Els says Lefty's rise to top destined despite Tiger's tabloid troubles
Regardless of whether Tiger Woods bothers to play or not, golf might have a new leading man in 2010.
Former world No. 1 Ernie Els said that even had Woods not taken a sabbatical this season for well-documented personal reasons, Phil Mickelson was poised to supplant him as the top dog in PGA Tour circles.
Mickelson, ranked No. 2 in the world behind his American rival, outdueled Woods twice in the fall at prominent sanctioned events, winning the Tour Championship in Atlanta and HSBC Champions in China.
"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."
He might have been the marked man whether Woods was around, period.
"Even when Tiger stopped playing, even if you ask Tiger, I think Phil got right to his level, throughout his game," Els said. "I think there is a new guy we got to chase."
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Tennis star Roger Federer tells French paper L'Equipe that he's spoken with Tiger and expects his friend to be back on top of his game soon. Mickelson is expected to make his 2010 debut at the San Diego Open on Jan. 28 at Torrey Pines, where, with Woods out of the picture, he likely will be the betting favorite. Mickelson and Els shared the same coach for much of last year, Butch Harmon.
Mickelson, who turns 40 on June 16, has never been No. 1 in the world rankings or topped the tour money list.
For Ernie, Lefty and the other guys in the top tier in the world ranking, there's a major opening if they can manage to sneak through the window of opportunity while Woods is MIA.
"Obviously, with Tiger not on the scene it becomes a free-for-all again," Els said. "You try to position yourself, and you try to be 'the man.' So, yes, it's a different landscape with Tiger not here."
It might be different when he returns, too, Els said.
Nobody knows how fans will react when Woods, never the warmest player with galleries to begin with, returns. Given the sense of betrayal felt by many of his fans, some believe Woods will have to greatly overhaul his icy demeanor and no longer can afford to blow off autograph seekers without hearing about it. Or can he?
"Yes, he will," Els said. "I think he will have the blinkers on and do his thing. I don't know, it's just a situation it's tough to talk about. I've known him all of my life, most of my life. I don't know, we'll see when that happens. That's all good stuff."
