Phil Mickelson: WGC-Mexico Championship could be a breakout point
Phil Mickelson has been on the cusp of victory several times already in 2018. Will the WGC-Mexico Championship be his breakthrough moment?
Phil Mickelson has never struggled in the self-confidence department. It’s always been part of his disarming charm, really. He’s great, and he knows he’s great, but there are two things that make it work. First, he always seems like he’s having a ball on the golf course. I know, that’s easy to say for a guy with over $85 million in career earnings, second only to Tiger Woods. But it’s still true.
Second, and even more importantly, he still clearly cares about being one of the best players in the world, even at 47 years old. Think about it. It would be easy for a guy who’s literally already a Hall of Famer, with more money than his great-great-grandkids will ever be able to spend, and who’s had plenty of his own troubles away from golf to just say “it’s been real”. But then, that’s not Phil.
Mickelson has already stated – quite openly – his intention to not just play on the 2018 and 2020 Ryder Cup teams, but to make it on points. As of now, he’s currently ranked 11th in the Team USA points race, with only the top eight players qualifying automatically. So what’s left to do?
Win, for the first time since the 2013 Open Championship. That, of course, is easier said than done, especially considering the nearly five-year drought. However, that could come to a close this week at the WGC-Mexico Championship.
Mickelson will close the deal sooner than you might think
Lefty is in the field this week at Chapultepec, and he comes in blazing hot. In his seven starts so far in 2017-18, he’s made six cuts, racking up four top-15 finishes. And he hasn’t just been backing into those spots, either.
At Phoenix, he closed in 66-69, missing the playoff by four shots, but making waves along the way. One week later at Pebble Beach, he finished tied for second despite a Saturday 72. He had a great week there, too, but Ted Potter, Jr. was basically flawless all weekend. Then, two weeks ago at the Genesis Open, Mickelson tamed Riviera on the weekend, going 67-68 to finish tied for sixth.
Some people might look at those results and say “sure, that’s great, but where’s that killer closing instinct that he used to have?” I look at it and recognize that in each one of those tournaments, Mickelson was great, but fell to an eventual champion who, frankly, played well above expectations.
Look at it as a long game – given enough chances, Mickelson will break through once again. It’s not that different from his storied run at Augusta National, finally bringing home the green jacket in 2004.
Mickelson more than held his own at the inaugural WGC-Mexico Championship in 2017. At 10-under through 54 holes, he was just two holes back of leader Justin Thomas, and one off the pace of eventual champion Dustin Johnson.
The combination of that comfort level, along with a relatively limited field – just 65 players will be teeing it up at the second WGC of the TOUR year – could equal a big boost to Mickelson’s season.
Despite some of his usual scattered shots off the tee (Lefty has hit just 48.81% of fairways this season, 209th on TOUR), he’s still scoring as well as anybody out there. Mickelson ranks solidly inside the top-15 on TOUR in both birdie average and adjusted scoring.
Better yet, he’s been absolutely dynamite with the flat stick. Phil leads the TOUR in both putting average and one-putt percentage, and he’s currently fifth in strokes gained putting. That type of confidence is dangerous anywhere in the world.
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Will that major boost in confidence translate to a victory at the WGC-Mexico Championship? If you’re a betting person (and conveniently, that’s a trait I share with Lefty), I’d be looking for that to come through this week. And the payoff will be huge.