A quick look at the highlights of the 2012 PGA Tour season – Part 2
The four-time major champion Phil Mickelson had a tiring campaign this season. At times, it seemed as if Lefty was playing too much golf. Having a tough schedule is not a bad approach to go with, but not performing well in-between is definitely not a good
thing to do.
At the age of 42, Mickelson should restrict himself to the tournaments he likes the most, rather than participating in every event that comes in his way.
He did perform well in the last stages of the PGA Tour Playoffs. Still, everyone knows that Mickelson could have done much better than that.
For that purpose, he needed to be a little fresher, and trimming off his schedule was the best option to go with.
On the other hand, Hunter Mahan outshined Rory McIlroy at the World Golf Championships – Accenture Match Play Championship. A couple of months later, he added another title to his resume by winning the Shell Houston Open in April, 2012.
Despite winning two tournaments, he still played himself out of the Ryder Cup spot this year.
"All the rookies and stuff are going to get there to Chicago and it's going to be really exciting for them because there's nothing like it,” he stated.
He continued, “There's really no tournament like it. There's nothing I've ever seen like it because it's such a cool experience, unlike anything in golf. It's so much fun. It just sucks to miss out on all the fun”.
When he was asked whether he will watch the Ryder Cup matches on TV, he replied in negative. According to him, it was really difficult to watch a tournament that he really wanted to play this year.
“You have so many friends on the team and you want them to do well. I don't feel good saying that, but I think it would be hard to sit and watch it,” he said. “I'll watch the match results each game, at the end of each day”.
It was not a surprise to see Mahan climbing up the leaderboards and winning titles. However, it was certainly disappointing to see one of the best golf players from the United States to fade out after achieving that much success.
The other player, who once looked to make a strong charge in the FedEx Cup standings, was Rickie Fowler.
He won the Wells Fargo Championship in May and added his name in the history books. In May this year, he was at the peak of his career on the PGA Tour.
Right after his maiden victory on the tour, he recorded another two top-five finishes at The Players Championship and the Crowne Plaza Invitational at Colonial.
Soon after that, he started fading out from the golf scene. His summer went without any highlights and so did the fall series. Moreover, he also missed out a chance to make it to the Ryder Cup this year.
There is no doubt that both Mahan and Fowler have major championship-calibre talent. Both recorded victories early this year, yet, failed to keep the momentum going into the rest of the season.
The new season will bring new opportunities for everyone and for these two Americans as well. They must look at their 2012 campaign and pin point the mistakes that they made in the second half of the year.
It is the best way to rediscover their forms in the 2013 PGA Tour season. Otherwise, another bad run can permanently put a dent in their self-confidence.
Continued in part 3 . . . .
The views expressed in this article are the writer's own and in no way represent Bettor.com's official editorial policy.
Tags: