Monday, November 6, 2000
Mickelson topples Tiger by 2 strokes; Woods
denied 10th win of year with second-place finish at Tour Championship
By Brad Townsend
The Dallas Morning News
(KRT)
ATLANTA — Tiger Woods has amassed one logic-defying record
after another during this historic 2000 season, but one number
still eludes him.
Ten.
Phil Mickelson's two-stroke victory over Woods on Sunday in the
Tour Championship spoiled Woods' bid for victory No. 10 this season.
Mickelson broke a 15th-hole tie with Woods, posted his fourth
win of 2000 and clinched the No. 2 position on the money list
— albeit a distant, distant second.
“I know that Tiger had a great year,” Mickelson said
after his 4-under 66 at East Lake Golf Club on Sunday gave him
a 13-under total. “But to have the best year other than his
meant a lot to me, too.”
Mickelson's season ended Sunday, as he has elected to skip next
week's 2000 finale, the American Express Championship in Spain.
For Woods, the event's defending champion, next week will be his
last chance to become the first player to win 10 or more tour
events in a calendar year since Sam Snead's 11 wins in 1950.
“It would be nice if I did (reach double-digits),” said
Woods, who struggled to a 69 on Sunday with a bogey on No. 17
proving a final, lethal blow. “But if I don't, I don't. That
is just the way it works out.
“Probably more than anything, if I don't accomplish the 10
wins, then obviously that would be disappointing because I was
close to doing it. But the fact I won three majors in one year
is not a bad thing, either.”
Regardless of what happens next week, Mickelson can take satisfaction
in the fact that he was the closest thing to a foil that Woods
had this season.
It was Mickelson who ended Woods' six-tournament victory streak
by winning February's Buick Invitational. On Sunday, Mickelson
ended Woods' run of 19 straight victories in PGA Tour events when
he has carried at least a share of the lead into the final round.
That streak began after journeyman Ed Fiori rallied from a one-stroke
deficit to defeat Woods in his third professional start, the 1996
Quad City Classic. Now Woods is 19-2 in such situations.
“I know how tough Tiger is on the final day,” Mickelson
said. “I know how he has a tendency to go really low and
run away with tournaments. It was important for me to get off
to a quick start.”
This was the second straight Sunday in which Woods entered the
back nine of a final round with an excellent chance to get No.
10.
Last week, it was Duffy Waldorf shooting a final-round 62 to edge
Steve Flesch by one stroke and Woods by two shots.
On Sunday, Woods and Vijay Singh entered the final round tied
at 10-under, with Mickelson one stroke back. Mickelson, playing
one group ahead of Woods-Singh, began his day fortuitously. His
first tee shot caromed off a young fan and into in the fairway,
enabling Mickelson to go on and birdie the hole.
“I gave the guy a glove, thanked him for his effort,”
Mickelson said. “If I am in the rough I am struggling for
par.”
Singh fell out of the lead for good on No. 6. By No. 13, Mickelson
and Woods were three shots clear of the field. It seemed fitting
the Tour Championship would come down to the season's top two
money leaders.
Woods simply was not sharp, missing 7 of 14 fairways on the day,
but when Mickelson bogeyed the par 4 13th, he and Woods were tied.
“If I could have driven the ball a little better, I felt
like I could have put a little more pressure on Phil,” Woods
said. “But that wasn't the case. I just tried to Band-Aid
as best as possible and (I) gave myself a wonderful chance. That's
all you could ask for.”
But after Mickelson birdied the par-5 15th to take a one-stroke
lead, Woods failed to birdie the hole despite laying pin-high,
just off the green in two. Given the magic number of the day,
perhaps it's appropriate that the birdie putt he missed was from
10 feet.
With Mickelson finishing par, par, par, Woods took himself out
of contention by hitting his tee shot on No. 17 into a bunker
on the right, pulling his approach into a hazard (just a few feet
from East Lake) and failing to get up and down for par.
So much for No. 10, at least this week. So much for the streak
of victories when leading going into Sunday.
“I have had a lot of good things go my way,” Woods said.
“I have played well at the right times and been able to make
key shots at the right times, and it has added to victories.”
(c) 2000, The Dallas Morning News.
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