Is It Phil Mickelson's Time To Shine?

Let’s not for a second believe that Tiger Woods will never be the same player he was before his knee injury or that he is in the midst of some kind of ultimate decline in his ability to dominate the PGA tour.

In just four stroke-play events, Woods has three top-10 finishes and a win. That is more than most players accomplish in a year.

But then again, Tiger Woods is not "most players," and his inability to get it done down the stretch at the Masters and the Quail Hollow Championship have many players on tour smelling blood—none more so than Phil Mickelson.

Mickelson won the WGC-CA Championship in March with Woods in the field, outplayed Woods while paired together at the Masters in April, and finished just a stroke behind Woods at last week’s Quail Hollow Championship.

More important than simply outplaying Woods in recent months has been the way in which Mickelson has done so with a confidence and swagger not seen from him since his early days on tour.

Mickelson’s deer in the headlights look while going head-to-head with Woods has now been replaced by a steely-eyed, unwavering competitor who knows that at least for the moment, he is every bit as good, if not better, than Tiger Woods.

If Michelson were to win this week's Players Championship while Woods finishes in a tie for fourth or worse, he would become the first player in more than five years to replace Woods as the No. 1-ranked golfer in the world.

Throughout his career, Mickelson’s Achilles' heel has always been a level of confidence that seems to waver during the most pressure-packed moments, and an erratic driver that has cost him his fair share of tournaments.

In the past, one of the main factors in Mickelson’s inability to mentally hold it together down the stretch was a knowledge he had that at any moment, he could spray a drive 50 yards off course and wind up losing the tournament as a result.  

Standing on the tee box at the 72nd hole of a major championship while holding the lead is an unbelievably tense moment as it is.

Now, imagine that same situation while holding a driver in your hand and knowing full well that you could hit the ball 50 yards off-line just as easily as you could find the middle of the fairway—that would have to at least double a player’s mental strain.

Obviously anyone holding the lead on the 72nd hole of a major championship would be having similar thoughts. However, Mickelson has been bitten by his erratic driver a lot more often than most other players, and as a result, he carries with him some deep mental scarring that might never fully go away.

But now, at the age of 39, Mickelson finally appears to have his driver under control, which has played a major role in his recent serge of confidence.

In 2009, Mickelson is hitting his driver longer and straighter than at any other time during his career.

Mickelson is averaging 296 yards off the tee, which currently ranks 18th on tour.

Granted, Tiger Woods is still in the process of recovering from a major knee surgery, but, last month at Augusta, Mickelson watched as his drives flew significantly longer than those of Tiger Woods on virtually ever hole.

Talk about a confidence builder for a guy that has always been viewed as the older, heavier, and less physically fit of the two.

During the course of any great player’s career, he will have at least one moment he can point to as an event that changed the course of his career.

For Nicklaus, it was the 1960 U.S. Open. For Woods, it was probably the 1997 Masters where he really became sure of his ability to completely dominate the game.

Mickelson’s career-changing moment just might have come during the final round of the 2009 Masters.

The main reason why no one has been able to step up and consistently challenge Tiger Woods has more to do with the mental game than the physical.

The difference between Woods’ ability to swing the golf club and that of the 120th-ranked player in the world is not as significant as you may think.

However, where Woods is head and shoulders above the rest is in his level of confidence and his genuine belief that he can beat anyone, anytime, anywhere.

No one on tour has been able to match Woods’ mental strength, and as a result, no one has been able to step up and really give Woods a run for his money.

Has Mickelson’s recent surge in confidence, combined with a longer, straighter driver, brought him up to Woods’ level?

Time will tell.

We also have to remember that it’s probably only a matter of time before Woods once again reaches his top form.

However, overtaking Woods as the No. 1 player in the world would certainly add another large boost to Mickelson’s ever increasing level of confidence.

For the first time in a very long time, maybe even ever, Mickelson has a belief that he can stare down Tiger Woods and actually come out on top.

This newfound belief in himself and his ability has done more for Mickelson’s chances to compete against Woods than anything he has or will ever do with a golf club.