Dean & Deluca Invitational power rankings
4. Phil Mickelson
Official World Ranking: 21, FedEx Cup: 39
Colonial History: Two-time champion – 2000, 2008
Making his first appearance at the Dean & Deluca Invitational since missing the cut in 2010, Mickelson will look to get back in the winner’s circle for the first time since the 2013 Open Championship. While he’s seen more than his share of ups and downs in those four years, he should have as good a chance as any this week in Fort Worth.
As much as Mickelson’s results feel disappointing these days, you can’t deny that his short-game is still the stuff legends are made of. In 2017, Lefty still ranks 11th on Tour in Strokes Gained: Putting, and 24th in Strokes Gained: Around the Green.
That all has translated to eight top-25 finishes in 12 starts, including three top-tens. The most recent of those came in March, at the WGC-Mexico Championship. That week was in many ways a microcosm of Mickelson’s season overall. Hitting just 57% of his greens in regulation and half of his fairways, Lefty could easily have fallen far off the pace. However, the flatstick was white hot, and Mickelson’s 19 par-breakers countered eight bogeys, leading the veteran to a tie for seventh.
Mickelson is ramping up for Erin Hills right now, and a little momentum will be huge. He’s clearly comfortable with Colonial, and he’ll get a chance to fine tune his game this week.