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BOB HARIGA scary birth and bad play behind him, he's now a Masters favorite.
AUGUSTA, Ga. - The questions dealt with why he failed instead of why he even tried. Phil Mickelson finished third at the Masters last year for the third straight year and was an easy mark for the endless quips about his inability to win a major championship.
Turns out, it's remarkable he showed, let alone contended.
Mickelson suffered through the worst year of his career, and now it's easy to understand why. His wife and newborn nearly died a few weeks before the Masters. Somehow, Mickelson finished third at Augusta National, but his mind was not on the task of golf.
When the health of wife Amy and son Evan was no longer in doubt, and when he could focus on his game, perhaps some bad habits emerged. He couldn't hit fairways and was inconsistent with his irons. His solid short game left him too.
Forget majors. Would Mickelson ever win again?
All the doubts were quickly erased when Mickelson returned to the PGA Tour this year and won his first event, the Bob Hope Chrysler Classic. He has seven top-10 finishes in eight events and is ranked eighth in the world.
And he is playing well enough to be considered among the favorites when the Masters begins Thursday.
"It's fabulous. Things couldn't be better with my family doing well and me playing well," Mickelson said. "It's been a lot of fun. It makes practicing easier, and it makes playing much more enjoyable. It's a lot easier to keep my mind on the game and on the golf course, the shot at hand, than it has been in the past."
Mickelson has been reluctant to go into detail about what has changed in his game, saying only that "I have clicked onto something that has helped me out dramatically in my ball striking, and my ability to hit fairways feels night and day different."
It was just a few months ago that Mickelson was flailing around at the Skins Game, lost. A long, frustrating season was coming to an end. After three consecutive runnerup finishes to Tiger Woods on the money list, Mickelson fell to 38th in 2003. Long considered the chief rival to Woods, he dropped from second in the world to 16th.
Turns out, all Mickelson needed was to turn the calendar to a new year, get back to basics and focus on the positive.
"Last year my confidence just slowly, slowly dwindled, and so that's why I really don't even want to think about last year," he said. "I stopped reading all periodicals regarding golf because it was just so frustrating to be playing poorly, to know that I really wasn't in the frame of mind to do anything about it at the time. I needed to start fresh. (Swing instructor) Rick Smith came out, and I spent time with (short-game guru) Dave Pelz. We spent November and December developing a game plan, changes-wise, and how I wanted to approach it.
"I've played well so far, but I feel like I've gotten better driving it in the fairway. From 150 (yards) in and putting has been better. I'd like to win more now."
That's why the questions were abundant last year. Mickelson has more victories than anybody this side of Woods, but failed to win for 19 months.
There were other issues. Mickelson belittled the equipment used by Woods while seemingly being obsessed with his own. And when he tried out for a minor-league baseball team, there was naturally some ridicule.
Tired of it all, Mickelson ended the season with little to say, politely declining interview requests. What was the point? More questions about his majorless streak? More questions about Woods?
Many questioned Mickelson's motivation, wondered if he had what it took to get back among the game's elite. Seems pretty silly now, especially in light of his family situation.
Mickelson never publicly disclosed the seriousness of the situation until January. He said Amy's delivery was dangerous and nearly led to her death. He said Evan was without oxygen for several minutes and could have suffered brain damage if not for doctors.
Now everyone is fine, and seemingly so is Mickelson. He leads the PGA Tour in earnings with more than $2.3-million, and is ranked first in scoring average at 69.11. Although his driving accuracy could be better (62.5 percent), he's hitting 70.3 percent of greens in regulation.
"Phil Mickelson has done something," Davis Love said. "I don't know what he's working on, but he's doing something. He's hitting nice, controlled shots into the fairway. He's playing real smooth and graceful. He doesn't look out of control. I expect that he's pretty confident with his game and that he's ready for a big year. His game is very under control."