Troon thriller on the cards as nice guys set for shoot-out
For Phil the Thrill, as he is affectionately known, it is another opportunity to add further gloss to his already stellar Hall of Fame career. It includes 42 tour victories and five major championships, and for good measure an Open Championship won at Muirfield in 2013.
At 46 years of age, he realistically shouldn’t be in this position, but links golf courses have an uncanny knack of allowing older shot makers, (players like recent winners Darren Clarke and Ernie Els) to remain competitive long after their sell by date.
Not that Mickelson isn’t still competitive on the PGA Tour – he certainly is, but this week a more mature Mickelson at Troon has proven once more, that a fertile and creative mind, matched by sublime skills nearly always takes you further on links courses than brute force.
That Mickelson even remains relevant as a force at his age is quite remarkable. While his languid old style swing has helped him to remain remarkably injury free throughout his career, it is his positive attitude, his resilience and his remarkable short game skills that have made the biggest difference.
Mickelson has always been a prime time entertainer but earlier in his career he was definitely guilty of trying to do too much, especially during major championships and this more often than not resulted in his performances being either too exasperating, too heroic or too tragic.
That he has learned to curb those bad habits says much about Mickelson’s mindset. It has made him a better player and now that he has also fully figured out and the subtleties and nuances of links golf, he stands a great chance of lifting the Claret Jug for the second time tomorrow afternoon.
This afternoon Mickelson’s main task will be to stay ahead of an altogether different man in his forties, Henrik Stenson. In fact, if Mickelson is seen as an entertainer, then Stenson is most often viewed as being one of the quiet men in the game but you shouldn’t let his laid back nature fool you. Six years Mickelson’s junior, Stenson has serious pedigree, and this week he is on a mission to win his first major championship.
A brilliant round of 65 yesterday, reflects that pedigree and Mickelson has enough experience from playing with Stenson that on form he has all the ability in the world to make the flag stick his dance partner.
As a player, Stenson is methodical, but his very deliberate mannerisms and technique are practically flawless. He will rarely make a mistake, fully expecting to hit fairways and greens time after time. He has been here before so the pressure is most definitely on.
In many ways, today’s contest between both Mickelson and Stenson will be very much a case of who blinks first. Stenson wants it so badly but Mickelson too must feel that this is perhaps one of his last opportunities to win a major championship so good starts for both are essential.
Head to head, Mickelson has more creativity and more shotmaking ability than Stenson. He is also a better putter but Stenson also knows that Mickelson is more erratic It is essential therefore that Stenson continues to do what he does best and stay focused on his own game.
It promises to be a really interesting battle.
