Doral Notebook: Casey finally back to work after snowboarding injury
Mickelson, never shy about delivering oneliners, saved one of them for Woods this week.
A reporter mentioned that Ernie Els declared that €Tiger is back€ after Woods closed with a 62 at the Honda Classic, and Mickelson was asked his assessment of Woods.
€Yeah, obviously he was paying attention a couple of weeks ago, which is nice to see,€ Mickelson said, heavy on the sarcasm. That was a reference to Mickelson closing with a 64 to win Pebble Beach while paired with Woods, who shot 75.
The reporter didn't get it, even though the room filled with laughter.
€At least I thought it was funny,€ Mickelson said, brushing his hand over his head to suggest the reporter missed out on the line.
€It is good to see him back and playing well,€ Mickelson added. €He's always the name that you look at. He's the first name that you look at on the leaderboard to see how he's doing.€
MASTERS PREVIEW: Mickelson wound up playing Augusta National on Tuesday with PGA Champion Keegan Bradley and Dustin Johnson, giving the threetime major champion his first look ahead of the Masters.
Mickelson reports a lot of grass on the course, which is a good sign (and yes, it will be cut back severely), along with some minor changes to the greens on the par5 eighth and the par3 16th.
He said the eighth green was widened in the front, and the slope on the left side was softened. He said a back right hole location would be more accessible with the changes.
More interesting was the green at No. 16. One of the most dangerous locations was front right, a tiny target. Anything too strong was over the green and into a bunker, while short meant the ball would roll down the hill. That area has been slightly expanded.
Also, the bottom of the green toward the front has been built up, so that players who leave their shots on the top shelf don't have to worry about the putts rolling down the slope and into the water.
€After looking at them, I think that some of the more challenging pin placements on those greens were softened a little bit, and made to be not quite as difficult,€ Mickelson said.
Mickelson rarely gets together with Johnson and Bradley without a friendly wager. Word is that Bradley had to reach for his wallet when they finished. When asked if they kept score, Mickelson replied, €Just 1 up, 2 up.€
That was accompanied by a big grin.
RIVALS: There was talk of a Rory McIlroyLee Westwood rivalry during the WGCAccenture Match Play Championship, and now that McIlroy has gone to No. 1, some are mentioning a McIlroyTiger Woods rivalry.
Hunter Mahan says there are too many good players for any one rivalry, especially involving Woods.
€Tiger doesn't have a rival.€ he said. €Just look at the record. I mean, there is none. His rival is Jack Nicklaus. It's hard to put anyone up there right now with him. I understand his last few years haven't been his best and everything that's going on, but that guy, he's had numbers that no one has even thought about reaching.€
A reporter mentioned that Ernie Els declared that €Tiger is back€ after Woods closed with a 62 at the Honda Classic, and Mickelson was asked his assessment of Woods.
€Yeah, obviously he was paying attention a couple of weeks ago, which is nice to see,€ Mickelson said, heavy on the sarcasm. That was a reference to Mickelson closing with a 64 to win Pebble Beach while paired with Woods, who shot 75.
The reporter didn't get it, even though the room filled with laughter.
€At least I thought it was funny,€ Mickelson said, brushing his hand over his head to suggest the reporter missed out on the line.
€It is good to see him back and playing well,€ Mickelson added. €He's always the name that you look at. He's the first name that you look at on the leaderboard to see how he's doing.€
MASTERS PREVIEW: Mickelson wound up playing Augusta National on Tuesday with PGA Champion Keegan Bradley and Dustin Johnson, giving the threetime major champion his first look ahead of the Masters.
Mickelson reports a lot of grass on the course, which is a good sign (and yes, it will be cut back severely), along with some minor changes to the greens on the par5 eighth and the par3 16th.
He said the eighth green was widened in the front, and the slope on the left side was softened. He said a back right hole location would be more accessible with the changes.
More interesting was the green at No. 16. One of the most dangerous locations was front right, a tiny target. Anything too strong was over the green and into a bunker, while short meant the ball would roll down the hill. That area has been slightly expanded.
Also, the bottom of the green toward the front has been built up, so that players who leave their shots on the top shelf don't have to worry about the putts rolling down the slope and into the water.
€After looking at them, I think that some of the more challenging pin placements on those greens were softened a little bit, and made to be not quite as difficult,€ Mickelson said.
Mickelson rarely gets together with Johnson and Bradley without a friendly wager. Word is that Bradley had to reach for his wallet when they finished. When asked if they kept score, Mickelson replied, €Just 1 up, 2 up.€
That was accompanied by a big grin.
RIVALS: There was talk of a Rory McIlroyLee Westwood rivalry during the WGCAccenture Match Play Championship, and now that McIlroy has gone to No. 1, some are mentioning a McIlroyTiger Woods rivalry.
Hunter Mahan says there are too many good players for any one rivalry, especially involving Woods.
€Tiger doesn't have a rival.€ he said. €Just look at the record. I mean, there is none. His rival is Jack Nicklaus. It's hard to put anyone up there right now with him. I understand his last few years haven't been his best and everything that's going on, but that guy, he's had numbers that no one has even thought about reaching.€
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