Who's the bigger boob?
"I just can't believe I did that, I'm such an idiot," Phil Mickelson told reporters at Winged Foot shortly after a double-bogey on the 18th hole cost him the U.S. Open by one stroke.
San Jose Mercury News columnist Mark Purdy, one of my favorites, could be saying the same thing today.
"Mickelson may not win, but don't expect a choke" was the headline on Purdy's column that appeared Sunday morn before the final round.
Here's what it said, in part (with excerpts on our part in boldface for added emphasis):
MAMARONECK, N.Y. - Sigh. Remember the good old days?
It wasn't so long ago that you would look forward to the final round of the U.S. Open with relish -- because you knew, you just knew, that it was time for Phil Mickelson to choke.
You could practically set your calendar by it: Middle of June. Sunday afternoon. Final nine holes. Time for Mickelson to gag.
We seem to have moved beyond that era.
In fact, we seem to have moved 180 degrees into an entirely different era. It's hilarious, really. Saturday evening here at Winged Foot, after Mickelson shot a 1-under-par 69 to end his round in a tie for the Open lead, he actually had to tone down the expectations of reporters. They kept asking him what it would be like to win his third consecutive major championship. Mickelson said they were ``jumping ahead a little bit'' and pleaded for caution.
``Let's just wait another 24 hours,'' Mickelson said, ``and see if I put together one more good round. I've got 18 holes tomorrow and I have not ever won this trophy.''
True, and true. But it's amazing what winning two Masters titles and a PGA Championship will do for a guy's reputation. Once known as the best man never to win a major, Mickelson is now playing better golf than anyone on the planet -- including That Tiger Guy who missed the cut.
How sure a thing is he today? Even among his fellow competitors, you won't find anyone who thinks Mickelson is likely to fold ...
The Old Phil was notorious for being too much of a risk-taker on the course. That meant he was just as likely to make double-bogeys as birdies down the stretch. The New Phil has discovered the proper math for the Open, where par is precious. He struggled early Saturday but kept making enough pars so that when he did dump in two birdie putts on the back nine, he could leap up the leader board ...
It is no accident that Mickelson is making those pars. This is another part of the New Phil that is rarely mentioned: He now does homework like a man studying for a poa annua bar exam.
You think someone like that is going to seize up and collapse today? If you are tuning in today in hopes of seeing something like that, you had better change the channel. Maybe you should go over to Tiger Woods' house and ask to borrow the remote control.
Sorry, Mark. Maybe we just don't know the real Phil yet.