Phil still isnt telling. But when I talked to Butch Harmon this week about the so-called classified information on Tiger Woods he has passed on to Mickelson, Harmon scoffed at the notion that this was something out of a spy novel.
Mostly common sense, Harmon said. This isnt baseball, he said. Im not stealing signs.
Harmon said he told Mickelson he needed to enjoy playing in the same group with Tiger and he needed to pay attention and learn from playing in the company of the best player in the world.
Specifically, Harmon told Mickelson to note how Tiger slows down his central nervous system simply by walking more slowly in the heat of battle. Harmon told Phil to watch how Woods putts out when he has the opportunity rather than wait around and let his opponent finish.
Harmon also told me beating Woods at the Deutsche Bank Championship Monday was huge for Mickelsons confidence. And, Harmon added, if Phil hadnt hurt his wrist in June you would have seen Tiger and Phil dueling like this all summer long.
MORE BUTCH:
We know that for every action there is a reaction. And Harmon is predicting Woods reaction to his Monday defeat at the hands of Mickelson will only spur Woods on to better things.
And that, Harmon says, doesnt bode well for everybody else.
Harmon also said he was very impressed with Tigers ball-striking at the Deutsche Bank Championship. In the end, Harmon said, it was Tigers putting that let him down last week.
FEDEXCUP Q&A:
Here are this weeks FedExCup possibilities, fresh from the PGA TOURs home office in Ponte Vedra Beach, Fla.:
Q: Could Phil Mickelson have clinched first place in the final FedExCup point standings if he had played near Chicago at this weeks BMW Championship?
A: Mickelson could have if all the other players in the top five, except Steve Stricker, finished third or worse at Cog Hill. Stricker could have finished fourth and had a remote chance. The point is now moot with Mickelson out of the field.
(My opinion: This might even turn out to be a blessing in disguise because the points standings are almost certain to be closer near the top for the TOUR Championship the final week of The Playoffs.
Q: What needs to happen for Tiger Woods to pass Mickelson in the FedExCup point standings?
A: Second place or better.
Q: How many of the 70 remaining players have a mathematical chance to win the FedExCup?
A: All of them. No. 70, Bo Van Pelt, will need to win at BMW and Atlanta and have a lot of surprising things happen.
Q: How many of the remaining 70 players are guaranteed a spot in Atlanta regardless of how they do at the BMW Championship?
A: The top 11 are currently a lock for Atlanta. However, its extremely unlikely more than two or three players from outside the top 30 will move in this week. So the top 27 are, de facto, virtually safe. The key to it is this: There are two big gaps between places right now'271 points between (No. 30) Jonathan Byrd and (No. 31) David Toms and 375 points between (No. 32) Stewart Cink and (No. 33) Tim Clark. So if youre 33rd or lower, you have to jump that 650 point gap, plus the 100 points everybody gets for showing up. Which means Clark needs a 19th place finish at BMW just to get to 30th and that assumes Byrd, Toms and Cink all have bad tournaments.
Q: Is it mathematically possible for there to be a tie in the points totals for first place at the end of the TOUR Championship and, if so, how would the winner be determined?
A: Yes, its possible for there to be a tie at the top after The TOUR Championship. But its incredibly unlikely, and because of that, we (The TOUR) havent made a provision for it. We may revisit that this week.
But, says PGA TOUR house FedExCup expert Steve Dennis, Im betting my job we dont need a tiebreaker at the top.
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