Phil Mickelson has lost the chance of being top ranked
It could have been a crowning ceremony for the new number 1 but it turned out to be an ultimate disappointment for Phil Mickelson’s fans when he finished the round with a 78 at the Firestone country club on Sunday.
All Phil Mickelson had to do was get in the top 4 at the Bridgestone Invitational and there he would have been replacing the world No. 1, Tiger Woods. It was all as easy as Tiger seldom did anything to protect his thrown.
To despise, he finished the final round with a 78 stretching the Tiger Woods’ era of being number 1. According to analysts, Phil’s game was not satisfactory at all. If he birdied a few holes, that was merely luck and nothing else. Although Phil Mickelson believes that despite an ugly start he managed to deliver good shots, hence he was contended with his performance.
The starting of the final round was predicting a whole different story. Phil Mickelson was tied up for 10th position and there were many prospect chances that he might move up the leader board. However with seven bogeys and one double-bogey he came down to the 46th position with a score of 3-over 283. Putting him into comparison with Tiger Woods, he was way better as Tiger resided on the second last place when he finished the last round of the WGC-Bridgestone invitational, 2010.
Meanwhile, it was the worst tournament of Tiger Woods career. Throughout the round, tiger could not manage to break the par, to make it worse his final round closed at 77 leaving him 18 over the par. The only achievement Tiger Woods took home with him was his number 1 title and him defeating Henrik Stenson. Tiger Wood would definitely have taken a sigh of relief over this success rate, for someone who was below him on the list of 80 players. What if Lee Westwood and Robert Allenby would not have taken the withdrawal? The consequences would have been uglier.
Moving to Lee Westwood, who took a withdrawal because of a leg injury is the number three on the official world golf ranking. Not only this, but he is also excellent with putting, indeed the best. According to experts, if it would not have been a health issue, the name ‘Lee Westwood ‘would have been in the top 5.
As far as Phil Mickelson is concerned, he is considered as one of the most consistent players in the world. He delivers the best game when he is playing well. However Phil admits that Tiger Woods is the best golfer of the world; if it was not for the personal problems which he was going through, he would have been unbeatable. This statement is pretty true, as Tiger Woods performance graph started to fall right after December 2009, when he was exposed to the public regarding his extra–marital affairs. This scandal ultimately resulted in a confession from Tiger Wood’s side and a divorce from his wife. Initially, Tiger Woods suffered a little by coming down on the leader board but as time passed he vanished from the top.
Many players who were least expected on the top of the leader board came forward. One of them was Retief Goosen, a South African, who finished the second round with a lead and wrapped up the tournament with a 73. It was the 8th time in the season that he finished in the top 10s.
On the whole, Phil Mickelson was given an opportunity to wipe off Tiger Woods name from the top of the Official world golf ranking but he failed. According to experts, a fabulous finish was being expected from the world’s number 2, his putting was accurate, his shots were precise and his body and mind form were ready for the victory. Even then, it seemed Phil lacked confidence because of the pressure which he was facing of replacing the topper. Phil Mickelson still has a chance, if he wins all the events consistently.
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