Phil Mickelson: Lefty's Declining Northern Trust Open Results Is an Ominous Sign

Streaky Phil Mickelson should be concerned with the pattern of his performances at the Northern Trust Open. 

A quick look at the results would indicate that all is rosy for Mickelson. He ran away with the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro Am last Sunday, and he finished tied for second this week after losing a playoff to Bill Haas.

That is a tremendous two-week stretch for any golfer. The problem is that his scores got worse with each round. Mickelson shot out to an early lead in this tournament with an opening-round 66 on the par-71 course.

He then followed that up with back-to-back 70s, and a final-round 71. 

Red Flags of Lefty's Results

This isn't a red flag for most golfers, but it is for Mickelson. Lefty is one of the streakiest golfers the sport has ever seen. 

This is a guy who can lose it with the driver or putter at the drop of a hat. This time, it was his driving that began to fade. 

Leading up to the Pro Am last week, Mickelson had his swing coach, Butch Harmon, for some swing tweaks. This paid instant dividends for Phil, and his swing was performing at the highest of levels when he destroyed the competition on Sunday.

That swing began eroding as the Northern Open rolled on. His drives became increasingly erratic and his scoring was the victim. Well, that and the spectators lining the course. 

His wayward drives found him in all kinds of trouble as this tournament rolled on, and it even landed him in the shorts of a spectator. 

Mickelson's Future Prospects

Typically when Mickelson's swing starts grooving—either for better or worse—it continues on that path.

Phil's swing hit a peak at Pebble Beach, and he held that into the start of this tournament. That swing began eroding. 

That swing is going to continue to erode. It is impossible to say when he will be able to reverse that course, but it is clear that this recent run of dominance is not going to follow him next time onto the course. 

So while Phil may be running at the front of the leaderboards, he has some work to do.