It has been extremely rare when golf has been a tortuous spectacle on one hand and an enjoyable experience on the other and never has it been manifested so distinctly in the performances and countenance of two players as it has been on the first day of the Players Championship, just before tee off in the former world number one Tiger Woods and Phil Mickelson. Mickelson, who has been the winner of four Major titles in his long and illustrious career in golf sat chatting with journalists prior to the Tuesday tee off of the unofficial fifth major of golf, recollecting the memories he has had on the golf course, narrating how much he loved the sport in the light of his recent induction into the World Golf Hall of Fame.
On the other hand, Tiger Woods, who missed only the eighth cut of his career so far last week, looked far from happy as he discussed the fourth swing change of his long career with the journalists. As a journalist who has been following his developments ever since he was a kid making his mark in the world of golf, never has Woods been seen in such a mood by the writer and it is almost painful to a certain extent. On the other hand, it is extremely hard to imagine Phil Mickelson in such a precarious position and when asked about his love for the game, the left handed golfer delved deep into his passion for the sport and explained in detail, all that he held dear to himself.
According to Phil Mickelson, everything was about the game, be it making contact and hitting the golf ball or accepting the challenge of hitting the ball in the greens, Mickelson accepts that he has enjoyed success with limited skill and his countenance reveals satisfaction at his achievements.
Phil Mickelson and his wife Amy have listed their Rancho Santa Fe estate for sale at a whooping 7.5 million dollars.
The estate covers an area of almost five acres and the compound includes a nine thousand five hundred square foot house and also two guest houses. The Tuscan style house which is of one level contains mosaics; hand carved stone fireplaces, trussed beams, and Italian marble. On top of that there is a steam room, a sauna, an exercise room, a safe room, seven bathrooms and five bedrooms. Hence this is one big huge mansion with all kinds of needs and facilities. The grounds have a outdoor kitchen, a swimming pool and a brilliant putting green.
Mickelson is clearly hoping to open a new chapter in his life with the sale of the house. If he sells the house quickly it will be a great start to the year for him – he is going to be inducted in to the famous World Golf Hall of Fame this coming spring, he beat the world champion Tiger Woods in order to win the very prestigious AT&T Pebble Beach National Pro-AM tournament, and also finished a good second in the Riviera Country Cub at the Northern Trust Open to prove that Phil Mickelson’s club selection is still as good as it ever was.
His career earnings add up to a whooping sixty five million dollars making him one of the richest golfers in the world today. The couple bought off the above property for an undisclosed amount in the year 2001 which was a good eleven years back.
Phil Mickelson has not been having the best of times in recent years as his wife was diagnosed with breast cancer. He temporarily resigned from the PGA Tour as he wanted to spend as much time as possible with his family. His wife Amy is a regular at all PGA events and is very well known and loved by all golfers and thus this news comes across as a rude shock for the couple as they have three children too to think about and care for.
This traumatic journey is going to be a real tough one for Phil Mickelson and his family as his wife is to undergo a major surgery in two weeks time. This declaration was not made by Phil Mickelson himself but by his management company. The prayers of everyone are with Phil Mickelson and his family as we all hope that his wife makes a speedy recovery. We all hope to see the great golfer back to doing what he does best-enthral the world with his marvellous golf skills.
There is no dearth of great golfers around the world at the moment and Phil Mickelson is certainly one of the foremost among them. However, one thing that complicates the situation much is when Tiger Woods is also a part of the playing field and in a twist of fate; the opponents who he would have breezed through in the past are giving him an extremely hard time on the golf course. What is worse for Woods is that not only is he not performing at his very best, but he is also at a risk of losing his world ratings and popularity with the fans as well.
But when it comes to Mickelson, there could not have been a player any different to Tiger Woods at the moment, he is churning out result after result and is consistently finishing in the top few places of every tournament that he has played in over the last few months. Moreover, Phil Mickelson is also giving stiff comep0tiion to a player that everyone thought would rule the golfing world for many more years and that is testament to the player that Mickelson has become over the years.
If the performances of both the players are taken into account from January 2011 to now, it would be easily proved that Mickelson is by far the better player of the two at the moment. Woods has long been the ruler of the golf course since he staked his claim to the world number one crown but he has not seen the light at the top for many months now and with the younger players emerging and giving him stiff competition and with old foes like Phil Mickelson already marching ahead of him, there is not much chance that Woods will ever recover from this downward spiral.
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May 15, 2012 7:28 pm | 
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