If history is fair, it will say the 2006 U.S. Open was not
Phil Mickelson’s career nadir, but his moment of realization, that the
“maturing” that produced two Masters and a PGA Championship in three years was a
red herring, and the double bogey that cost him the Open was actually the final
piece of the who-is-Phil Mickelson puzzle: A terminal swashbuckler, beloved by a
large, fiercely loyal but ultimately doomed legion of fans who know that their
man, despite all his gallantry, will never be the best in the world—a
description that sounds a whole lot like Arnold Palmer.
If Jack Nicklaus and Tiger Woods blitzed the record books
with lethal, impersonal precision, Arnold and Phil have been the
alternative—genial, charismatic winners capable of smiles and eye contact,
ultimately reminding galleries of what makes professional golf unique: the
possibility of connection between a player and his fans so strong that they
share in his success, or in some cases, his heartbreak.
Palmer commanded an Army; Mickelson leads a couple of
divisions at the very least. Both players’ biggest wins have come with exciting,
birdie-filled, go-for-broke play. Palmer began his final-round 65 at the 1960
U.S. Open by driving Cherry Hills’ 346-yard 1st hole. Mickelson made five
birdies in the last seven holes to win his first major, the 2004 Masters.
Both were 36 at the time of their most spectacular collapses.
Mickelson had just celebrated a birthday two days before his double-bogey finish
at Winged Foot; Palmer stood on the 10th tee of the Olympic Club with a
seven-stroke lead after 63 holes of the 1966 U.S. Open. He
shot 39, lost the playoff to Billy Casper, and an Army mourned.
But the reckless play that has afflicted both players is
somehow more forgivable with Palmer, who never had Mickelson’s talent. Palmer
played golf like a boxer fighting his way off the ropes, attacking the course
with a swing that looked as if it were assembled in a home-machine shop: bowed
left wrist at the top, violent downswing, lunging helicopter finish. Even in
victory, Palmer made the game look just as difficult as it actually is.
