Phil Mickelson – Bob Geismar

Player of the Year and Rookie of the Year awards 2013

Today, the Player of the Year and Rookie of the Year awards were given out and frankly, there weren’t any surprises. Five-time tour champion in 2013, Tiger Woods, came away with his 11^th P.O.Y. award. Tiger won the Arnold Palmer money title, The Vardon Trophy, for the lowest adjusted scoring average and the five titles was the most by any player on tour. He did not win a major but no one who won a major won more than 3 titles (Phil Mickelson) so the Tiger dominance of this award continues. The Jack Nicklaus award for the Player of the Year goes to the great Tiger Woods.

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The rookie of the year award went to Jordan Spieth who started the year with no status at all and finished the year with a victory and a President’s Cup team member, which, of course, will be contested next week. Spieth became the youngest man to win a title in over 82 years—at age 19 just before turning 20. There were other rookies of distinction, Russell Henley, Derek Ernst, and David Lingmerth of note but what Spieth did was nothing short of breathtaking. He went from 810^th in the world in January to now 21^st in the world golf rankings. This is a meteoric rise of epic proportions and I for one can’t wait to see him perform next week in the President’s Cup.

It was Phil’s day, and quietly, Woody’s day, too.

What a day of golf Sunday July 21, 2013. It will be remembered for the almost Herculean performance from Phil Mickelson finally winning the British Open a championship.

http://media.zenfs.com/en_us/Sports/ap/201307211129413944027
http://sports.yahoo.com/news/golf–lateral-hazard–phil-mickelson-s-legacy-grows-with-british-open-victory-030723530.html

In his own words, he never fully believed he could win. Phil’s brilliant shot making and superb putting overcame a 5 shot deficit at the outset of the final round to overtake Masters Champ Adam Scott and third round leader Lee Westwood. For Westwood, it was another bitter ending to a major—this makes a career record for the Englishman of 0-62 in the majors—he contends and falters-I do hope one day he breaks through and finally wins one—he in simply too good of a ball striker to end a career winless in majors—maybe next month at Oak Hill.

As for Scott, he failed last year, and again, this year, at The Open. He does have the Masters on his resume, but losing majors when you have the lead is always a bitter pill to swallow. As for Mickelson, only one major eludes him the U.S. Open—a tournament he has come in second a record 6 times. Pinehurst next year could be the time to conquer golf’s grand slam.

You may recall what we mentioned in last week’s blog that it would take a player who had already been in the major winners circle to win at Muirfield and it did—as Phil pointed out, it was probably the best pure round of golf he had ever played! To watch him share the moment with his family, well, that is why Phil is so endeared to the public—he is American golf’s man of the people. Congrats to Philly!

On a steamy day inMississippi,a veteran of nearly 20 years on tour, Woody Austin, regainedPGATour status with a dramatic win at the Sanderson’s Farm Championship in a 3-way playoff with Cameron Beckman and Daniel Summerhays. Austin, who is 49 had only Web.com status and without this win, he would be back on the minor league tour, instead he is headed to the Canadian Open, ThePGAnext month and the tournament of champions next January plus a two year fully exempt status on thePGATour. An emotionalAustin, not unlike Mickelson, has no problem showing his emotions to us all—we can relate to Woody who, in his quest to get on the tour, was a public school teacher and a bank teller-well now he can visit the teller with his $540,000 first place check. So happy for you, too, Woody, on this mid summer victory!

What a journey, what a victory for two men one who wasn’t sure he could win a certain major and the other who wasn’t sure he could win again—period. It is a great day in golf. July 21^st, 2013.

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It is Open Championship Week

British Open week ( I still like to call it the British Open although the name was officially changed to The Open Championship in 2011, o.k. I succumb, it’s simply The Open).

The year’s 3^rd major is here and it is being contested at one of the world’s greatest golf courses—the venerable Muirfield Golf Links in Gullane, East Lothian, Scotland. This will be the 16^th time The Open Championship has been played at Muirfield and it promises to produce a truly superior major champion. The past champions at Muirfield is a virtual golf’s who’s who—including H.H. Hilton, Harry Vardon, James Braid, Ted Ray, Walter Hagen, Gary Player, Jack Nicklaus, Lee Trevino, Tom Watson, Nick Faldo and the last time the Open championship was contested at Muirfield Ernie Els in 2002.

I look for some of the same this week—primed and ready is Phil Mickelson fast coming off his victory last week at the Scottish Open, a rested Tiger Woods, Masters Champ Adam Scott, and the rest of the world’s greats a list too long to complete here but the cast of characters is formidable. I do not foresee a relative unknown winning here at Muirfield—the winner will not only have to control his nerves but also the many types of differing shots required to conquer Muirfield.—no I indeed believe the winner will be a man who has already won a major championship.

Muirfield requires the golfer to be able to play right to left, left to right, high shots, low shots against the wind, with the wind, across the wind you name it and Muirfield requires it! The front nine goes in a clockwise direction and the incoming nine goes in a counter clockwise direction making the shots completely different. The winner will truly be the Champion Golfer for the year 2013!

You may recall I did pick Justin Rose to win the U.S .Open at Merion last month so here goes on my 3 picks to take home the Claret Jug:

Charl Schwartzel, Phil Mickelson and Graeme McDowell. All past major champions and all primed to win the world’s oldest tournament dating back to 1860 atPrestwickwon by the great Willie Park Sr.

I can’t wait until Thursday morning when the distinctive voice of the legendary starter Ivor Robson announces the names of the players on hole number 1 and the contest is on.