Like Jack Nicklaus And Arnold Palmer Before Them, Tiger Woods And Phil Mickelson Are Now The ...
By: MICK ELLIOTT
Media General News Service

AUGUSTA, Ga. — With the experience of 70 previous Masters Tournaments from which to draw, the most intriguing story line that welcomes this year’s opening round is not one Augusta National has never seen before.

All the better to appreciate how intriguing it can be.

Like Arnold Palmer and Jack Nicklaus used to do it, golf’s modern-day mega-rivals return to their biggest stage today for another round of point/counterpoint.

Tiger Woods and Phil Mickelson, ready to do it again. At least they are if it is possible for popular demand to influence this week’s leader board.

Woods and Mickelson have won five of the past six Masters. In a throwback to Augusta National’s 1960s golden era when Palmer and Nicklaus traded green jackets for a five-year stretch, the current give-and-take dominance by the game’s two most popular players has upstaged pretty much all others in the 97-player field.

Mickelson arrives as defending champion and winner in two of the past three Masters. Woods rolls in, 10 years after winning his first green jacket, with four in the closet, including three of the past six.

Woods won in 2001 — interestingly, the only time he has played with Mickelson in the final group at the Masters — and in 2002. Mickelson won his first major at the Masters in 2004. Woods answered with a playoff victory in 2005, Mickelson won in a walk in 2006.

“If you look at the course of history in this event, you start seeing the same guys win multiple times,” Woods said. “I think it’s just understanding how to play it, where to miss it, and shot selection.

“Once you figure it out, you see the same guys up there at the top. Phil has been up there many a time and once he won a few years ago, all of a sudden it gave him confidence to do it again last year.”

And all of a sudden, golf is enjoying comparing the rivalry to Palmer and Nicklaus swapping green jackets. Palmer won in 1962 and ’64; Nicklaus in 1963, ’65 and ’66.

“I think it helps the game to have that kind of a rivalry,” Palmer said. “The more we talk about Phil and his golf and the challenge to Tiger, I think that’s good. They have different approaches. Tiger has his approach and obviously, it’s quite good. Phil has his approach and he’s been pretty successful and just recently started winning majors.”

Even if the Woods/Mickelson magic should wane this week, the winner’s circle is likely to remain small and selective. More so than any of golf’s other three majors, the Masters’ pretournament list of serious contenders is considered a short one.

“Experience helps around this golf course,” Ernie Els said. “This course, probably more than any other major, really gets your nerves up. Your nerve ends really get into a tailspin here because the margin of error is so small, so narrow.

“I would say guys with experience.”

No one lately has enjoyed better experiences than Woods and Mickelson.

Not to be overlooked for this visit is Woods’ momentum. He begins play this afternoon at 1:52 halfway to a second career Tiger Slam, arriving at Augusta as reigning champ in last year’s final two majors, the British and PGA. He also arrived at Augusta fresh off a victory at the WGC-CA Championship at Doral in his last outing, his eighth PGA Tour win in his past 10 starts.

“It’s a fun challenge to try to beat him,” Mickelson said. “He’s most likely the best player the game has ever seen. It’s he and Jack, and to be able to play against him in his prime is a great challenge.

“If I have a great rest of my career and go out and win 20 more tournaments and seven more majors to get to 50 wins and 10 majors, which would be an awesome career, I still won’t get to where he’s at today. So I don’t compare myself to him.

“What I like to do is try to win as many tournaments and as many majors as I can, and with him in the field, it just gives it more credibility, whatever it is I am able to accomplish.”

MICK ELLIOTT is a staff writer for The Tampa Tribune