This is part two of a three-part series detailing 10 things to watch in golf this season.
4. MICKELSON MAKES A RUN AT NO. 1
At the beginning of 2009, Phil Mickelson and Sergio Garcia were within a whisper of the inactive Tiger Woods in the Official Golf World Rankings, and many thought one of the two would supplant him.
Both faltered and missed an opportunity to take over the top spot while Woods was rehabbing his surgically repaired left knee.
Mickelson fell to as low as fifth in the rankings in February, but a month later he had climbed back to second place.
He wasn’t able to catch Woods, but this might be the year he does it. Mickelson ended his 2009 season with a victory, both literally and figuratively. Mickelson captured the WGC-HSBC Champions in Shanghai, China, but more important, he protected a two-stroke lead, turning back Woods in the final round.
Mickelson turns 40 in 2010, and he reaches that milestone at the peak of his professional powers and with his personal life in order — wife Amy seems to be recovering from her bout with cancer. But that birthday also means that, in golf terms, the clock is ticking.
For a player of his skill and accomplishments, Mickelson has plenty of holes in his résumé. Lefty has never won a money title; he’s never won Player of the Year; he’s never been No. 1 in the World Golf Rankings. But the window for all those things is open.
As 2010 dawned, lo and behold, Woods was inactive again. This time, Mickelson’s in better position to take full advantage. He’s always had the talent, but this time, he has the confidence to take the top spot.
5. WOODS HAS A MAJOR SEASON**
The No. 1 golfer in the world hasn’t won a major since his thrilling 2008 U.S. Open victory. Woods went 0–4 last year in major championships, and then his personal life blew up in front of our eyes.
Such a disastrous personal turn would make many players basketcases on the golf course — but not so fast. Woods tends to focus even more after a personal setback. Two months after the death of his father Earl — the most important figure in his life — he won the British Open.
They say the best revenge is living well, and Woods could exact the ultimate revenge on those who gave up on him by making a legitimate run at a Grand Slam.
We all know his remarkable track record at Augusta, and the U.S. and British Open venues are right in his wheelhouse. The U.S. Open is at Pebble Beach, the site of his 15-stroke victory in the 2000 U.S. Open. The British Open is at St. Andrews, where he has dominated twice, winning by eight strokes in 2000 and by five in 2005.
The only course that could give him serious trouble would be Whistling Straits, the site of the PGA Championship. When it was held at the Kohler, Wis., course in 2004, Woods had two over par rounds and finished tied for 24th.
**As with everything Woods-related this season, this one gets an asterisk. Tiger was noncommittal about a return to golf at his recent mea culpa. He may not even show up at Augusta this season, but we will be shocked if he skips Pebble Beach.
6. YEAR OF THE COMEBACK
This could be the year that there are more heartwarming storylines in professional golf than the Lifetime Network could ever dream up.
First there is Seve Ballesteros, who almost lost his life following the discovery of a brain tumor nearly two years ago. The Spaniard won his battle with the disease and wants to play a farewell round — a la Jack Nicklaus and Arnold Palmer — at the British Open at St. Andrews.
He has already been named an honorary member of the Royal and Ancient Golf Club at St. Andrews, and Open officials have expressed enthusiasm at a Ballesteros entry at the Open.
Another tear-jerking story involves former PGA Tour player Ken Green, who has suffered through more tragedies than Shakespeare could imagine. Green, his longtime girlfriend Jeanne Hodgin and his brother William were involved in a horrific summer accident when Green’s RV blew a tire and crashed into a tree in Mississippi. Green was the only survivor — even his German shepherd, Nip, whom he once rescued from the jaws of an alligator, was killed. Green lost his right leg below the knee. Then, in another unimaginable twist of fate in late January, Green’s son Hunter was found dead in his dorm room.
Green has a burning desire to play professional golf again. Before the accident, Green made approximately $124,000 in his second year on the Champions Tour, and he has set a timetable for a summer return, a year after the accident. If he can pull it off, get ready for one of the most heart-warming comeback stories in sports.
“If I couldn’t play golf," Green said, “I wouldn’t want to be on the planet. My intensity is there. There’s no way I’m going to quit."
If Annika Sorenstam returns to the LPGA Tour, it won’t provide as much emotion, but it will still be inspirational. The working mother has her hands full with a baby and various business projects, but this might be the year she steps back into competitive golf. She won’t play a full schedule, but as competitive as she is, a few appearances here and there are a definite possibility. Her tour needs her.
This feature appears in the 2010 Athlon Sports Golf magazine. Click here to purchase your copy.
