Yep, Phil’s back! The Nissan and the Match Play

So everybody crowing about how the “ghosts of Winged Foot” were forever exercised has egg on their face.  Oh…and by the way, eveyone who says “the ghosts of Winged Foot still haunt him” is just talking to hear themselves talk as well.

Here’s what we DO know from Phil’s loss last week.  He will still give in from time to time to temptation.  That’s the key issue from Winged Foot that needed improvement…not just “don’t miss badly left.”

However, that was certainly not the U.S. Open and the second shot at Riviera’s 18th in February is a far cry from the second from around a tree or over a water hazard or to agreen flanked by Sherman tanks at a major.

Did you see the look on Phil’s face after the Nissan?  “Shoot, I lost, but I’ll get it next time” it seemed to say…a long way from “I’m an idiot.”  Just like I said here last week, we won’t know anything about whether he learned the lesson from Winged Foot until he has to choose and choose wisely to win a major or save his bacon and preserve a playoff instead of giving into temptation and blowing the whole enchilada. 

HOWEVER…b lowing a one shot lead at Riviera by hitting the driver left under pressure bodes much worse than winning by five over the Joker, The Penguin, The Riddler, Mr Freeze and the Laugholympics Crowd at Pebble Beach.  Phil…choose wisely.  Those who learn the wrong lessons from history are doomed to repeat them..,.and I don’t think your fans…legion and faithful though they are now…will stick with you if you mis-step that badly again.

Now, on to the Match Play – Who did these brackets? Steve Williams?  FIFA?  Talk about “Groups of Death,”  Phil, Michael Campbell, Sergio, Darren Clarke, Charles Howell III, Ernie, DiMarco and Immelman sure looks like “United States, Italy, Czech Republic, Ghana” to me.

Meanwhile Eldrick draws “Tunisia, Saudi Arabia and Ukraine”…he plays nobody who’ll be missed.  Seriously, fifteen guys out a bar have a better chance of scraping up Tiger more than the guys in his “Jones Bracket.” Lucas Glover?  Miguel Angel Jimenez?  Please.  If I HAVE to pick a sleeper, a tough prospect in 18 hole match play where one short slump of three holers and “see ya,” I’d guess Luke Donald or Aaron Baddely, but really, can you say “Tiger walk” to the final four?