Masters 2012: What Phil Mickelson Must Do To Steal Spotlight at Augusta

With all the talk about Tiger Woods and his return to glory, Rory McIlroy as the new "It" star on the PGA Tour, it is easy to forget that Phil Mickelson is still one of the best players in the world and deserves to be a favorite heading into The Masters.

Since 2006, Mickelson has won as many majors (4) as Woods. He has won at Augusta twice since Woods last walked away with a Green Jacket. 

McIlroy had a chance to win the Masters in 2011, but a collapse in the final round ruined any hope he had. He bounced back in a big way at the U.S. Open and has become one of the best players in the world. 

Mickelson is flying under the radar, which is not something that we usually hear because he is so popular. But he can get right back to the top of the golf world with a brilliant showing this weekend. 

Steve Hummer of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution wrote that Mickelson might not have been dominating the Tour this year, it would be foolish to dismiss him. 

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Mickelson is not here to perform his greatest hits or take nostalgic walks around Amen Corner or maybe risk mangling a wrist on a tree root.

Rather, he is here at the age of 41 as a serious applicant for a fourth green jacket.

The golf media has its focus elsewhere. The headline in one national magazine proclaims that professional golf is a “Two Man Game.” Those two men—Tiger Woods and Rory McIlroy—are portrayed on the cover of another magazine as boxers on a faux fight card, as if they were the main event and the rest of the world was but the undercard.

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Mickelson may no longer be one of the faces of golf like he was in the early-2000s with Woods, but he is still one of the most dangerous players on tour. 

So what does lefty have to do in order to get his mojo back?

Hit Accurate Shots

Mickelson loves to hit the ball hard and far. He does that better than almost anyone on the PGA Tour. 

The problem is, he often has no idea where the ball is going once he hits it. He will trade accuracy and fairways for yardage and spectacular length. 

Unfortunately, this is where Mickelson often finds himself in trouble. He needs to pull back his ego and make sure he is playing to win. 

Don't Try To Match Tiger and Rory

We talked about them earlier, but Mickelson's biggest problem is his ego. He has to put that aside and play the style that has won him four majors and 40 PGA Tour events. 

He is a different kind of player than Woods and McIlroy. He doesn't have the same skills that they do, nor can he do what they do. 

Mickelson's game suffers when he tries to show the world that he can hit the ball as hard as Woods, or hit spectacular shots that no one else would try. 

Stop doing that.

Play the style that works for you and made you one of the most successful golfers in the history of the sport. 

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