When Phil Mickelson tees off at next week’s Colonial Invitational at Fort Worth, Texas, the US left-hander will have another chance to replace Tiger Woods as world No. 1 for the first time.
Woods, who has steadily dropped ranking points this year, is sidelined with a lingering neck injury and Mickelson would take over at the top should he secure victory at Colonial Country Club, a venue where he triumphed in 2000 and 2008.
“A win for Phil would do it,” Ian Barker, the European Tour’s director of information services who manages the official rankings, said on Thursday. “However, second place alone would almost certainly not be enough unless the field at the Colonial is considerably stronger than last year.”
PHOTO: REUTERS
A fortnight ago, second-ranked Mickelson had an opportunity to dethrone the 14-times major champion at the Players Championship in Florida. Victory, with Woods finishing outside the top five, would have done the trick.
Although a battling Woods failed to finish the tournament, pulling out of the final round because of neck pain, Mickelson failed to deliver his side of the bargain.
Five shots off the pace after round three, he signed off with a topsy-turvy 74 to slip back into a tie for 17th at the prestigious event dubbed the unofficial fifth major.
Overall, though, Mickelson has been the game’s standout player over the last nine months and, in the eyes of many, a deserving world No. 1.
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