Is 2009 Phil Mickelson's Last Chance to be a True Rival to Tiger Woods?

If you happened to see this past weekends Arnold Palmer Invitational held at the Bay Hill golf course in Orlando, Fla, then I am sure you know one Mr. Tiger Woods is back.

Back to charging from five stokes down against another helpless foe, back to draining par saving monsters, and back to winning to tournaments. This time it was young Sean O' Hair who wilted under the pressure.

Just when is someone going to truly challenge Tiger? Ernie Els had his shot, but he hasn't been the same since knee surgery. Sergio Garcia can't get over his majors block. Vijay Singh's best days may be behind him, though he gave it a run for a while.

Anthony Kim and Irish phenom Rory Mclory may challenge Tiger's throne one day, but not now. How about Padraig Harrington or Geoff Ogilvy?

Possibly, but two of Harrington's three majors came with without Tiger in the field, and while Ogilvy is a fine golfer, who isn't intimidated by Tiger, he'll need another major or two to really enter the picture.

As it's been for years now, Phil Mickelson is the one golfer in the world with the talent, charisma, and major experience to challenge Tiger Woods. 

At age 38, Mickelson still has years of good golf ahead of him, but once you get past 40 being a consistent top five player is not very common. Only Vijay Singh has managed to do this in recent years, and his fitness and practice regiment is legendary.

2009 might be Mickelson's best and last true shot to make a run at being Tiger's true rival.

Beginning with his Master's win 2004 through his famed collapsed at Winged Foot 2006, Mickelson came as close as any player in the Tiger era, to be that elusive rival to Woods. He won 3 out of 9 majors during that time, and came within 1 hole of winning 3 majors in a row. Since the US Open in 2006 Mickelson, though, has missed more cuts in majors (two) than he has top 10 finishes, but if the early returns in 2009 mean anything Phil is gearing up for one more run at Woods.

After a slow beginning to 2009, Mickelson has won two of his last three starts, including his first World Golf Championship at Doral with Tiger Woods in the field. If you saw those tournaments, Phil wasn't playing his very best, but he was still winning. That's alot like you know who.  

To his credit, Mickelson doesn't delude himself into chasing Tiger's career statistics. He is the second best golfer of this generation, 36 wins with three majors and counting are some of the best all time marks in golf history, but he's the one guy that can at least get Tiger's attention when he's playing his best.  

Woods and Mickelson have combined for three wins, and two top ten finishes in their last five tournaments, and both seem to be rounding into form just in time for the Master's, the years first major.

Mickelson has one more start before the Masters at the Shell Houston Open, where I expect he'll play well, and be fully ready to put his recent major struggles behind him. We may be just around the corner for the season where Tiger and Phil put on the epic back and forth battle.

Tiger will be there contending in majors, will Phil? We hope so, because he may not get too many more shots at a season like what this could be shaping up to be.