Phil Mickelson's nerves as soft as his jelly-belly
I’m glad Phil Mickelson doesn’t have his finger on the nuclear red button.
This guy is supposed to be one of the best golfers in the world – many will tell you he’s second only to Tiger Woods – and he folds like a jackknife under pressure.
I used to think he was just intimidated by Woods, but now it appears Mickelson turns belly-up when anything is on the line. I can’t, in good faith, put forth the theory he’s intimidated by Charles Howell, or David Howell or even Thurston Howell.
You would think Mickelson has been through enough to keep his nerves under control. This is a seasoned veteran who’s played against the best in the world, in the biggest tournaments in the world, on the most difficult golf courses in the world.
There are those who will say his nervous collapse yesterday at the Nissan Open is due to his U.S. Open hangover. That’s probably part of it, but I just think Lefty has proven he doesn’t have the intestinal fortitude to be a consistent winner when it’s close.
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14 comments
Now, on to Tim...Yes, he is the second-best golfer in the world. The first-best (otherwise known as the best, or the eldrick) would have won the playoff. We saw Tiger pull a Phil two years ago at Augusta, with barfing on 17 and 18...difference was, he beat DiMarco in the playoff. That's why Phil is 2 and Tiger is 1.
I'm not putting him down; the fact of the matter is that very few possess Woods-like fortitude. And if we're honest with ourselves, we'll realize that we're no exceptions.
Moreover, this has now happened a plenitude of times, and the more it does happen, the more emotionally scarred he'll be. I'll also point out that I said a long time ago, when most everyone else was claiming that Mick's first major win would make him a changed man, that he would continue to be a fragile competitor.
Mick is too good to not win more majors, but he'll always be prone to faltering down the stretch. As an old Chinese proverb says, "It's easier to change the height of a mountain or the flow of a river than the nature of a man."
A well thoughtout, well presented statement of your
opinions.
You're no fun anymore!!!
Thank you. However, all my posts are well thought out. You may want to consider the fact that I've hardly ever been wrong in my predictions.
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