Tiger Stat We Discovered at Riviera
Tiger Woods is NOT at The Event Formerly Known as the Los Angeles Open.
But that doesn't mean we're not thinking about him.
Phil Mickelson leads by one shot after three days and 54 holes, and "Lefty" isn't exactly chopped liver.
He's just not Tiger.
In the column I'm writing for Sunday's newspapers, I note that no active golfer has more PGA Tour victories (32) or Major victories (3) than does Mickelson.
Except for that Tiger guy, who has 62 and 13.
The PGA came up with a stat on Mickelson's success when in the lead going into the final round.
And even though Mickelson has a bit of a rep for choking, for coming-from-ahead ... in fact he has 18 victories in the 25 occasions he has been in the lead before the final round.
Which is great, and makes us realize Scott Verplank wasn't smoking crack when he said, "Other than Tiger, (Mickelson is) probably the next best front-runner. He's awful good."
Yes, he is. Which we might already have known ... if Tiger weren't 34-1 in winning tourneys he led with 18 holes to go.
Tiger has that effect. He just eclipses everyone else. Including Mickelson, who might otherwise be remembered as a far better golfer than we think.
Here is the column on Mickelson I wrote for Sunday's newspapers.