Since the victory by Phil Mickelson at the the WGC HSBC Champions Tournament in Sheshan, Shanghai, China this past weekend (November 5th thru the 8th) perhaps the greatest controversy in modern golf has arisen as the known rivalry between the two best golfers in the world continues. As a golfer myself, who is imtimate with the game and its inconsistent nature, having played for more than 35 years, it is way too premature to be lauding Phil as a better golfer than Tiger. Both of these players are remarkable and very skilled players and are ranked one and two in the World Ranking and justifiably so. As much as I respect both players, Tiger Woods is in my opinion the better golfer and his remarkable career to date speaks for itself. That does not mean that at any given time and tournament that Phil Mickelson cannot provide Tiger with some stiff competition especially when his confidence is at full throttle. Since Tiger has recovered from his ACL Knee surgery theoretically he is back in form and healed satisfactorily as even he attests to. Even though he may claim a full recovery which may be a reality as far as his physical health is concerned, I strongly feel his psychological approach has been altered due to the nine month layoff. I have watched many of the golf tournaments this season and as well as Tiger has performed I have noticed a difference in his game, especially in the Majors. His normally aggressive and Take No Prisoners style of play has taken on a personna of a more subdued and strategic nature which was painfully obvious in the PGA when he tamefully succumbed to Yang on the final nine on Sunday. The final nine on Sunday is when Tiger would normally turn up the heat, make his move and do whatever it would take to win the golf tournament in Tiger like fashion when the situation called for it. My opinion on Tiger is that he is off his game to a degree but with some off season work with Hank Haney he will be back with a vengeance next season so Watch Out! While I mentioned he is off his game please take note to his accomplishments this year playing at 3/4 speed. He has won six golf tournaments, he is ranked # 1 in the World Golf Rankings, the PGA Tour s leading money winner, and has gone undefeated 5 0 in the President s Cup. As noted earlier I think these statistics speak for themselves but the true gauge of Tiger s ability is the fact that Jack Nicklaus is the # 1 all time golfer in the world and he set a standard for golfing excellence that only Tiger has been able to rival and soon overtake if he remains healthy. Case closed Tiger is number 1 in the modern day golf era, at least as of this writing.
I am also a huge fan of Phil Mickelson, who has received a tremendous confidence boost since his putting session with Champions legend, Dave Stockton. If he can continue on this pace he may have a career boosting season ahead and give Tiger a run for the money. Phil has also had to surmount some pretty serious obstacles this season since both his mother and wife, Amy had been diagnosed with cancer and thankfully they are both doing well. If Phil and Tiger can go head to head in some tournaments this coming season it will provide the golf fans with some truly great times that will be recorded in the annals of golf history. Golf fans would be able to relive the Jack Nicklaus, Tom Watson rivalry of the 70 s, a truly historic golf era, through these two remarkably talented players. As much talent as Phil Mickelson has, he cannot yet lay claim to being the World s Best Golfer but who knows what the next few seasons will bring. He has the talent and ability to rival Tiger but he has to Believe in Himself as Tiger does so well. So for now Tiger is # 1. I m really looking forward to this coming season as I think some other popular golf tour professionals may also provide a pleasant surprise. Happy Golfing to All!
Author Resource:
My name is Mike D'Auria and I grew up in the Canarsie section of Brooklyn. I started playing golf when I sustained a severe hamstring injury playing softball about 30 years ago and have never looked back. It is a great game and I enjoy it immensely. For golf info http://www.guideforbeginninggolfers.com
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