The Serve

Mickelson gets one over Tiger

 Phil Mickelson looked Tiger Woods in the eye down the back nine one Sunday.

This time Phil didn’t blink.

In an all too rare head to head confrontation going down the stretch of a big tournament, Tiger delivered his usual storming Sunday at the Deutsche Bank Championship. After eleven holes, Mickelson was cruising at -16, with Tiger barely out of first gear, five shots back. Lefty scorching through the first ten holes, drilling five birdies.

The door was opened for Tiger when Mickelson double bogeyed 12. A birdie on 14 and Tiger suddenly was within two, with more than enough holes to press.

Then came the 16th and 17th, which may very well go down as perhaps the greatest moment of this rivalry.

Well, from the 16th tee to the 17th green anyway.

On the par three 16th, Tiger poured the pressure on with an approach within 12 feet. Phil stepped up and knocked his within eight . In anything-you-can-do-I-can-do-better pose, Tiger made his birdie.

Phil sunk his too.

Advantage still two.

To the seventeenth, Tiger went for the pin by dangerously falling short of the green and hoping for a kick. The kick came.

Phil? You guessed it, he answered the challenge. Although his 15 foot birdie putt was pulled badly. Tiger missed his too.

Buffer still in place.

In the excitement, Aaron Olberholser had winched himself to within one of the lead.

The story wasn’t finished though.

With the eighteenth a rare par five, Tiger challenged the green in two. He left himself a long eagle putt with Mickelson off the back of the green.

Phil delivered again under pressure, putting his chip within six feet. Tiger couldn’t land a miracle this time, with Mickelson sinking his putt for a 66, sinking Tiger and Olberholser in one fell swoop.

Olberholser needed eagle on the last, but found the deep rough on the edge of the green, leaving his chip short.

Mickelson goes to the top of the FedEx Cup playoff standings.

“For ten years I’ve struggled against Tiger. My record is pathetic.

“The last five or six holes when he’s making a run, it was fun to be able to match with a couple of birdies to win it.”

Tiger’s 67 left him equal second and lamenting a poor day on the green.

“I got something positive. I hit the ball well this week”, said Tiger.

“My speed on the greens was, um, not very good this week. I had umpteen-million three putts. Very frustrating.”

Aaron Baddeley never got going, finishing in fifth, five shots behind. Geoff Ogilvy was one further back.