the right track for the Open Championship. Mickelson left his family in Rome to grab the last sponsor's exemption in the Scottish Open hoping that preparations here will lead to a win at Royal Lytham next week. Lefty struggled yesterday stating, "I’ve played very poorly, and I added this week because I need to play a bit more,” Today Phil rebounded with a 64 to lie five shots off the pace further proving his uneven tendencies.

So what is a professional golfer who is playing poorly supposed to do? If it's Phil Mickelson, hedge his bets and buy into a baseball team!

Although it has been in the news for weeks that Mickelson wants to buy into the San Diego Padres along with an investment group that includes former Dodgers owner Peter O'Malley, the deal said to be at $800 million is close to finalizing with Phil excited at the prospect of ownership and creating  "a personal involvement with the players and the community."

Is Mickelson planning a move on to the next stage of his life, namely a career as a baseball team owner? Well, Phil cited fatigue when he W/D'd at the Memorial and he has Psoriatric arthritis which hampers his ability to play golf. Mickelson is also in the 'over-forty" crowd on the PGA Tour with young guns easily pumping out 350 yard plus drives, forcing Phil to work harder at playing safe, which is not in his DNA.

That being said, I think that if the San Diego Padres deal goes through, expect to see Phil Mickelson sporting a baseball cap in 2013 and ditching his KPMG logo (although there's still plenty of room for that sponsorship on his cap too!)

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photo credit: BittenandBound.com

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Phil Mickelson mentally superior to Tiger Woods at Pebble Beach

As Phil Mickelson walked up to the eighteenth green alongside of Tiger Woods on Pebble Beach golf course on Sunday, it was easy to see who was in control of his emotions and more "inspired" by his circumstances and who was going through the motions, allowing his mental game to weaken with every missed shot.


Did Phil's ear-to-ear grin striding down the fairway belie an air of smugness? Mickelson could have shown a bit of haughtiness, chin high, blowing off Tiger as a mere afterthought. Lefty has “beaten” Woods straight up the last five times they have been paired together in the final round of golf events and the once ferocious Tiger hardly had any bite in his game.

No, that is simply not Phil. Instead, Mickelson remained gracious and maintained, “I don't believe anybody has benefited more from what he's done (Woods) for the game than myself.”

Not only did he handily win the ATT, Mickelson did so with a score of 64 and with Woods stumbling on a final three-footer. Phil’s expression when Tiger missed the putt? He looked a bit downhearted, like he really wanted Woods to succeed. Phil wants to beat Tiger with Woods at his best, not during his lowest moments.

Perhaps Phil needs to offer Tiger insights into his current mental strategy for staying in the game as the same malady seems to be affecting Woods on those short putts. "I've been a little bit lazy mentally," Mickelson said, "so it was a real effort for me to stay focused on every single shot and to not let my mind slip or wander or be lazy."

That being said, I would like to eat my words <chomp, chomp> from a blog I wrote a few weeks ago in which I considered that Phil Mickelson may be washed up (both physically and mentally) for the PGA Tour. Although I still believe that Mickelson is entering into “comfortable” events, it’s certainly not wrong to do so and will probably even increase his resolve and confidence in events. Also, his physical ailments didn't appear to bother him. Enbrel for his psoriatric arthritis must be working...

I heartily congratulate Mickelson on his 40^th victory (now ninth in all-time wins) on the PGA Tour and wish him the best of luck this week at the Northern Trust Open, an event he won in 1991 as an amateur (Telecom Open) and back to back again during the 2008/2009 seasons. I am rooting for Lefty in my weekly Twitter fantasy pool. Last week, my choice of Tiger Woods to win the ATT did not turn out favorably but I think I’m making the right choice this week. I will still be cheering on Tiger Woods too (no, I am not hedging my bet...)

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Signs that Phil Mickelson may be getting too old for the PGA Tour

Although he will always be the fan favorite, Mickelson’s season-opener at the Humana is a challenge for Phil and for the event. Both had glory and are now trying to reclaim it.

Humana is using charming ex-President Bill Clinton as its new host replacing the incomparable Bob Hope. Once a five-day star-studded event, the Humana has scaled back in size and scope hoping to regain its popularity; the two biggest names in the field this week are Mickelson and Greg Norman, another "sentimental favorite".

Mickelson will be attempting to get 2012 off to a strong start in a comfortable setting where he is the leading money winner in order to help reclaim his top-ten spot in the OWGR. Lefty currrently resides in the 14th position in the world rankings.

Humana Tournament Chairman Larry Thiel, while welcoming Mickelson to the event, mentioned that Phil chose a comfortable start over a more intense one. 

 “Everyone who has the privilege of watching Phil play sees a true master at his craft and we are thrilled our fans will have that opportunity in a venue that Phil is comfortable playing in.”

The Humana Challenge has a better chance of enjoying a resurgence than Phil.

1. Rory McIlroy joined the PGA Tour this year with the sole purpose of dethroning Luke Donald from the top spot in the rankings. Lee Westwood has also joined the battle. With only ten spots available, Phil is going to have a tough time doing battle with these young guns and will have to revert to using his famous “phony smile”...a lot.

 2. Over-forty Phil struggles with a debilitating illness, Psoriatic arthritis, a pain, stiffness and swelling of the joints. At twenty-two, a sore back and a few aches and pains are easily removed with an Advil.

 3. The “unspoken law” of the over-forty crowd. When you finally make it to forty, the body doesn’t recuperate as easily or quickly as it once did…ask Phil.

 4, When a committee votes you into the World Golf Hall of Fame, you have to be over-forty years old, a PGA Tour player (on the PGA Tour ballot) for ten years and have either ten Tour wins, two majors or two Players Championships to be considered. Ask Ernie Els how well he's fared since his entrance into the HOF.

5. The probability of winning a U.S. Open lessens with age. In the 110-year history of the U.S. Open, only three golfers have won after the age of 40. Mickelson has a 0 for 20 record at the Open.

I hope that Phil Mickelson has a great 2012 golf season starting with the Humana Challenge.

Although he is my favorite golfer and I will be cheering for him, his time for greatness on the PGA Tour is running out and players who might have once feared his footsteps are now dogging them.


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photo credit: TeeTimes.info

Arthritic Phil Mickelson turns vegetarian

I wonder if Phil Mickelson ever thought about the consequences of turning forty and the possible unwelcome side-effects?

Five days before the U.S. Open (and right before his big birthday), Mickelson awakened with "intense pain" and couldn't move. Lefty's doctor visit found him to be suffering from psoriatic arthritis but a weekly treatment of shots seems to have put the symptoms under control.

A friend of mine once mentioned that turning forty was no picnic; to be wary of the bevy of doctors visits, new meds that you will be taking, etc... and now I'm getting worried!

From doctor's visits to a 'one-eighty' turnaround in diet, Phil Mickelson is a changed man. A veggie burger doesn't really taste like the real thing, no matter how much you tell yourself it does but, after a few bites, it's not so bad.

Mickelson said of his new-and-improved diet, "As long as I believe that there’s a possibility that it will help me overall, yeah, I’ll continue to do that. If it will somehow keep this in remission or stop it from coming back, yeah, I’ll be able to do it. But I haven’t been put it to the real test. The real test is driving by a Five Guys and not stopping.” Five Guys is the Burger Joint in which Phil bit bought into.

A few parting words from Mickelson? "I’m probably not as sharp as I would like to be."

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