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Home > Terence Moore > Archives > 2008 > April > 11 > Entry
DEL.ICIO.USMickelson fans making noise
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Augusta — To the delight of the Phil Mickelson fanatics who form a coalition at Augusta National that is loud and large, Tiger isn’t quite Tiger at the moment, and nobody outside of putter heads knows those other guys atop the leaderboard at the Masters after two rounds.
Thus the persistent Phil cries, especially when they see their lanky hero lumbering down the fairway with an energy snack in one hand, a bottle of water in the other and a sloppy smile just a touch of his cap away.
“Way to go, Phil.”
“Phil! Phil! Phil!”
“We’re behind you, buddy, and just keep doing what you’re doing.”
“We love you.”
So you know what? If Mickelson actually wins this thing on Sunday for a third time, you should cover your ears. He could make his fanatics scream long enough to make everything swimming and crawling around Rae’s Creek go deaf. It’s just that Mickelson has to keep doing the remarkable, which he often does, and he has to stop doing the ridiculous, which he often does. In case you haven’t been paying attention to Mickelson’s underachieving career, he often does both in the same tournament, which was the case on Friday at Augusta National.
There was no way Mickelson or anybody else from Planet Earth was supposed to whack that ball out of the pine straw to the right of the No. 2 fairway and watch it settle just an easy wedge shot away in front of the green. Later, Mickelson turned a potential bogey into a definite birdie after he plopped a blind shot over the mound at the No. 8 green and watched it trickle close to the pin.
Unfortunately for Mickelson, there also were a couple of botched birdie putts on the back nine that just didn’t make sense. Well, they made Mickelson sense, especially since such things happen to the world’s No. 2 player all the time.
Maybe that’s why the galleries at Augusta National love Mickelson so much, at least according to somebody who knows something about love.
“I guess everybody sort of feels sorry for him,” said Frank Mebane, a Southern Baptist minister, moving with Mickelson from hole to hole with his wife, along with most others on the course who were not part of the Tiger Woods crusade. “Vijay Singh, for instance, is kind of set off by himself and really doesn’t want anything to do with people. Not only that, I think a lot of people believe that Phil doesn’t get the credit that he deserves for being a great player. He’s just somebody we can easily pull for.”
Whatever the case, those fanatics are giddier since Mickelson’s five-under 139 after two days puts him in a third-place tie with the legendary Steve Flesch, and Ian Poulter. The leaders are folks named Trevor Immelman and Brandt Snedeker.
Simply put, all Mickelson has to do is stop choking to have a chance.
These were tiny chokes.
“I thought I had putted great today until 15,” said Mickelson, telling the truth about a hole the featured the best and the worst about his game. We’re talking about the massive Par 5 that gives players the option to lay up with their second shot or to go for an easy birdie or better over a scary pond that stretches in front of the green. Mickelson always goes for it with the crowd always roaring its approval, but there were groans this time. The swirling winds pushed Michelson’s shot far to the right of the green, but the Good Phil chipped to within four feet of the cup.
He didn’t make it. “It wasn’t that hard. I just overplayed the break, and that left a bad taste,” said Mickelson, who also wasn’t pleased on the No. 16 green when he pushed another birdie putt left of its target from maybe 12 feet. Then the Good Phil returned on the next hole when he sent a putt on a 30-foot journey that swung left, then right, before plopping in the hole for a birdie and more yells from his people.
“To be honest, the folks here have treated all people great, and they’ve really treated the past champions wonderful, and I’m fortunate to be one of those,” said Mickelson, who was correct, but only to a degree. They treat Mickelson beyond great, along the lines of Bobby Jones, Arnold Palmer and Jack Nicklaus when it comes to Masters reverence.
Now all Mickelson has to do is start wearing green jackets like them.
Comments
Commenting is now closed for this entry.
By jeff
April 11, 2008 7:57 PM | Link to this
“Now all Mickelson has to do is start wearing green jackets like them.” Retard, he has two of them already, why don’t you stick to wrinting about how the braves need Ken Griffey Jr or Notre Dame, leave golf to writers who actually know something about it.
By Winston
April 11, 2008 8:09 PM | Link to this
It’s official…This is the dumbest article I’ve ever read. EVER!!
It’s almost as if Terence Moore pulled out an old article from after the second round in 2004…ya know, before Phil won 2 green jackets and 3 majors. Underachieving??? Please. He’s won almost 40 tournaments!! He’s a cinch Hall of Famer. And my God with all this “good Phil/bad Phil” talk and the way this article reads you’d think Phil had made 7 birdies, 3 bogeys and 2 doubles in a roller coaster round. Not true. Four birdies and 16 pars was the final tally I believe. That’s a pretty tight and error free 68.
Terence man, all I have to say is WTF??? Do you really get paid to write this garbage???
By JDW
April 11, 2008 10:01 PM | Link to this
TM you know zip about golf
By captain midnight
April 11, 2008 10:34 PM | Link to this
Reading in between the lines you are slandering and making fun of Phil This is probably to cover your rear end in case Tiger who you have already anointed as “God” does not win the Masters and the “grand slam” as you have practically predicted.
By Shane
April 11, 2008 10:49 PM | Link to this
GO Phil!!!
By CW3
April 11, 2008 11:36 PM | Link to this
Sorry Tiger didn’t live up to expctations today. So Phil “choked” while getting to 5 under. I guess he’ll “choke” all the way to the green jacket. terrance, give it a break! Somebody else can do well, besides Tiger. Let us root for who we want. don’t make it a race thing, sorry you can’t help it…..
By Tigerless
April 11, 2008 11:59 PM | Link to this
Let’s see…Terrence…I thought everyone had already conceded to El Tigre. What’s goin’ on down in Augusta? Someone missed it didn’t they…you forgot to send out the memo to the other great golfers…in fact, I think Tiger missed it.
Go Phil, Trevor, etc.!!!
By Joey
April 12, 2008 5:52 AM | Link to this
What (or who) are you talking about. Phil is the greatest golfer of his generation not named Tiger, who is a phenom. If underachieving is winning 2 or 3 tournaments every year, including 3 majors the past 4 years, as well as numerous second place finishes in all majors, well maybe we should all aspire to underachieve.
By hockeyman3944
April 12, 2008 7:10 AM | Link to this
Hey TM!! Didn’t you write this a scant few days ago on April 9th? HAHAHA, I guess you forgot to tell the other 20+ guys AHEAD of him to just not show up! I think its you who should pack up your pen and snivel back to the ATL and hide under your desk for putting out this kind of drivel. Cover something you know something about TM…nevermind, that’s nearly impossible, you don’t have a clue anyway. Thanks for the early Saturday AM laugh though!
“Augusta — You know it. His gifted but overmatched peers won’t say so directly, but they know it. Even the azaleas and the dogwoods know the inevitable is coming Sunday when Zach Johnson places a fifth green jacket around the red-shirted shoulders of You Know Who.
Tiger Woods can’t lose.
Tiger Woods won’t lose.
So, to save a little time this weekend at Augusta National, Woods’ peers should pack their bags and spikes now and drive home.”
By Lester Shepherd
April 12, 2008 7:59 AM | Link to this
Many people follow Phil hoping he will beat Tiger. It is pure bigotry for a lot of people.
By TW
April 12, 2008 9:04 AM | Link to this
Mr Moore - here’s you chance to help out.
On behalf of emergency rooms across the country, I would like to thank Koby Bryant for his car stunt. Things at the hospitals are pretty slow in the summer (not!), but there’s no doubt the seats in the waiting room will fill up when those who ‘wanna be like Koby’ attempt the nifty car trick.
Perhaps we ought not just hold the athletes above a legal standard, but above stupidity as well. Last I checked, the NBA does not give points for jumping over cars. Real cool, Koby (BTW - not exactly something new).
Got Brains?
By Ron O
April 12, 2008 10:38 AM | Link to this
“Underachieving’? The #2 player in rge world, Moore must be of the opinion that Phil’s really better than Tiger all along. Also apparently Moore hasn’t seen any of Tiger’s escapes from golf hell and miracle bounces or some of his flops either. That’s the nature of the game.
By Jimmy Etheridge
April 12, 2008 10:46 AM | Link to this
Excuse me, O Learned Golf Scribe, but Mickelson has two green jackets.
By bobbyj5035
April 12, 2008 10:57 AM | Link to this
this column makes no sense (shock). Phil has already won here twice and wears the jacket as a past champion. and besides, you declared this tournament over earlier in the week.
By quaildawg
April 12, 2008 11:06 AM | Link to this
Typical TM. His “man” is struggling to uphold TM’s “lock” prediction so let’s write a nit picking article about someone who HAS won two Masters and looks pretty good going into Saturday to put himself in contention for a third. FYI Mr. T the “choker” leads the field in GIR this week. Where is Superman? Last seen duffing his third into the bunker at said same hole where “choker” got it up and down for a BIRDIE. Let me make it clear I am not a Phil Fan but your ignorance in golf is self evident by your articles. In the words of Jimmy Buffett “don’t try to describe a KISS concert if you’ve never seen one.” so TM next year allow someone with an inkling of knowledge about golf go to Augusta and save the embarassment that is your writng about a subject that you have no clue in.
By Ron O
April 12, 2008 11:10 AM | Link to this
“Underachieving”? #2 player in the world and Moore must be of the opinion that Phil is really better than Tiger. Apparently Moore hasn’t seen any of Tiger’s escapes from his own “golf hell” or his miracle bounces or his mistakes. That’s just the natiure of the game.
By Carl Penland
April 12, 2008 11:11 AM | Link to this
Mr Moore I see you are still in the business of writing your stupid remarks. Now you are picking on Phil Mickelson because you think he makes to many mistakes and has as many fans as the great Tiger. At least he is a gentlemen and don’t use the language that your Tiger uses on nearly ever hole for kids to hear. The sooner you leave Atlanta the better.
By Russ
April 12, 2008 11:13 AM | Link to this
Another choke from Mr. Moore!
By Clark
April 12, 2008 1:38 PM | Link to this
CYA Terence! Underacheiver could be used for any talented golfer including Tiger. Since your prediction of a Tiger victory is in jeopardy you go off on the number two player in the world. All the great ones have faultered, Jack, Arnie, Tiger, and Phil. Some in rounds one and two and others on the 72nd hole. 3 majors puts Phil Mickelson among the greatest of all time. Only 42 golfers ever have won three or more majors. No matter how you slice it or hook it your golf knowledege equals your college football acumen, Tiger=Notre Dame and everyone else is inferior in character and greatness.
By Phil is a joke
April 12, 2008 1:41 PM | Link to this
Tiger #1 is a joke too. Who is his competition. NOBODY has consistently been a number 2, 3, 4, 5. Go back and look and how the top 5 and top 10 has changed since Tiger became number 1. Even when Tiger is not in contention to win, Phil manages to lose most.