Why Tiger can't win but will

GULLANE, Scotland -- Go ahead. Recite all your reasons you're sure Tiger Woods won't win this Open Championship at Muirfield, even though he's only two shots and one player back.

I'm all ears.

He's a shadow of his old self.

I guess so, if you think ranking second in fairways this week, ninth in greens and 15th in putting is weak sauce.

He's 0-for-47 in majors when he didn't have a share of the 54-hole lead. Going to be 0-for-48 Sunday night.

Oh, please. That stat is just dumber than a stripper book club.

No, he's never won a major without a share of the 54-hole lead, but he's won 14 other tournaments from two or more shots back -- puny little clam bakes like The Players Championship and The Other Muirfield thing that Jack Nicklaus runs. A guy comes from seven shots behind with seven to play at a place like Pebble Beach to win the PGA Tour stop and that counts for nothing?

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Besides, he may not have come from behind with 18 holes to go to win a major, but he's come from behind with ONE hole to go to win a few. Remember? He had to sink 72nd-hole putts against Bob May (2000 PGA) and Rocco Mediate (2008 U.S. Open) just to make the playoffs, which he then won. That's chopped liver?
He's getting too old.

He's 37. Thirty-three majors have been won by players 40 and over. Tiger Woods can't win one at 37?

He can't trust his driver anymore.

Doesn't have to. He's touched it less than haggis this week.

The whole pass-Nicklaus thing is too big of a psychological mountain to climb. He'll never do it.

Well, if he won Sunday, that would be 15 majors, three less than Nicklaus. If you allow that he can be competitive in majors until he's 49 years old -- and if Miguel Angel Jimenez, a guy who looks like a roadie for Blue Oyster Cult, can be in the mix at 49, why couldn't Tiger Woods? -- that would be 49 more shots at majors. You don't think he can win four out of 49? That's only 8 percent of his starts. You do realize that, so far in his career, he's won 14 majors in 62 pro majors starts, right? That's 22 percent.

He always folds on the weekend.

He hasn't so far this weekend. He shot 1-over 72 Saturday.

He'll fold down the stretch, like he did at the 2009 PGA, when Y.E. Yang caught him and passed him on the last five holes.

Possibly, but he's 2 under on Muirfield's back nine this week, and that ranks No. 1 in the field. The back nine is still considered "down the stretch," right?

Deep down, he's shamed by his sex scandal. In golf, it's just you out there and you have to believe in yourself. You have to believe you deserve it.

Interesting analysis, Dr. Freud, but Woods has seemed a little different this week. He seems to be running a little light on shame. This week, for the first time in the 18 years I've been covering him, he let his love interest inside the ropes to walk with him during a practice round. Skier Lindsey Vonn walked nine holes with him. Unheard of. Plus, he's been telling jokes to reporters coming off tee boxes. He's even taken time to stooge them. When Bob Harig, ESPN.com golf writer, asked him Friday afternoon how many drivers he'd hit in the first two days, Woods answered immediately. "Eight or 10," then paused for effect, "... on the range." Odd and happy behavior for a guy supposedly wallowing in self-loathing.

He'll never win another major without Stevie Williams, the caddy who steered him to his last 13 majors.

Maybe, but if Woods wins Sunday, Stevie Williams will have to watch him do it up close. He's looping for Adam Scott now and they're paired together in the second-to-last group.

[+] EnlargeLee Westwood
AP Photo/Peter Morrison
By winning his first major, Lee Westwood could prevent Woods from winning his 15th.
Not going to happen. It's Britain's year. Andy Murray won Wimbledon. Justin Rose won the U.S. Open. And Lee Westwood is English. Plus, he'll have 30,000 people on his side.
Westwood might also have Boeing-sized butterflies. Imagine the demons in his head. This is a 40-year-old guy who should've won a handful of majors by now and hasn't won any. He's had seven top 3s in majors: zero wins. 10 top 5s: zero wins. 15 top 10s: zero wins. What makes you so sure he won't come apart like a crepe-paper trampoline?

If he ever gets 15, it will be at Augusta. That place is room service for him. He's not really a links player.

Actually, he's a wicked links player. All three of his Open Championships were on links exactly like this -- dry and fast and harder than Mandarin 501. Fast and hard lets him keep his petulant driver in the bag and hit 3-wood stingers all day. It lets him show the world how he's probably the best fast-greens putter in the game. And keeping it out of the rough makes things easy on his tender elbow. This is his best post-hydrant shot at a major and it sets up perfectly for him. Muirfield might as well have a sign up: Tiger Woods Welcome Here.

Mickelson's big breakthrough

It was the Tuesday after he'd blown the U.S. Open at Merion, and it had his wife a little worried. "Usually, he's good for a little mope and then he'll come out of it," Amy Mickelson remembers. "But this time, he hardly got out of bed for two days. He was a shell. It was the worst disappointment for him of any tournament, by far."

A sixth second-place finish at the Open will do that to a man.

Finally, on Wednesday, she dragged him out of bed for a preplanned family trip to Montana: fly fishing, rafting, zip lining. Whatever happened in Montana put some zip back in Mickelson.

Next thing you knew, Mickelson was raging through Scotland like the Romans. His driver's license said 43 but his game said 33. He won the Scottish Open last week, then woke up Sunday at the Open Championship in Muirfield 5 shots back and feeling oddly joyous.

"I told him before the round, I thought even par or 1-over would win it," his coach, Butch Harmon, said. "But he said, 'I'm going lower than that."

In arguably his finest moment in striped pants, Mickelson passed nine guys, including Tiger Woods, with an unforgettable 66 to win. Suddenly he was hugging the Claret Jug in a giant family scrum on the 18th green. "That's your name," the kids kept saying, staring at the fresh engraving. "That's YOUR name!"

Phil was as Mickelstunned as anybody. Of all the majors he shouldn't win, this was No. 1. A guy who wants to hit flop shots off a sidewalk? Winning a links tournament? Preposterous.

It was so out of the blue that Mickelson and his caddy, Jim "Bones" Mackay, had to stand there by the scoring trailer for 47 minutes -- from their last putt dropping to the momentLee Westwood pulled yet another disappointment out of the hole -- to get their goodies: Mickelson his trophy and Bones his 18th hole flag. And in between, you couldn't help but notice the look on Woods' face as he trudged by them into the trailer to sign yet another losing major scorecard. Talk about a buzz kill day. You think you're going to kick-start your sagging career, and instead, your chief rival kick-starts his.

Majors since 2008? Phil 2, Tiger 0.

"The guy is playing the best golf of his life," said a tearful Bones, who's looped Phil for 21 years. "I don't care how old you say he is, this is the best he's ever played."

But how can he be? At 43?

"Why shouldn't I?" Mickelson says. "I'm in better shape than I've ever been. I'm more flexible. My diet is better. … Why can't I?"

He can, I guess, especially when you consider that he now has a huge, world-class practice facility in his San Diego backyard that he designed and built himself. It features six greens made of every type of grass in the world he putts on, bunkers of every stripe, and a grounds crew of six that jumps at his slightest whim. Before Merion, for instance, he asked them to take the greens up to Merion speed, which was just slightly faster than the hood of a 1989 Chrysler.

"That practice facility has made a world of difference," says Harmon. Says Amy, "Now he can practice at home a lot more. Even if he only has a spare 15 or 20 minutes, he can go out there in his flip flops and hit shots."

There's more:

1. "I'm putting better than I ever have in my life," he says.

And 2. He's found a 3-wood, made by Callaway, that's flying longer and straighter than many commercial flights. "Not since I found the Ping L-wedge, when I was 14, has one club altered my career like this [Callaway] 3-wood. I just hit bullets with it."

[+] Enlarge

Ian Walton/Getty ImagesMickelson and his caddy Mackay savor their win at Muirfield.

But mostly, it's his Silly Putty resiliency. Nothing seems to quench his thirst. Not the $44 million a year he makes in endorsements, not his arthritis, and not Merion.

"Being so down after the U.S. Open," Mickelson said afterward, his hand never leaving the trophy, "to come back and use that as motivation, to use it as a springboard … that feels amazing."

That's not just talk. "He's as motivated right now as he was when I met him in college," says Amy.

Says Bones, "I kid him. I say, 'You'll be the 60-year-old guy on the putting green at Augusta, telling people he thinks he's got a chance.'"

So how long can Phil 2.0 last? And how great can he get?

Well, for Lefty, there's only one wrong to right: the U.S. Open. If he could finally knock one down, it would make him the sixth player to win all four majors, along with Gene Sarazen, Ben Hogan, Gary Player, Jack Nicklaus and Woods. It's his measure of the all-time greats. But his table has only three legs. "That last leg has been a hard one for me," Mickelson said in the understatement of the year. He won't quit on it until three days after they bury him. If that.

"He used to tell me he'd retire at 40," Amy said, bathed in the last of the Scottish light. "Now, I don't think he has any idea. He just lives for today. He waits to see where life takes him. I'm just looking forward to the ride."

He turned to video games to pass the time and fell in love with a new sport

He turned to video games to pass the time and fell in love with a new sport.

"I was a boxer my whole life," Anglin said. "I got hurt and played Tiger Woods golf one day on Xbox and thought it would be really fun. So I went out and played [on an actual course] and kind of got good at it quick."

So good, in fact, that Anglin recently placed fifth in the annual Broward County Amateur Men's Golf Tournament at Jacaranda Golf Club in Plantation. His three-day 221 (74-72-75) was just four shots off the pace set by Fort Lauderdale's Jeffrey Walker.

"This is what I do," said Anglin, who started playing golf just over three years ago. He said he shoots in the 50s in the video game and is a 4-handicap in real life.

This was the sixth tournament appearance for Anglin, who works at Heron Bay and spends a lot of time on the course. He qualified for the Florida Open and made the cut and competed in the Florida Mid-Amateur and made it to match play.

"I had never picked up a club before," Anglin said. "I really love this. I never stop watching The Golf Channel now. From boxing my whole life, I never had a chance to play golf. It has changed my whole life."

Danny Howard, head golf pro at Jacaranda, said attendance was up about 20 percent this year.

There were 64 golfers in the tournament, and he hopes for a full field of 120 next year.

"It gives us a chance to show off our course, the facility and how nice it is," said Howard, whose club has hosted the tournament since 1999. "It also gives us an opportunity to support amateur golf in the county and to put Jacaranda on the map in Broward County golf."

Anglin said boxing and golf are vastly different.

"The biggest difference was when I was in a boxing ring, it was always about reaction, always self defense, almost instinctive," Anglin said. "In golf, you have this little golf ball ... and you have to make everything in your body work to make it go where you want it to go. I visualize more in golf now than I did in boxing."

Anglin suffered his share of injuries. He had a herniated lower disc along with all the broken hands.

"I just got overwhelmed and tired of boxing," Anglin said. "I was playing golf a little bit while I was boxing, and I found that I loved golf more. I just felt it was for me."

He admits that telling people he is a golfer isn't as macho as being a boxer.

"I don't get as much respect as I used to," said Anglin, who boxed at 165 pounds in the welterweight division. "That's OK, though. The competitive drive is still there. I still hate to lose."

Family: Married to Vicki, an accountant. Children: Addison, 3; Jaci, 1

Family: Married to Vicki, an accountant. Children: Addison, 3; Jaci, 1.

Q. How did you get into your vocation?

A. My sister worked at a Top 40 radio station when I was young. One guy didn't show up and the manager said, "Hey, do you want to go on the air?" I got the bug. This is the first Christian station for me.

Q. Why a Christian radio station for you now?

A. About six months ago, I wanted to give my life to Jesus. I realized I was doing this for me. I wanted to do it for him.

Q. Favorite part of your work?

A. Either speaking in public, or to people on location. They're the reason we're here.

Q. Hardest part?

A. I don't know that there is. Maybe, communicating with a wide variety of people, when you're only one person.

Q. What do you do to relax?

A. I love golf. It's a small passion of mine. When you have an immaculate course, a bright sunny day, good fellowship with good people, there's nothing better. Golf is spiritual if you let it be. You have a lot of time to reflect what you're living for.

Q. Favorite pastime?

A. Sports memorabilia. I like to read old facts. I have a couple of signed baseballs from Cal Ripken, and a signed pennant from Hank Aaron.

Q. Favorite vacation spot?

A. The Eastern Shore in Maryland. I love Chesapeake Bay and the seafood.

Q. Favorite music? Favorite performer(s)?

A. This is the first time I've done Christian music, and I'm amazed at the amount of talent. I like TobyMac, Casting Crowns and Steven Curtis Chapman.

Q. Do you have a hero?

A. My parents. They've been unbelievable in loving, supporting, caring.

Q. Favorite TV shows?

A. I love TV. I watch House, a doctor show. I also watch American Idol. It gives the contestants a real chance to sing under a pressure situation.

Q. Your most memorable spiritual experience?

A. The night I accepted Jesus Christ into my life. It was during a sermon in a church of about 2,000 people in Indiana. It felt like the only person the minister was preaching to was me. He asked anyone to stand up who wanted to give their lives to Christ, and to start living for him instead of themselves. And I stood up. I felt like I was going to faint. It felt like a release of a thousand years.

Q. Do you have a guilty pleasure?

A. Probably the Golf Channel. I like to sneak away for awhile and watch some.

Q. Who is your mentor? Did one person lead you along in your vocational development?

A. His name is Pastor Rick Farmer, of Morgantown, W.Va. He's an amazing man. He was the first one who talked to me about Jesus, but in a non-pressuring way. We played golf, and it was a couple of months before I knew he was a pastor. He taught me a lot about the Bible and myself.

n the Golf Channel as a Golf Academy adviser

On the Golf Channel as a Golf Academy adviser. On the pages of Golf Digest as a teaching adviser. On the cover of his new book Golf School. In video stores on the cover of his instructional tapes Swing Thoughts and The Eight Step Swing.

Though he made his name instructing the masses at the Jim McLean Golf Schools, McLean also travels to work with PGA Tour pros Tom Kite, Brad Faxon and Len Mattiace and LPGA players Liselotte Neumann and Cristie Kerr.

You would think when McLean finally dragged his weary body back to his home in Weston at the end of the day, he wouldn't want anything to do with golf.

Think again.

His home is practically a monument to the game. It's a golf fanatic's dream house. It's a practice facility, and it's nearly a museum.

McLean, 49, built a hole, a little par 3 with three sets of tees, in the back yard of his home.

There's a synthetic turf, three-tiered green. The hole measures 75 yards from the back tees. Putts roll a respectable 9.5 to 10 feet on the stimpmeter, and the green is guarded by three sand bunkers. There are seven possible pin placements.

Darkness can't stop McLean from working on his game. The hole is lighted. It's landscaped in American Southwest style with rocks, some desert vegetation and palms. McLean calls the hole ``Desert Sons.''

Even rain can't stop him from honing his swing. If a thunderstorm rolls in, McLean strides a few paces off the back tee and into the 1,300 square-foot addition he had built on his home last year. Inside, under a 16-foot ceiling, he installed a miniature practice range with a synthetic turf tee box and netting.

There's an indoor putting green and more. Lots more. McLean had his indoor facility rigged with a high-tech, computerized swing analyzer. There are three cameras fixed on the tee box. One from behind the target line, one overhead on the ceiling above the tee box and one face-on with the tee box.

The cameras beam images to a computerized television screen that allows McLean to break down a swing from three angles with a system that measures clubhead speed, swing tempo and ball speed. His indoor range is also equipped with assorted swing gadgets. They include a swing fan (a club with fanned wings), an impact bag and a mini-medicine ball for building strength and technique.