Tale Of Two Titans
http://www.atomicsportsmedia.com/articles/458/1/Tale-Of-Two-Titans.html
Robbie LaBrie
By Robbie LaBrie
Published on 06/14/2006
There are 156 golfers in the field for the 106th U.S. Open, but most eyes will be on only two. ASM's Robbie LaBrie reports.
Tiger Woods and Phil Mickelson come into the 2006 U.S. Open with two very different stories. One has been on top of the world and is looking to pick up his third straight major. The other has just been to hell and back with the loss of his beloved father. This weekend in Mamaroneck New York, two of the game’s best players from opposite ends of the spectrum come together on golf’s most difficult stage.
For much of the past decade it has been Tiger routinely besting Mickelson. However, the tides have recently changed. Phil has won the last two majors (2005 PGA Championship and 2006 Masters), while Tiger has missed nine straight tournaments due to the death of his father, Earl Woods.
Mickelson’s career path has been a rollercoaster up to this point. Before winning the 2004 Masters, the only “major” accomplishment of his career was being dubbed the best player to never win a major. Time after time, as the second place finishes piled up, Mickelson grew weary of the bittersweet of his golf career. But Lefty pushed on and eventually found his glory through more conservative play rather than blind aggressiveness.
Before winning three majors in nine starts, Mick was known as the guy who went for it every chance he got. “Let’s see… try the 270 yard 3-wood out of the rough to the elevated green surrounded by bunkers, or lay up with a 6 iron, take an easy par, maybe birdie, and walk away unscathed? 3-wood sounds good…” Rather than playing the numbers and percentages game that most golfers play, Lefty played the at 100 miles per hour, every swing.
Now, this certainly worked out pretty well for him in most tournaments, but come Major time, the playoffs of golf, the strategy always seemed to leave Mickelson two or three shots behind the leader (a.k.a. Tiger).
But then, Phil did something miraculous, something nobody ever expected; he changed his game. Stubborn ol’ Phil Mickelson was sick of playing second fiddle to Tiger. That marked the demise of a legend; the death of Phil Mickelson: “best player never to win a major,” and the birth of a new golfer.
Since he put the balls-to-the-wall style of play in the garage and broke out his new game that features composure and precision rather than emotion and risk. And now he’s looking to put together a MickelSlam of four straight Major wins with victories at the U.S. Open and the British Open in July, which would tie the TigerSlam achieved by Woods in 2000 and 2001.
Yes, that’s the same Tiger who comes into this weekend’s U.S. Open playing with a huge piece of his life missing. The same Tiger who has commented that his father’s death left him with no desire to play golf over the past nine weeks.
Many are saying that Tiger is too mentally fragile right now to win a championship. They say he won’t play with the same feeling. However, what these people don’t realize is that they’re just feeding the fire; the fire that burns inside Tiger’s head and heart every time he swings a golf club.
The death of a loved one can do harm to anyone, but for the extremely mentally tough, those who are half human and half machine, those who eat pessimism for breakfast, it only makes them greater. Remember Brett Favre’s performance in that famous Monday Night Football game against the Raiders? He played the game of his life only days after the death of his father. Favre and Woods are very similar. Put their backs against the wall and they are like wild animals. Give them a little controversy to feed off of, they overcome it.
It is undeniable how close Tiger and his father were. Earl was the man who passed down the game of golf and Tiger embraced it.
Now, in his first tournament since Earl’s death, Tiger will be out to win one for his old man on Father’s Day weekend. If Tiger is able to overcome his grief, he can beat anyone in the field. A win for Tiger would be among the greatest of his career.
Meanwhile, Phil still waits. He waits for 1:25 on Thursday afternoon when he can try to continue his quest and take the third of what could be four straight majors. This would also be his first ever U.S. Open win, a milestone in and of itself.
Both men will be out for blood come Thursday. In an interesting role reversal, Phil’s recent winning ways have him as the logical favorite while Tiger’s personal turmoil has him as the emotional choice.. The story behind both of these men is great, but there are 154 others out there seeking the same prize. So, the question is: who will step up and beat out the rest of the field to win the U.S. Open?
Other U.S. Open Notes:
Will anyone break even par?
Winged Foot promises to be even tougher than usual this year with the greens extra slick, the rough extra thick, and the fairways extra narrow. Want to try putting on a U.S. Open style green? Go onto the hood of your car and put the ball around a little up there. That should give you a pretty good feel for it.
Who will step out of obscurity to challenge on Sunday?
Last year, Jason Gore was the unknown man in contention on Sunday and it seems like there’s one of these great stories every year. There will certainly be someone who can step up, but who will it be? Your guess is as good as mine…
Will somebody under 30 please stand up?
As you’ve probably heard from ESPN, the only guy under 30 right now who’s won a major in his career is Ben Curtis. Is it just the fact that these guys over 30 are just too good, or is the game running out of good young talent? This weekend should tell us a lot about that.
Can Michelle Wie beat the men?
Oh wait, never mind. They actually made her try to qualify for this tournament…
Ernie Els? Never heard of him…
Since winning three times in 2004, Els hasn’t won a tournament in nearly two years. It seems like just yesterday that Els was one of the most dominating players on tour. Could it be that Els is already a “has-been” at age 36, or is it just a slump? Nobody can tell for certain, but most of us would love to see the Big Easy return to form.
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There are 156 golfers in the field for the 106th U.S. Open, but most eyes will be on only two. ASM's Robbie LaBrie reports.
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For much of the past decade it has been Tiger routinely besting Mickelson. However, the tides have recently changed. Phil has won the last two majors (2005 PGA Championship and 2006 Masters), while Tiger has missed nine straight tournaments due to the death of his father, Earl Woods.
Mickelson’s career path has been a rollercoaster up to this point. Before winning the 2004 Masters, the only “major” accomplishment of his career was being dubbed the best player to never win a major. Time after time, as the second place finishes piled up, Mickelson grew weary of the bittersweet of his golf career. But Lefty pushed on and eventually found his glory through more conservative play rather than blind aggressiveness.
Before winning three majors in nine starts, Mick was known as the guy who went for it every chance he got. “Let’s see… try the 270 yard 3-wood out of the rough to the elevated green surrounded by bunkers, or lay up with a 6 iron, take an easy par, maybe birdie, and walk away unscathed? 3-wood sounds good…” Rather than playing the numbers and percentages game that most golfers play, Lefty played the at 100 miles per hour, every swing.
Now, this certainly worked out pretty well for him in most tournaments, but come Major time, the playoffs of golf, the strategy always seemed to leave Mickelson two or three shots behind the leader (a.k.a. Tiger).
But then, Phil did something miraculous, something nobody ever expected; he changed his game. Stubborn ol’ Phil Mickelson was sick of playing second fiddle to Tiger. That marked the demise of a legend; the death of Phil Mickelson: “best player never to win a major,” and the birth of a new golfer.
Since he put the balls-to-the-wall style of play in the garage and broke out his new game that features composure and precision rather than emotion and risk. And now he’s looking to put together a MickelSlam of four straight Major wins with victories at the U.S. Open and the British Open in July, which would tie the TigerSlam achieved by Woods in 2000 and 2001.
Yes, that’s the same Tiger who comes into this weekend’s U.S. Open playing with a huge piece of his life missing. The same Tiger who has commented that his father’s death left him with no desire to play golf over the past nine weeks.
Many are saying that Tiger is too mentally fragile right now to win a championship. They say he won’t play with the same feeling. However, what these people don’t realize is that they’re just feeding the fire; the fire that burns inside Tiger’s head and heart every time he swings a golf club.
The death of a loved one can do harm to anyone, but for the extremely mentally tough, those who are half human and half machine, those who eat pessimism for breakfast, it only makes them greater. Remember Brett Favre’s performance in that famous Monday Night Football game against the Raiders? He played the game of his life only days after the death of his father. Favre and Woods are very similar. Put their backs against the wall and they are like wild animals. Give them a little controversy to feed off of, they overcome it.
It is undeniable how close Tiger and his father were. Earl was the man who passed down the game of golf and Tiger embraced it.
Now, in his first tournament since Earl’s death, Tiger will be out to win one for his old man on Father’s Day weekend. If Tiger is able to overcome his grief, he can beat anyone in the field. A win for Tiger would be among the greatest of his career.
Meanwhile, Phil still waits. He waits for 1:25 on Thursday afternoon when he can try to continue his quest and take the third of what could be four straight majors. This would also be his first ever U.S. Open win, a milestone in and of itself.
Both men will be out for blood come Thursday. In an interesting role reversal, Phil’s recent winning ways have him as the logical favorite while Tiger’s personal turmoil has him as the emotional choice.. The story behind both of these men is great, but there are 154 others out there seeking the same prize. So, the question is: who will step up and beat out the rest of the field to win the U.S. Open?
Other U.S. Open Notes:
Will anyone break even par?
Winged Foot promises to be even tougher than usual this year with the greens extra slick, the rough extra thick, and the fairways extra narrow. Want to try putting on a U.S. Open style green? Go onto the hood of your car and put the ball around a little up there. That should give you a pretty good feel for it.
Who will step out of obscurity to challenge on Sunday?
Last year, Jason Gore was the unknown man in contention on Sunday and it seems like there’s one of these great stories every year. There will certainly be someone who can step up, but who will it be? Your guess is as good as mine…
Will somebody under 30 please stand up?
As you’ve probably heard from ESPN, the only guy under 30 right now who’s won a major in his career is Ben Curtis. Is it just the fact that these guys over 30 are just too good, or is the game running out of good young talent? This weekend should tell us a lot about that.
Can Michelle Wie beat the men?
Oh wait, never mind. They actually made her try to qualify for this tournament…
Ernie Els? Never heard of him…
Since winning three times in 2004, Els hasn’t won a tournament in nearly two years. It seems like just yesterday that Els was one of the most dominating players on tour. Could it be that Els is already a “has-been” at age 36, or is it just a slump? Nobody can tell for certain, but most of us would love to see the Big Easy return to form.
Rob LaBrie is a high school student and aspiring sports journalist out of Concord, NH. Let Rob know who you think will win the Open by emailing him at robbie.labrie@atomicsportsmedia.com.