GOLFER SUPREMACY RANKINGS

Nothing cheesy about Phil Mickelson's win over Tiger, or his FedEx Cup blowoff

By William K. Wolfrum,
Staff Writer

Tiger Woods reigns supreme Steve Stricker leaves FedEx cup stricken Good bye New Mexico, hello Trump Southwest How about the Schlitz Long-Driving Championship instead?

Here at the Golfer Supremacy Rankings, if there's one thing we love, it's seeing a Phil Mickelson vs. Tiger Woods final-round match-up in a PGA Tour event. And if there's two things we love, it's watching a Mickelson-Woods battle while snacking on some gouda. What can we say, we're suckers for cheese.

But there was nothing at all cheesy about Lefty's win at the Deutsche Bank championship, where we got to see the simple truth - when healthy and of sound mind, Mickelson is as good as anyone out there, Tiger included. It's maintaining that focus where Mickelson has struggled, and where Tiger hasn't, which is as good a reason as any why the current tally in majors is 13-3 for Woods, and why Mickelson's win at TPC Boston was the first time he came through on top after a final-round pairing with Tiger.

So while Mickelson's ascension to the top of the FedEx Cup points list is of no concern to us - after Lefty's year, that he's leading is a true sign of why the whole playoff system is silly - we were more than impressed with his big win. And even more impressed with his willingness to blow off the BMW Championship.

Golfer Supremacy Ranking

1. Phil Mickelson

Comments: We at the GSR's left a stinging message with Mickelson's agent, letting him know in no uncertain terms that we would not be ranking him this week if he chose to skip out on the BMW Championship following his win at the Deutsche Bank Championship. Shockingly, Lefty still decided to stay home with his family. So, we thought better of it and decided to rank him anyway. Because while we think the top PGA Tour golfers are, as a rule, over-pampered baby-men who think playing in golf tournaments is some type of fearsome mental toil, we have to respect Mickelson for not being blackmailed by Tim Finchem and his FedEx Cup master plan. Remember, if we all work together, Steve Stricker can be the FedEx Cup champion.

2. Sherri Steinhauer

Comments: A nice win by Steinhauer, as she sank a 23-foot par putt from the fringe to avoid a playoff with Christina Kim and take home the title at the LPGA State Farm Classic. Still, with Lorena Ochoa taking a week off (she actually needed it), we can't get overly excited about the LPGA's offering last week, and keep getting our attention diverted by things like gouda. Seriously, it's just a fantastic cheese.

3. Royal Sydney Golf Club members

Comment: A planned golf outing between Australian Foreign Affairs Minister Alexander Downer and U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice during the APEC meeting was scuttled for multiple reasons, including because it would have booted off members of the Royal Sydney Golf Club for the day.

"Something like that may have been happening," a staff member at the club told Australia's Herald-Sun. "But its not happening now."

Sorry Condi and Alex, private members at a club like Royal Sydney have way more pull than the two of you.

Random Backhanded Compliment: We love giving Tim Finchem a hard time because he's paid an extraordinary amount of money to do a job a guy driving a forklift could do. Sorry, we're just not overly impressed with some guy in a suit making millions a year whose main job is to suck every last cent out of his game. Finchem truly cares for the integrity of the game - provided that by "cares for the integrity of the game" you mean "will do anything for a buck." That being said, kudos to him for pushing for drug testing on the PGA Tour for 2008.

September 5, 2007

Any opinions expressed above are those of the writer and do not necessarily represent the views of the management.