Tiger’s left-hand man won’t be Lefty

Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 30/09/2010 (5716 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

NEWPORT — Remember the ill-fated pairing of Americans Tiger Woods and Phil Mickelson, the one that went down in flames at the Ryder Cup four years ago?

Well, don’t expect to see them playing together again anytime soon.

“Oh, yeah, I think there’s a great chance,” Mickelson said Wednesday, sarcasm practically dripping from every word. “Why don’t you just hold your breath and we’ll see till Friday.”

With two days left before the matches begin, indications are that U.S. captain Corey Pavin will put Mickelson, currently No. 2 in the world, with long-hitting Dustin Johnson. Woods is almost certain to play with Steve Stricker, an unbeaten tandem at the Presidents Cup.

“Because of that record, I think that partnership should not be split up. Now, granted, that was on U.S. soil, it wasn’t against Europe and now we’re playing Europe on their home soil. It’s going to be a much more difficult task, but,” Mickelson added a moment later, “I would be surprised to see those two split up.”

As for his own pairing, Mickelson and Johnson have built up a mutual-respect society based on some high-stakes practice rounds together. Those started shortly after Johnson made it through the PGA Tour’s qualifying school three years ago, and have turned into a sometimes-expensive game of can-you-top-this?

And not only does Johnson’s fearlessness intrigue Mickelson, he thinks the youngster’s length and accuracy off the tee is a big advantage for any partner.

“He could be the straightest driver I’ve ever seen. Now, granted, he’s hitting the ball longer than just about anybody on tour, but if you take the percentage of degree off line, he’s probably as straight or straighter than anybody else on tour.

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“But he’s also 40 or 50 yards ahead of where the guys are that are leading driving accuracy,” Mickelson said. “I think that he would be a great partner for me either way.”

It’s been a strange year so far for Lefty, bookended by winning his fourth major at the Masters in April and a disappointing tie for 22nd among the 30 players who qualified for the season-ending Tour Championship. In between, as both wife Amy and his mother continued their recovery from bouts with cancer, Mickelson let several chances to overtake Woods at No. 1 in the world slip through his fingers.

Woods and Mickelson had been Ryder Cup teammates three times before, but never played together until then-U.S. captain Hal Sutton paired them on opening day at Oakland Hills.

But what followed left the U.S. team covering its eyes. Mickelson and Woods lost both matches that day and neither completely recovered. Mickelson has gone 1-6-2 since.

— The Associated Press