Is Phil Really In Tigers League?

[JackTheSmuggler]

Can Phil Mickelson really be compared to Tiger Woods?..Every time Phil wins a tournement he is instantly put in the same catagory as Tiger Woods. I agree Phil is a very good golfer but I think he, just like everyone else pales in comparison to Tiger. Phil mails in a few tournaments every year where Tiger is always top 10 or even top 5. Phil goes and comes but Tiger is ALWAYS a threat in every tournement he plays in. And record wise Tiger crushes Phil in every aspect. I just think Tiger has that extra IT factor that Phil just doesnt have and never will.

Whats your view?

[bwinger79]

Can Phil Mickelson really be compared to Tiger Woods?..Every time Phil wins a tournement he is instantly put in the same catagory as Tiger Woods. I agree Phil is a very good golfer but I think he, just like everyone else pales in comparison to Tiger. Phil mails in a few tournaments every year where Tiger is always top 10 or even top 5. Phil goes and comes but Tiger is ALWAYS a threat in every tournement he plays in. And record wise Tiger crushes Phil in every aspect. I just think Tiger has that extra IT factor that Phil just doesnt have and never will.

Tiger and Phil are in a league by themselves if you are looking at wins by active players, and of course Tiger is in a league by himself with what I believe was his 60th win last week. I think Phil has as much talent, and in some aspects of the game, more talent than Tiger, but he doesnt have the militaristic work ethic like Tiger does. If he did, I think he could seriously give Tiger a run for his money week after week, but he obviously is happy with where he is and doesnt feel the need to put in 10 hour days 6 days a week like Tiger.

[JackTheSmuggler]

More talent than Tiger..Interesting?....One word comes to mind when I think of Phil..INCONSISTANT....he wins the Deustche Bank and then he will probably get cut in his next 3 tournements....Is there any doubt Tiger will win the Fed Ex Cup?....Yes Phil beat Tiger last week head to head (about time too) but would you bet the house THIS week if it comes down to Tiger or Phil for the whole thing?

[Diggitydog]

I wouldn't bet the house, but it'll be fun to watch!

Phil is close enough now to Tiger and his confidence is higher since working with Butch. I bet Butch has demystified some of Tiger for Phil and that goes to Phil's confidence. It takes confidence to beat Tiger but that confidence doesn't happen until he beats him a few times. Last week Phil beat Tiger 3 out of 4 rounds, so at least for "right now" Phil is in Tiger's league. I'm not pulling for either one, I just want to see great golf that is exciting.

[flap]

Now that Tiger has his own family lets see if his fanatical practice sessions still happen.Phill has his life together and now Tiger has to make consessions to golf for his private life.

[bwinger79]

More talent than Tiger..Interesting?....One word comes to mind when I think of Phil..INCONSISTANT....he wins the Deustche Bank and then he will probably get cut in his next 3 tournements....Is there any doubt Tiger will win the Fed Ex Cup?....Yes Phil beat Tiger last week head to head (about time too) but would you bet the house THIS week if it comes down to Tiger or Phil for the whole thing?

In certain aspects of the game, I do think Phil is more talented. Short game for sure. But Tiger has his many strengths. Tiger is going to win the Fed-Ex cup, but I would like to see what would have happened if they all played all 4 of the events. It would have given more credibility to it. If Phil had played this week, would Tiger be leading? If Tiger played the first event, would this race even be close? They need to do a little tweaking of the playoff format in the next couple seasons.

[JackTheSmuggler]

I wouldn't bet the house, but it'll be fun to watch!

I think it will take more than 3 out 4 rounds to be in Tigers league even for "right now"....How many YEARS has Tiger pounded on Phil....and now because he beats Tiger for once hes turned the corner...I dont think so....Im not convinced.

[JackTheSmuggler]

I think Tiger was paid to sit out the first round and Phil to sit out the BMW so that it would come to this....Stricker is playing the part of the spoiler.

[JackTheSmuggler]

In certain aspects of the game, I do think Phil is more talented. Short game for sure. But Tiger has his many strengths. Tiger is going to win the Fed-Ex cup, but I would like to see what would have happened if they all played all 4 of the events. It would have given more credibility to it. If Phil had played this week, would Tiger be leading? If Tiger played the first event, would this race even be close? They need to do a little tweaking of the playoff format in the next couple seasons.

I agree Phil has a very good short game (when his game is on) but Tiger has one of the greatest short games of all time. How many times has he showed it to us.

[Cleveland Gunmetal]

Nobody is in Tiger's league. Obviously Phil can beat Tiger, he can even beat him head to head as he did at the Deutsche Bank but until he consistantly does it I don't think he, or anyone else for that matter can be even considered in Tiger's league. As far as Phil having more talent, well, I don't get that either. Sure, Phil has a ton of talent but at the end of the day the guy with the best score has the most talent.

I think you see those promo's with Tiger vs Phil because they have to market something, and someone. There always has to be a rival, and if the there isn't one the media will make one up. Phil is the obvious choice because of his talent (very talented but not as talented as Tiger), and his personality on and off the course. For a while there Jim Furyk was #2 in the world and most likely to contend with Tiger but let's face it, he's pretty boring.

I always thought world ranking was a good gauge of how good a player was. Nobody is even close to Tiger Woods.

[TourSpoon]

Phil is the closest to being in Tiger's league, but like you said, Tiger is always contending. I would love to see Phil (or Stricker) step it up and put some pressure on Tiger. I want to see a shoot-out for the Tour Championship.

[SubPar]

Tiger's win percentage is over 26% and his top tens are about 66%. No one is now, or has ever been, in "Tiger's league".

Various players have an aspect of their game that matches his in one category, but no one combines so many strengths under the umbrella of a super smart, laser focused mental game.

SubPar

[Diggitydog]

I think it's pretty clear that Tiger is in his own league. My position is that Phil has recently showed he can contend with Tiger and I'm excited to see Phil or ANYBODY for that matter contend with Tiger. I love watching Tiger work, but I like a close battle not a Spartan bloodbath every week. Hell how much fun was it when Bob May pushed Tiger in 2000? When Phil and Tiger battled at Doral. That's fun golf. Tiger is the champ, nobody is going to touch him for a long time, but I think more to the point is who is ready to challenge Tiger for now? Phil is the only guy that has any kind of pedigree at all to do it? Nobody says Stricker because he didn't win a tourney for 10 years. Scott, Garcia, etc none of these guys have done anything but wilt under Tigers presence.

I think that Phil can handle the "Tigermania" now. What is Tigermania anyway? It's mental, it's people hooting / hollering / cheering. All mental distractions. If Phil TRULY FEELS he's turned the corner then I take him at his word.

You know what it's like to know where your drive is going before you hit the ball. It usually goes there. You also know what it's like to doubt where the ball is going, it goes everywhere. Same thing with Tiger.

How much of Tigers prowess is due to players self destructing in the final group? Tons. Phil is ready for that pressure now.

[bwinger79]

I agree Phil has a very good short game (when his game is on) but Tiger has one of the greatest short games of all time. How many times has he showed it to us.

I agree, Tiger has a wonderful short game, but there is just something about Phil's that is better. Maybe its just because he has the balls to try shots that nobody else will try, and usually pulls it off when he does try them. Its kinda hard to put my finger on what exactly it is. I saw a Phil Mickelson Top 10 Shots thing on the golf channel, and some of the things he can do around the green I have never seen any other golfer do.

[J_Bone]

I would have to agree, Phil is more talented than Tiger. Phil has a purely talented short game that no can touch.
But, what Phil lacks and Tiger possess is work ethic, conditioning, determination and METAL toughness that no one on the tour seems to have. Maybe a few have some of those traits, but no one has as much as Tiger.
Now Tiger is in no way a slouch in talent either, but there is that effortlessness of Phil that is unteachable.
I give Phil credit for his last win. He has great confidence right now and seems to have some kind of determination and a good metal outlook on his game to give Tiger a run for his money. Right now is the strongest I've seen Phil, but lets see how long he will posses it.

What Tiger has is what makes champions at the end of the day!!!

[Tim S]

I am astounded. Phil is good, so are a number of others week-to-week. But this storyline about Phil's ascent to Tiger's level is a media dramatic invention. I am really just astonished at how many people buy into it.

No one is in Tiger's league. When he dips, someone in the next tier is there to take the win. No one can win all the time, and when Tiger loses it does not mean that the other player is a better overall player, he just won that week, or on that hole.

Golf broadcasting this year has set a new and obvious plan for more drama, less cliche. Announcers struggle and sweat to find a weakness in Tiger that they can then attribute to someone else. I don't fault them... it is their job to keep us glued...but I don't buy it as "real" or "fact." This isn't the news we're watching, it's commentary.

I WISH there was someone who could challenge Tiger consistently, but it's a week-to-week deal. So if you're asking whether Phil is Tiger's peer, I say "in his dreams." Was Phil better two weeks ago? Sure. Just as Angel was, as Padraig was, a Veejay has been, etc.

Don't get caught in the generalities trap. There is only one current player you can generalize about, in my opinion: Tiger. And perhaps Hale.

Please say "fore" before you shoot back.

Tim

[iacas]

Tiger's won 10 of his last 19, including three majors (and two second-place finishes in majors). He has 60 wins and 13 majors. Look at, what, the 14-point lead he has in the OWGR.

Nobody is in Tiger's league. Michael Jordan and Mario Lemieux (who was better than Gretzky) aren't in Tiger's league let alone Phil.

[flap]

As I said earlier in this thread lets see what fatherhood does for him.He just announced he is shutting it down after East Lake to spend lots of time with his family.It aint easy to juggle family and his regime of practice so we will see.