Best of the Players Championship: The 25 Most Dominant Performances
By Bill Felber
Fans pulling for one of those rare and epic “Tiger vs. Phil” contests got an early shock: Woods opened with a 75, seven strokes behind Mickelson, and never contended. Woods eventually tied for 37th at even par, 11 strokes behind the champion.
Still, Mickelson didn’t lack for competition. He came to Sunday’s final round one stroke behind Sean O’Hair and paired with him. The battle was joined quickly when Mickelson birdied the first hole, and it intensified when both players birdied the second. Not only were they tied, they jointly stood six shots ahead of everybody else.
It remained deadlocked until the 7th, when Mickelson birdied. Another birdie at 12 took his lead to two shots, and it held that way when they came to 17 where, as often happens, hell broke loose.
“You’ve got to make something happen,” O’Hair explained of his strategy. “I didn’t bust my butt for four days to get second place.” He didn’t; his very solid nine-iron flew both the flag and the land, plopping into the pond, leading to a triple bogey six. He would finish 11th.
For his part, Mickelson saw the victory as a stepping stone to his ultimate achievement, winning the U.S. Open one month later at Oakmont. Alas, form is a fleeting thing in golf. Angel Cabrera won at Oakmont; Mickelson missed the cut.