Chipping In: Mickelson on for his best season ever?

It felt like the 2014 season really got under way last week. A week that saw some silly scoring on the PGA Tour and Mickelson and McIlroy throw away a tournament in very diffrent ways...

By Nick Bonfield

Mickelson - best season ever?

Phil Mickelson announced in a press conference before the start of the Abu Dhabi HSBC Championship that 2014 could be the ‘best season of his career.’ Given what he’s achieved in the game many saw that as a bold statement, but that confidence seems to stem from the fact he’s found a driver he’s extremely comfortable with. The left-hander didn’t use a driver for a number of tournaments last season – including the Open Championship – and was still able to record a fifth major and two other tour victories. The only area he’s struggled with consistently in the past is driving, so if he’s found something to address that, he’ll be extremely dangerous in 2014. He’s already a long hitter, so the declaration that ‘I drive it longer and straighter than I do with my 3-wood’ is rather ominous. 

Larrazabal - Consistency the key

Pablo Larrazabal has always been considered as one of the most naturally talented players on the European Tour, and a quick glance at his record vindicates such a statement. His three victories on the circuit have come in three prestigious events: the Abu Dhabi Championship, the Alstom Open de France and the BMW International Open, where he defeated compatriot Sergio Garcia in a play-off. The gregarious Spaniard often struggles with consistency and control of emotion, and those facets could inhibit his progress, but he showed a great deal of maturity in Abu Dhabi. He’s now 30 years old, and he could have made a conscious decision over the off-season to take a more measured and pragmatic approach. If he stays calm on the course, reigns-in his schedule slightly and putts like he did at the Abu Dhabi Championship, he could make a late surge for a Ryder Cup place.

McIlroy unlucky, or should he know the rules?

Rory McIlroy suffered a two-stroke penalty during the third round in Abu Dhabi, which ultimately cost him victory. After he found Ground Under Repair on the second hole, he dropped his ball and played a shot with his foot touching the white line denoting the crossing. After his round, the Ulsterman said: “I’m going to go and hit the gym so hard. Golf has a lot of stupid rules and this is one of them.” McIlroy has attracted a lot of sympathy, and I can understand why, but you have to question his, and his caddy’s, knowledge of the rules. This isn’t the first time McIlroy has been penalised two strokes for a rules breach, and the penalty he incurred for moving sand in last year’s Abu Dhabi Championship should have been the catalyst for a thorough investigation of the game’s laws. At this level, you have to be diligent in all areas, and I’m surprised neither McIlroy or his caddy weren’t able to show some initiative, seek out a rules official and ensure the rules were properly adhered to. Ignorance isn’t an excuse, and concentration lapses of such a nature should have been ironed out after last year.

Patrick Reed - Man on fire

I’ve spoken at length about the likes of Jordan Spieth and Harris English in recent weeks, but Patrick Reed is another extremely talented young American in the same bracket, and another player in with a chance of making the 2014 Ryder Cup team. He compiled three successive 63s to reach 27-under-par after three rounds at the Humana Challenge and overcame some moderate final-round pressure to secure the title. Intriguingly, he’s one of only three current players – alongside English and McIlroy – to have multiple PGA Tour titles to his name before the age of 25. That, in my view, is the mark of a quality golfer.

Humana Challenge way too easy?

The issue of hard and easy golf courses is another divisive one, but I have to say I think the tracks used at the Humana Challenge are too easy. Yes, Patrick Reed played phenomenal golf over the first three rounds, but I think players at this level should be given a more stringent test. The vast majority enjoy watching players make birdies and eagles, and the criticism that constantly arises when the US Open takes place supports such a statement, but golf courses simply shouldn’t yield 62s and 63s every round. Players can get on a roll and shoot the lights out on most golf courses, but when it happens every day, questions must surely be asked. The layouts employed at the Humana are nothing more that resort courses, and you feel, with so many brilliant golf courses in the United States, choosing to come here reduces the prestige attached to winning the title. That’s certainly the way I feel.

Watch out for Coetzee

I’ve been keeping a close eye on George Coetzee for some time, and I’ve seen enough to suggest he’s a player who will go on to win several times after he breaks his European Tour duck. His best display on tour came at last season’s Qatar Masters - where he narrowly missed out on a play-off – and he’s now recorded three consecutive top 10s at the Abu Dhabi HSBC Championship. Coetzee looks fit, fresh and slimmer in 2014, and he’s extremely proficient in the desert, so he could be one to watch this week.

Wood – shot of 2013?

Henrik Stenson’s approach to the 72nd hole at the DP World Tour Championship – a shot symptomatic of his sensational season – and Justin Rose’s pressure-packed approach to the last hole at Merion were voted the two best shots on the European Tour in 2013, and with justification. But pressure is defined by personal experience and context, and Chris Wood faced the biggest moment of his career in Qatar last year. Knowing he needed an eagle to edge out the South African duo of Coetzee and Oosthuizen, he dispatched the purest 4-iron of his life and converted the subsequent.

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