AUGUSTA, Ga. — Phil Mickelson was at it again Saturday at the Masters. The flair and the flourish, all the things that make the likable left-hander among golf’s biggest stars.
“I don’t feel like I’m out of it by any means,” he said after a 1-under-par 71 left him tied for 10th, seven shots off the lead, heading into today’s final round at Augusta National Golf Club.
He’s certainly not out of it, not with his game. But he certainly should be more in the middle of it, especially with his game. That’s the thing with Phil, the two-time Masters champion who has three major titles but really could have three times that many.
He wins more than most and loses more than he should. Take Saturday, when he went out in 34 after birdies on all the par 5s on the front. He was within five of the lead and could have made a dash, but he blended his all-too-familiar bag of greatness and goofiness into a back-nine 37 that could have been better. And it could have been worse.
There was the wayward drive on the 18th followed by yet another Mickelson miracle — a perfectly placed, banana-sliced 3-iron off the pine straw that found the green and turned a double bogey into a par.
“I obviously thought it could have been a much better day,” he said of Saturday’s roller coaster.
He’ll probably be back at it again today.
He’ll laugh and he’ll smile. He’ll crush a drive or nestle a wonderful wedge within a foot, and we’ll think, “Here he comes.”
His craft and charisma and creativity are off the charts, but the only truly consistent part of his game is its frustrating inconsistency.
And today — Sunday at Augusta — Mickelson will no doubt be at his enigmatic, mercurial best. Or worst.
He’ll play with Tiger Woods in golf’s showcase pairing at golf’s showcase venue. They’ll tee it up 60 minutes before co-leaders Kenny Perry and Angel Cabrera, but the tournament will start in earnest when the game’s biggest stars walk to No. 1 at 1:35 p.m.
Woods has never won a major when he was trailing after 54 holes. Last year at Augusta, the hill would have been too steep. This year, for Woods, it’s doubtful but doable.
“It’s going to be hard,” Woods said. “As least I’m in a position if I play a good round I can go out and go after the leaders.”
He will chase them hard. So will Mickelson.
We have become conditioned to expect Tiger’s charge; with Phil, though, the expectations are as varied as his short game.
We watch them both to see what they’re going to do next. For Tiger, no one wants to miss his next great shot. With Phil, it’s the next shot that could be glory or gory.
We watch Tiger because anything is possible; nothing is beyond his reach. It’s the same reason we watched Jordan and Jack, why sports remains the best reality show around.
But Phil is every bit as much must-see-it-to-believe TV. Except the undeniably talented left-hander is just as likely to turn a crooked drive into eagle or a perfect swing into 6.
As he discussed today’s daunting test, Mickelson’s wry smile portrayed his love for both the game and the chase. Woods may be golf’s feared assassin, but Mickelson is the swashbuckler.
He is willing to try anything at any time, and that will help Mickelson this day at an Augusta that figures to be set up for scoring. He does not have Tiger’s killer instinct — who does, really? — but he does have enough game to get there.
This challenge may bring out the best in him. Or the worst.
“A lot of things happen on Sunday at Augusta,” Mickelson said, “and I would never put it past happening again.”
