By LARRY DORMAN
Published: April 28, 2010
CHARLOTTE, N.C. — One might question whether Phil Mickelson and Tiger Woods generate enough electricity on the golf course to power an enduring rivalry along the lines of Palmer-Nicklaus or Nicklaus-Watson. But there is no doubt that each time they meet, they throw off more than enough sparks to generate big buzz and put a bounce in television ratings.
Here they are again. The memory of Mickelson’s emotionally charged victory at the Masters two weeks ago is still fresh, and Woods is determined to improve on his tie for fourth place at Augusta after a five-month hiatus. The No. 1-ranked Woods and the No. 2-ranked Mickelson top an impressive field of 156 players at the Wells Fargo Championship that begins Thursday at Quail Hollow Club.
Setting aside its Augusta National-like beauty, this is a fitting site for the latest in the Tiger-Phil tussle that has become more competitive in the past year than at any time since the turn of the century. A big course of 7,469 yards, with major-championship aspirations that are almost certain to be fulfilled, Quail Hollow is a dramatic test that boasts an impressive list of winners, including four major champions in its brief seven-year history.
The list includes Woods, the 2007 winner, who finished fourth last year, and Mickelson, who finished tied for fifth. Those results reflect the battle the two best players in the world have waged in the 14 tournaments in which both have played dating to the 2009 W.G.C.-Accenture Match Play Championship. Their competition is the closest it has been since 1999, when they were tied with 15 career victories. Then Woods blew things open with 14 wins in the 2000-1 PGA seasons.
In the past 14 events in which they have competed, though, Mickelson has won four tournaments and Woods two.
Mickelson long ago acknowledged he would never match Woods in major titles, which Woods leads, 14-4, or career wins, in which Woods holds a 71-38 lead. But in the past year, he has elevated his game to the extent that he can now challenge Woods when both are playing their best, a level tournament officials are dreaming the two could reach soon, maybe this week.
Woods has put the disappointment of the Masters behind him, even though finishing fourth is not something he plans to grow accustomed to.
“Immediately after the event, they asked me how did I feel about it, and I wasn’t very happy I lost,” Woods said, referring to his terse post-tournament CBS interview that was widely criticized. “But given a little time to reflect on it, it was an incredible week. I think it went as well as it could have possibly gone, and obviously, I didn’t do what I needed to do on the weekend, but over all, after not playing for that long and coming back and finishing fourth, I think that’s pretty reasonable.”
And Mickelson has had to turn his attention from the gauzy, feel-good victory back to the cold reality of winning, and the preparation required to do it. That is not an easy transition, given that his wife, Amy, is dealing with the effects from chemotherapy for breast cancer. Her presence with their children at Augusta made the Masters what Mickelson called “probably the most special tournament win that I’ve had.”
Mickelson said he did not touch a club during the first week off after the Masters, adding, “but for the last five, six days I’ve been practicing pretty hard.”
He said: “I feel like my game is starting to come around. I see the improvement each day, and I feel like it’s back to a level close to where it was at Augusta, so I certainly have high expectations this week and next.”
Woods has faced intense scrutiny since returning to the game after a self-imposed break to deal with issues surrounding his acknowledged adultery. At Augusta National, every aspect of his game, from ball-striking to on-course language and demeanor, were evaluated to the point that Woods said, in exasperation, “People are making way too much of a deal on this.”
Now Woods is back under the microscope, and though he is not happy about off-course scrutiny that he describes as “paparazzi everywhere, at home, helicopters here and there, people driving by, paparazzi camping out in front of the gates,” there has been a return of some serenity on the golf course that has buoyed his spirits. He even had a double eagle, his first, while playing a practice round last week at Isleworth.
“It’s been more fun, no doubt,” he said. “I’ve had a lot of struggles internally for a while now, and that’s one of the reasons why it wasn’t that much fun. The game is now where it used to be, and that’s where it should be. It should be fun, and it is a game. Even though I do it for a living, it’s still a game, and it wasn’t that for a while.”
If he can carry that attitude into the competition this week and next, and the weeks beyond, there may be more fun all around the game of golf.