Recent success, Woods’ woes result in a shift
It took a combination of good fortune for Phil Mickelson and misfortune for Tiger Woods to reverse the annual betting line in the Masters.
But after three wins in seven years at Augusta and a victory last week at the Houston Open — plus three knee surgeries, an embarrassing public divorce and an extended drought for four-time Masters winner Woods — Mickelson is finally the favorite for golf’s first major, which begins Thursday in Georgia.
Even then, British bookmaker Ladbrokes lists Mickelson (7-1 odds) as only a marginal choice over Woods (11-1), who hasn’t won in more than 16 months.
| Masters |
| When » Thursday-Sunday |
| Where » Augusta (Ga.) National |
| TV » ESPN, CBS |
Mickelson enters primed for victory. In winning at Houston, he shot 63-65 in the final two rounds on a course that last week he said “was not going to set up well for me.”
“I certainly have a lot more confidence heading [into Augusta] because the one area that I’ve been not doing as well as I usually do, which is seeing a shot, visualizing a shot, being able to hold that picture throughout the swing and execute, I started to do much better this weekend,” Mickelson told reporters Sunday.
Only four Masters champions have won the week before. The last to do it was Mickelson in 2006, when he captured the BellSouth Classic.
“People have talked about winning the week before a major is not necessarily the greatest thing because it takes away energy,” Mickelson said. “I felt like in ’06 it was really a benefit to gain the momentum and confidence.”
Mickelson needed a similar boost this year. Before Sunday, his last win had come at the 2010 Masters.
What’s at stake this week for Mickelson? A win would be his 40th on tour and his fourth Masters title, which would put him in rare company with Jack Nicklaus, the all-time Masters champion with six green jackets, Arnold Palmer (four) and Woods (four).
A victory this week also would come at a time when Mickelson’s popularity is at an all-time high. Standing by his wife, Amy, and mother, Mary, through their respective battles with breast cancer has placed him in contrast with Woods, who has lost fans with revelations of his extramarital escapades. This week Mickelson was the subject of a glowing cover piece in Parade Magazine.
Mickelson has battled his own physical problems. He suffers from psoriatic arthritis, and at age 40, some — such as an anonymous pro in a Sports Illustrated feature last week who mocked Mickelson’s work on the greens — consider him on the downside of his career.
“Phil still uses one of the most difficult putters to putt with, that heel-shafted thing that he opens and closes like a gate,” the pro said. “He hits a lot of pushes and pulls with it because he’s trying to time the release. I think he needs a change.”
That’s unlikely to happen after Mickelson averaged 28.0 putts a round and 1.64 putts a green in regulation, which ranked tied for 11th and third in the field, respectively, at Houston.
It all adds up to good timing for Mickelson, at long last the man to beat at Augusta.
“It re-energizes me every time I go there,” Mickelson said. “I get excited with the game and fall in love with it all over again. It reminds me how much I dreamt as a kid of playing there, of competing and winning majors.”
