Friday, January 4,
2002
Woods-Mickelson
rivalry seems poised to erupt in 2002
By EDDIE SEFKO
c. 2002, Houston Chronicle
KAPALUA, Hawaii — Fans who have been hoping for a rivalry
to emerge on the PGA Tour may be close to getting a serious villain
— or shining knight, depending on your opinion — to
crusade against Tiger Woods.
As the 2002 golf season begins today along the rugged, windswept
paradise on Maui, Phil Mickelson's absence at the Mercedes Championships
has made his status as the world's No. 2-ranked player all the
more conspicuous. He has spoken openly about his desire to go
higher in those rankings.
And according to one of Woods' closest friends, the fact Mickelson
and Woods are not pals should fuel their budding rivalry in 2002.
“I think we do have a rivalry now with Tiger and Phil,”
Butch Harmon, Woods' coach, said. “Part of it is that they
are not the best of friends, for whatever reason. It's not like
it's an ugly thing. They just aren't buddies.”
This is how rivalries sometimes are born. It doesn't require bitter
hatred, just a basic difference in attitude or personality. Look
back to the best golf rivalry ever — Jack Nicklaus vs. Arnold
Palmer — and you'll find they were never buddy-buddy. Early
in their careers, they were respectful of each other. But they
were never dinner companions until their senior years.
So does Mickelson vs. Woods have a chance? According to Harmon,
it's already begun.
“Because they are No. 1 and No. 2 in the world, that's always
going to create some sort of rivalry between the two guys,”
he said. “What compounds it is that they are two entirely
different personalities with two really different philosophies
on life.
“There's no animosity. They just don't get along that well.
The rest of the guys — (David) Duval, (Ernie) Els and all
the rest — all get along pretty well. So there's no real
rivalry there.”
Maybe this is what the PGA Tour needs — some good, old-fashioned
bad blood to stoke the competitive fires.
It would help, of course, if Mickelson would ever win a major.
Or even show up to play, since he hasn't competed in a PGA Tour
event since the NEC Invitational in August.
He's missing the Mercedes — a limited-field event for winners
of 2001 tournaments — to spend time with his family. Assuming
he returns later this month, Mickelson will have waiting for him
a rejuvenated Woods and a flock of new, young players who think
they are ready to take on Woods, Mickelson, Els and Duval.
Woods, coming off a five-win 2001 in which the only player he
couldn't measure up to was himself and his 17 wins in the two
previous seasons, says he's eager to get under way after a satisfying,
if short, offseason.
“I think two weeks qualifies as enough of an offseason,”
he said, adding that he's actually fresher now than he was last
year when the season began. “I'm really excited about playing.
I was fired up when I got here, and I'm even more fired up now.
It's a good feeling to know that we're starting over again from
scratch.
“Last year at this time, I was worn out because I had come
off of playing eight in a row. This year, I've been able to have
some breaks, get some time off. Even though I only had two weeks
off, it felt longer than that.”
Asked what his goals are for 2002, Woods said: “Same thing
I want to do every year — win every tournament I play.”
It's becoming obvious that Woods' 1999 and 2000 seasons are going
to rank among the best in golf history. He may never again measure
up to the level that saw him win half the time he played.
But the ongoing debate about whether the gap has closed between
Woods and the pack is sure to continue this year.
“I think that's a question you'll be asking in 2010,”
said Sergio Garcia.
Added Duval: “I think going into last year, we all knew it
would be very difficult to do what he did in 2000 again. To win
half of the events that you play during a year, along with three
majors, that's a tough thing to do. Going into last year, I didn't
think he'd win nine or 10 times again. And he didn't.
“He just stunk, winning only five times with a major.”
If that's Woods' norm, then the rest of the tour is in big trouble.
Even the younger players, who are perhaps too young to know they
should be intimidated by Woods.
The young stallions who figure to be a force on the tour this
year are led by Charles Howell III, who earned Rookie of the Year
honors last season even though he didn't have any playing privileges
at the start of the year. But he's not in Kapalua this week, and
David Gossett is. The former Texas Longhorn is in the winners-only
field because he won the John Deere Classic last year while playing
on a sponsor's exemption.
Gossett is thrilled about being the only “young gun”
aside from Garcia in this week's field.
“It's nice not to have to worry about any of those guys this
week because they aren't here,” Gossett said. “But it's
true that the tour is getting younger and younger. We're competing
with the best players in the world, and we're holding our own.”
There is one theory on tour that the young guns are getting too
much credit too soon.
“The first thing I'd worry about is getting my privileges,”
Duval said. “You have to get your playing privileges before
you can worry about doing anything else.
“I appreciate their attitude. But you have to take the right
steps.”
Of course, Howell, Gossett and others are trying to skip a few
of those steps to the top. And in 17-year-old Ty Tryon, the tour
will have its youngest player ever this year.
Garcia is perhaps the only member of the kiddie corps who has
a legitimate claim to be included with Woods, Mickelson and Co.
Garcia's two wins in 2001 could signify he's ready to start tracking
down Woods. He already has big designs on 2002. He has said he
would like to lead both the U.S. tour and the European tour in
money earnings.
“I didn't say I'm going to,” he said. “I said I'd
like to.”
Garcia is probably the most sincere of all the pros when talking
about Woods. He knows that is where the standard rests.
“When I'm 26, I think I have a chance to be as good as he
is (at that age), hopefully better,” said Garcia, who turns
22 next week. “Right now, it's just more exciting to play
when he's in the tournament. When he's in a tournament, it gives
it a little extra spicy taste to it. You want to beat him.
“I've beaten him head-to-head (at last year's Buick Classic).
I almost beat him at the PGA. I consider myself a challenger to
him.”
As does Mickelson. But he will have to wait until later this month
at either Phoenix or Pebble Beach to confront Woods for the first
time in 2002.
Woods said he is surprised Mickelson isn't at the season-opening
tournament.
“But I've heard a lot of different things about what's going
on with his family,” Woods said. “Whatever it is, I'm
sure it's a good reason.”
Mickelson is coming off a year when he had 13 top-10 finishes
compared to only nine for Woods. But that statistical note doesn't
mean much to some.
“I think good players, guys who are in the Hall of Fame,
don't sit around talking about how many top-10 finishes they had,”
Harmon said. “It's all about winning for them, and that's
how it should be in this game.”
Mickelson's achievements, however, coincided with a season-ending
stretch for Woods in which he was out of the top 10 in eight of
his last nine tournaments. It was that late-season lull that helped
Mickelson's cause when he said the gap had been closed on Woods.
“Phil could have had an incredible year last year,”
Harmon said. “He was in position to win six, seven or eight
times — really in good position. And that's a great accomplishment.
“Still, you have to assume that, having been in that position
and to have only won a couple of times, that it has to be frustrating.
Only he knows that for sure.
“If he builds on that season, however, he could have another
great year.”
And, as they say, the game would be on between Mickelson and Woods.
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