Phil Mickelson: Is Lefty on the Verge of a Huge PGA Season in 2011?

Comments made by Phil Mickelson on his website to the effect that he is “expecting great things in 2011” has prompted a debate that is now in full flow as to whether the year will be as great for him as he expects. On all recent evidence, it will not be the case!

Apart from winning his third "Green Jacket" at the Masters, "Lefty" is coming off a year (2010) that he will want to forget. After that win at Augusta, "Lefty" only managed three more top-10 finishes in the next 15 tournaments he played, which by the end of year had cost him his customary No. 2 ranking in the world.

He had committed himself to playing five tournaments in five weeks at the start of this year and will be playing his fourth this coming weekend in the AT&T Pebble Beach National Pro Am. This is a tournament he has won three times in the past and for which he tied for eighth last year.

He has been in contention at some point in each of the three tournaments he has played so far, finishing a very good second in the Farmers Insurance Open at Torrey Pines but falling off the pace in the other two. This was most notable last week in the Phoenix Open, where he played superbly for two rounds only to follow up with two rounds of mediocrity. He finished up in a tie for 29th place.

It is a sign of the times that Mickelson has not been installed as the favourite in this week's golf odds. That honour (or burden as some would argue) goes to Dustin Johnson, with Phil Mickelson the second favourite—suggesting that even Las Vegas is losing faith in the greatest left-handed player the world has ever seen!

As we all know, Mickelson’s main targets this year will be the "Majors" where he will be looking to add to the four he has already won. In real terms, however, a man of his profound ability should have already won at least six or seven by now, particularly as he has finished second or third on eight occasions before he won his first major in 2004 when landing the Masters. He has finished top three in seven Majors since, of which he won three.

It is true that he has had to contend with a certain Tiger Woods for the most part of his career, but the truth is Mickelson has only finished runner-up to Tiger once in a "Major" (2002 US Open). He has been third a couple of times, but in all other 11 "Majors" which Woods has won, Mickelson was never close enough to win. Meaning that, when in serious contention, Lefty has a habit of losing out to players who have overall lesser ability than him.

The other problem Mickelson faces this year is one of history. He has now reached the much maligned age of 40 and will be acutely aware that not too many players win "major" tournaments at that age or older. In fact, in the past 10 years, no player age 40 or over has won a "Major."

So, “Is Lefty on the Verge of a Huge PGA Season in 2011?”

The answer has got to be NO!