Where is Mickelson?

The PGA Tour is visiting Phoenix this week, and Phil Mickelson is among the top players present this week. Yet, a check of the leaderboard finds Phil 9 shots behind the leader after Round 3, and even behind Champions Tour players Fred Couples and Tom Lehman, and soon to be Champions Tour player Mark Calcavecchia.

There is no doubt that after the way Phil finished 2009, there were high expectations for Phil. These expectations were raised higher since Tiger is nowhere to be found.

A check of the stats for Phil this week indicates one problem is driving accuracy. Once again, Phil can't find the fairway. He is ranked 65th in that stat. In today's round, he had 32 putts.

Not to worry. At some point, Phil will win. But, I don't think we can or should heap as much expectation on his shoulders as we have with Tiger. They are two different people, and two different golfers. Phil is a hit or miss golfer. When he is on his game, Tiger is his only rival. When he is off, he can miss the cut. Tiger was that way earlier in his career. He made the move to Hank Haney so that he could be a more consistent player and that is what he became. But, he was willing to make the changes that Haney suggested he needed to make. Most golfers are not willing to do that.

Watched another Anthony Kim meltdown today. A 76 in the 3rd round with an 8 on a par 5 on the back nine. This kid has the all the talent in the world, but I am not sure how devoted he is. He said in interviews this week that he worked hard in the off-season. He is known as a partier. He'll have a short career if that keeps up.

So, who is going to truly take over leadership in Tiger's absence? Steve Stricker has been on an amazing roll, but lost in the first round of the Match play championship last week. Still, I see him remaining consistent, and he seems to be in a good place mentally. I just don't see him winning a major.

I suspect it will be a European player that takes over the mantle in the short term. Harrington always seems hungry, even as he struggled with some swing changes last year. Ian Poulter just won the Match play last week, and Paul Casey again made a strong showing. Right now, it seems like the top talent is on the other side of the Atlantic, and they may push each other to new heights this year.

It should be an interesting year with some big events coming up in just a few short weeks!

Scott Cole
www.scottcolegolf.com
www.powergolftraining.net