Tiger Woods: Phil Could Win Every Champions Tour Start

Phil Mickelson versus the field at the now-finished Schwab Series Champions Tour event simply wasn’t a fair fight.

Mickelson vs. Tim Petrovic?  Lopsided.  Petrovic picked the wrong week to try and get his first senior win.  Mickelson, after rounds of 61-64, took a four-shot lead into the final round on the Ozarks National course at Big Cedar Lodge and that’s how it finish with Mickelson closing with 66 to shoot 22-under for three rounds and winning his Champions Tour debut.

Phil was the 20th player to win in his first over-50 event and he was a heavy favorite to do just that.

Petrovic simply didn’t have the firepower or the horsepower to threaten Mickelson.  At times, Phil was as much as 100 yards by him off the tee.

At least one interested observer summed up Phil’s presence on the Champions Tour.

“He’s (Mickelson) playing unbelievable golf,” observed Tiger Woods earlier this week as he prepared for the BMW Championship. “He said he’s been close to playing well.

“He was already one of the longest hitters out here (PGA Tour),” Woods said, “and now he goes to where he’s going to pick up a huge advantage off the tee. But you have to take advantage of that opportunity off the tee. His wedge game is off the charts, every wedge in there he’s going to put it inside of 10, 15 feet each and every time. Hole those, get momentum and keep it going.

“There’s no reason why he can’t win every event he plays out there. He’s got such a big advantage over the rest of the field just with sheer length.”

Tiger’s observations were spot-on.  After making five birdies on the front nine of the final round on Wednesday, Mickelson went into his “conservative” mode and came home in even par on the back nine.  The door was open for Petrovic, who cut the lead to two shots at one point, but he simply didn’t have the game to put any further pressure on Mickelson and Phil waltzed to the win.

“I wasn’t as sharp on the back nine,” Mickelson said after the victory.  “It’s really a fun week.  I really had a great time.  I’ll take a week off and hopefully play in Napa (The Safeway).  A lot of good things this week but I have a lot to work on.”

Mickelson won a quick $450,000 for his win.

The Safeway is scheduled the week prior to the U.S. Open.

Schwab Series Final Scoreboard:

John Wood Tells Matt Kuchar To Find A New Caddie:

Apparently John Wood has had enough time with Matt “Kooch The Caddie Mooch” Kuchar.

After five years, Wood gave Kuchar a call and said he was done.

“John Wood called me after the week of Greensboro and said he was going to be done caddying, at least for me,” Kuchar said.  “Said that he was going to look into some options with TV. And so I kind of had to piece together a couple caddies in the interim.”

Kooch, in another money-saving move, has wife Sybi on the bag for the BMW.  But ranked 55th in points, it’s improbable that Kuchar will make the final 30.

He said he plans to bring veteran Brian Reed to work for him when the 2020-2021 season resumes.