Every week of the 2010 PGA Tour season, the editorial staff of the SI Golf Group conducts an e-mail roundtable. Check in on Mondays for the unfiltered opinions of our writers and editors and join the conversation in the comments section below.
THE BOOK OF PHIL
Gary Van Sickle, senior writer, Sports Illustrated: It's almost showtime at Pebble Beach, and that apparently means it's Phil's time. Mickelson has to be the favorite to win the Open, don't you think? After the Masters he's coming to Pebble with some serious swagger.
Alan Shipnuck, senior writer, Sports Illustrated: Phil didn't simply win the Masters; his was a dominating performance. Only three guys have ever shot lower scores in Masters history. That was tremendous stuff. Phil has a lot of good mojo at Pebble. He's won there, and it's close to home, so Amy and the kids will probably come up on the weekend, which will be a big boost for him. It's one of the best venues for him to win an Open. St. Andrews is probably the best venue for him to win a British. And he finished sixth at Whistling Straits [in 2004], so Phil knows if he can pick this one off at Pebble, anything's possible this year.
Damon Hack, senior writer, Sports Illustrated: Phil is feeling it now. He's not afraid of Tiger anymore, that's for sure. It's Phil's world until Tiger says otherwise, and lately Tiger has been muted.
Van Sickle: What about all those painful near misses? Phil has a record five seconds in the Open. Is he carrying too much baggage to ever win this thing?
John Garrity, contributing writer, Sports Illustrated: How many times have we said he'll never recover from some final-round collapse only to have him bounce back with a winning performance? If we've learned anything about Lefty, it's that he's not burdened by past failures. Either that or he's got a redcap handling his baggage. Of course Phil can win the Open. Unless he's channeling Sam Snead. He has the short-game skills to deal with the Open's baffling greens and ankle-deep rough. If you need to hit a wedge three feet in the air with a full swing, Phil's your guy. I still think he'll win at least one Open.
Shipnuck: I talked to Phil for 40 minutes for a story for next week's issue. He's not discouraged at all. He still feels that he'll win an Open, and I think he'll win more than one. He sees those runner-up finishes as proof that he's going to do it, not as something negative.
Anonymous Pro: Yeah, one of Phil's great gifts is that he has amnesia. Everybody has written him off numerous times, as John said. Phil's a little like Tiger: When you challenge him and say he can't do something, he'll surprise you and do it. You can't hide talent like his.
Shipnuck: The setup may favor Phil, too. Mike Davis of the USGA talked about a risk-reward setup. The USGA wants to tempt players into taking on the ocean and these small targets, so this will be some of the shortest rough at a U.S. Open. That puts it right in Phil's wheelhouse.
Van Sickle: It's funny how Phil has such a good Open record when his errant driving and the notorious rough make the Open seem like a tournament he shouldn't do well in.
Anonymous Pro: He makes up for his wild driving with his iron game and his short game. Since the USGA went to graduated rough [in 2006], it's helped guys like Phil who don't hit it straight. If they play all the new back tees they've built at Pebble, driving accuracy will be more of a factor. That hurts Phil. At the same time there are plenty of short holes. Other than number 9 there are no buster-length par-4s. I think Phil will play well there.
Shipnuck: Davis also said these are the smallest greens in major championship golf. Factor in wind and firm greens, and it may really turn into a short-game contest, which totally favors Phil.
Hack: Look, Phil can get it up and down from anywhere. He's strong enough to play out of U.S. Open rough, an underappreciated fact. His masterly play around the greens can't be overstated. He's a guy who can hit fewer than half of the fairways and still contend. There's only one other person on the planet who can do that.
Garrity: Don't tell me — the other one is Paul Goydos, right?
LOST IN THE WOODS
Michael Bamberger, senior writer, Sports Illustrated: Here's the thing about Tiger: He's been a total creature of habit since we've covered him as a teenager. The early-morning practice rounds, the early-morning workout routines, the sessions with his coach. Now his routines have been taken away, and he doesn't have a coach. It would be very understandable if he's really drifting. Now would be a good time for caddie Steve Williams to ask for a raise.
Shipnuck: Tiger is embarrassed by how he's been playing. You know he's been grinding his tail off as much as he can the last few weeks, given his sore neck. He's still Tiger, and he has all that talent and know-how. He simply has to find it, but it's a real X factor now.
Van Sickle: I don't see Tiger getting back to being Tiger until his marital situation is resolved. His swing issues aren't as significant as his life issues. But he is Tiger. You never say never with him.
Garrity: If Elin is really asking for $750 million, I'd say the negotiations are affecting his play. There's no way Tiger is the near billionaire that he was speculated to be before the economy melted down. But I don't really believe it's that. I think it's a combination of his inability to master Hank Haney's flatter swing and the physical ailments he's had or still has. Tiger never tells the truth about either of those subjects, so we can only guess.
Hack: It reminds me of when Superman goes to the Fortress of Solitude and loses all his powers, and the next thing you know Clark Kent has a bloody lip and can't fight back. Tiger is bloodied and everybody, including his peers, knows he's not the same dude.
Anonymous Pro: What's going on with Tiger's life will eat him up from the inside. You have to have a clear mind to play this game. He has the strongest mind in the game, but his will is going to be tested more than ever before. Way more.
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