Phil Mickelson's Dominance of Tiger Woods Will Propel Him to a Master Victory

Phil Mickelson sent a booming statement to golf, Tiger Woods and himself on Sunday at Pebble Beach. He is ready to have a dominant 2012. With the Master less than two months away, this means he is poised, primed and ready to win the prestigious event. 

Phil went head-to-head against Tiger Woods in the second to last group on the final day of the Pro Am at Pebble Beach, and he played brilliantly. 

He dominated the field on the way to victory and beat Tiger by a whopping 11 strokes. 

While it can be hazardous to read too much into the results of an early year tournament—especially with Mickelson, who is one of the game's all time streakiest golfers—this was different. 

This was a talented and experienced golfer showing the world what they are in store for. 

The Promise of the Win

Lefty grew stronger as this tournament progressed and then he exploded for a final day 64 when he was paired with Woods. 

He set the tone right away with solid play and Woods was left scrambling to catch up. He easily asserted his dominance in this matchup and got more comfortable with each hole. 

This is where the most telling thing of all happened. Phil was sinking his two- to 10-footers and Tiger was missing his. 

This has been Phil's undoing in recent history. He has missed putts he should be making with his eyes closed. 

He was drilling them with fluidity and confidence on Sunday, and this led to an overall fantastic day with his blade. 

Lefty talked about this following his victory and is quoted by Bleacher Report's Den Levy. Mickelson:  

"

My putter just feels really good. The great thing is that as each day passes I seem to make more and more putts. I still miss them. I still miss putts, but from the last few years when I wasn't making hardly any, now I feel like I'm making a bunch. And all mechanics are out the window. I feel it's where I want it fundamentally and mechanically to be to the point where I don't worry about stroke and have not now for the last six weeks. So I am really excited about this.

I think it was most evident (Sunday) on the putts I needed to make, that because I didn't have any mechanical thoughts, because I had confidence in my ability to roll it, I was trying to make—and believed I was going to make—these 30 and 40 footers.

"

This newfound confidence on the green is going to lead Phil to great things this year.

Looking Ahead

When Phil is putting good, there isn't a player capable of beating him. 

Rory McIlroy is close, but he hasn't shown anything to make people believe he could go head-to-head with an elite player under intense pressure and win. 

Tiger Woods has the potential to meet and beat Mickelson, but recent history suggests that when these two meet on the last day, the smart money is on Mickelson. 

Mickelson is rolling and it will lead to him capturing the year's first major. The Masters is a tournament he knows like the back of his hand and a place where he has had tremendous success. He will add to that history of success this year.