Phil Mickelson's Number One, According to World #17 Ernie Els
by Ryan Ballengee on Jan 15, 2010 5:05 PM EST
Email
PrintIn a press conference at the Sony Open, Ernie Els was asked about Tiger's return to the sport of golf and when it may happen. Els told reporters that it didn't much matter. From Steve Elling:
"The way Phil Mickelson played at the end of last year, he played with Tiger in Shanghai, won the tournament there on the final day," Els said at the Sony Open in Hawaii. "The Tour Championship, he won coming from behind, you know.
"I mean, the way he is hitting the ball, Phil is hitting it as long, or longer, than anybody out there. He has really been working hard. Now his putting is coming around.
"I think Phil is probably the man to beat now."
This is coming from the man whose career is "done" according to SI's Alan Shipnuck. Well, Mr. World #17, the Official World Golf Rankings is politely laughing in your face.
Earlier in the week, Jason Sobel reported that even if Tiger Woods took a massive sabbatical - like, until 2012, according to fortune-telling News of the World - that it would take at least six months for Woods to lost his #1 status. Woods is so good that he could not play at all for six months and still be the best. And that's not even counting for the fact that the minimum divisor in the OWGR actually screws Tiger out of points he has earned.
Yup, Phil's really close.
Phil was playing excellent golf at the end of '09. Arguably, he was the hottest player in the world at that point. Then again, Rickie Fowler was pegged to lap the field at Waialae this weekend since he so easily breezed into a '10 PGA Tour card. That's not going so hot right now.
50 comments
|
0 recs |
Do you like this story?
Comments
no wait...
….Geoff Ogilvy is #1 right now !
isn’t it amazing how even the best in the world can mix up being the hottest at the moment and THE best.
hey wait – maybe we can start a new tabloid craze that Ernie knows more than he’s telling us and HE knows where and when Tiger is coming back….or IS he coming back ? Hmmmmmm (bwaaaahahahahahaaaa)
"this ball will fit in that fairway"
Els bells! Why not?
We haven’t had a fresh Tiger rumor in, what, 20 minutes.
It was either that or ...
What Els is new? I just hope I made the right choice.
Phil.....
Ended the season on a run, but he still must become consistent. At his best he is truly great, but he’s prone to lulls, which are unexplainable. As for Ernie….well…..
"The game is swell when it's played well."
by Fairways and Grins on Jan 15, 2010 5:15 PM EST reply actions
careful there with the Ernie comments…he might switch to a thong for the weekend instead of boxers with the see through pants. :-)
"this ball will fit in that fairway"
As long as he doesn’t go Stenson on us, i can deal with it. A thong though….I hope he makes the um……..cut in that regard.
"The game is swell when it's played well."
by Fairways and Grins on Jan 15, 2010 5:25 PM EST up reply actions
Oh Henrik !
A sense of humour gets us every time. Physique – OK I DID download the photo – mea culpa.
You did.....?
A bit naughty now aren’t we Wendy? Never again to Henrik. The rules of golf must be changed. That was a hazard to us male viewers. Now we’ve got Ernie……and Tiger shagging everyone he sees. Oh mama where did we go so wrong. I need a drink.
"The game is swell when it's played well."
by Fairways and Grins on Jan 15, 2010 6:11 PM EST up reply actions
I'm hoping Phil has a great year.
Golf needs some good news right now and Phil could be a big help.
Saints are killing me!!!!!!!!
Go Phil, Golf needs you now more than ever. Young guns start firing also.
"The game is swell when it's played well."
by Fairways and Grins on Jan 15, 2010 6:52 PM EST up reply actions
Using Ernie's quaint formula and convoluted thinking,
the number one player in the world should be Robert Allenby, who is currently (8:03 p.m. EST) leading the Sony midway through the second round. Update to follow. Can we have eight number one players in the world at the same time if there is a eight-way tie by tomorrow afternoon?
Tiger missed 26 tournaments from the ’08 Open to the ’09 Matchplay and still retained number one.
I'll keep an eye out for you...at www.oneeyedgolfer.blogspot.com
by One-Eyed Golfer Guy on Jan 15, 2010 8:07 PM EST reply actions
Just
proves my point that I have made since they started that garbage of #1 in the world….It doesn’t mean squat….#1 is the guy that won this week and is the one to beat next week…Court will take exception to this, but he will be wrong….STUB
The OWGR is not an easy formula.
But, the OWGR system works in my estimation. AND, they have shown over the years that they listen to criticism and make occasional changes.
If you look at Ryan’s post, he shows what happened when they dropped the max divisor from 60 to 52. Very few people were affected and also not by that much. If they change the min divisor to 32 or a more reasonable number, Tiger is almost triple the #2 player in points.
Recently, someone posted their system and it had Tiger well in front and Sir Isaac Newton, Archimedes and Einstein couldn’t figure that guy’s formula.
I'll keep an eye out for you...at www.oneeyedgolfer.blogspot.com
by One-Eyed Golfer Guy on Jan 15, 2010 10:03 PM EST reply actions
From 17 to 1 is like a world away when you’re north of 40. Maybe EE is seeing the end for him. Less talking and more putting Ernie. practice makes putts. unless the nerves are shot.
"The game is swell when it's played well."
by Fairways and Grins on Jan 15, 2010 11:25 PM EST reply actions
#1 golfer
The last time that meant something to me was when Vijay Singh had that other-worldly season and assumed the number one spot with everbody “active”. I don’t entirely understanding the world ranking system. Is it possible for a player to come in second place a bunch of times and reach the top spot? Didn’t Kite lead the money list years ago without a win? Of course money is a much easier concept than the rankings. As far as I’m concerned Woods is #2, at least in the colloquial sense if the term….
Cold Pings Cold……….
"The game is swell when it's played well."
by Fairways and Grins on Jan 16, 2010 8:29 AM EST up reply actions
I’m not following the thought, ping. How can Woods be #2 just because he isn’t playing right now ? (he wouldn’t be playing right now even in a regular year) Mickelson isn’t playing right now, either. Mickelnuts won times in 18 starts, Woods won 6 times in 17 starts. How does that make Mickelson #1 even in a single year system ? If you’re discounting Tiger because he says he’s taking a leave of absense, why would you rank him at all ?
Partly true on Kite – he was the career leading money winner, first to the $6-$7-$8-and $9 million dollar marks, but he did it without a major victory until the US Open. He had 19 career wins and a boatload of seconds and thirds. Norman knocked him off the money list, but it was because purses went through the roof with Norman’s popularity.
"this ball will fit in that fairway"
I think the colloquialism Ping speaks of is the #2 associated with well…..human waste….kind of a play on words….um…..Well Get’em Phil….If he get’s pissed enough he will be #1. (sorry for that) ….horrible.
"The game is swell when it's played well."
by Fairways and Grins on Jan 16, 2010 10:00 AM EST up reply actions
Phil needs to win the US Open soon. That’s the ghost that haunts him in his career. That may be the story of the year. The US Open at Pebble Beach…..Will he do it?
"The game is swell when it's played well."
by Fairways and Grins on Jan 16, 2010 10:47 AM EST reply actions
Huh. Saw that flick twice
and missed it twice.
Segue.
Best golf swing by any actor in any golf film: Bruce McGill as Walter Hagen in “Bagger Vance.” I’d bet he’s a six handicap or better.
Oh my gawd,
now we’re off on name that movie…If you guys got that much time to sit in dark, dirty movie houses, I think ya just have too much free time on your hands, and Momma better start handing out more chores…STUB
I’d ask what YOUR problem is today…but I’m afraid you might tell us
"this ball will fit in that fairway"
Above was directed at Thinker.
These Reply buttons fall short of accuracy.
Nah. I hadn't spelled gratuitous
in a while. Just wanted to see if I still got it.
I'm going to bite his ankles
and headbutt him in the ……umm …. belly! And then Macavity, my cat , is going to pee all over him. We believe in gratuitous violence. Well, not on us, obviously.
Your brain's been subjected to
too many ganna rays. (I’d add your name here but it’s waaaaay too long)
Is STUB an acronym
or just a descriptive nickname (unless you’d rather play another round of "Name That Movie)?
Well, my
golfing buddies say it means one thing, and the ladies another…..as far as spelling and typing at the same time, which for me is hard, I go with
supercalifragilisticexpialidocious….STUB
Jeez, maybe it's my Mac
but twice my reply went to the wrong blogger. My silly-ass ganna reply was meant fro handicapismyswing.
Gonna watch football now, much more important than not talking about golf on a golf blog.
At least your parents didn't
strand you in the theater.
I once wrote a headline about
a Calabasas, Calif., financial wizard who would take clients’ prospectuses and then rudely dismiss them from his office, but he was brilliant and would always improve their business/earnings.
My headline:
Super Calif. Financialistc Expert Is Bodacious
Football,
isn’t that the game played by over weight, guys running around in tight pants….reminds me of a joke…guy takes his Blonde girlfriend to her first football game…great seats, right behind the bench….watched the coin toss and after the game, he asked her how she liked it….the reply….I thought it was great, especially the tight pants and muscles…I didn’t like what they were saying tho…perplexed, he asked why….well, they kept yelling to “get the quarter back”…..jeez, it was only 25 cents….sorry I had to do that Easing…T…sorry, it didn’t work, the bodacious killed it…STUB
Yikes. You should be drawn
and quartered for telling that ancient joke.
But where was the funny bit STUB?
& why does TXQ smell of cat pee?
& have you seen the tight pants on those Aussie Football Rules players? Sexy NOT!
& Rugby players – now you’re talking!
Quarterback, 25 cents ...
it goes no deeper than that.
Comments For This Post Are Closed
Secondary Sidebar
User Tools
Have a golf story tip? Contact editor Charles Boyer and he will follow the story! Thanks!
FanPosts
Community blog posts and discussion.
Certain photos copyright © 2012 by Associated Press or Getty Images. Any commercial use or distribution without the express written consent of Associated Press and Getty Images is strictly prohibited.
