Mickelson has new motivation

Phil Mickelson didn't have much time to bask in the spotlight afforded to the No. 2 ranked player in the world while Tiger Woods sorts out his personal life. Five weeks into the PGA Tour season, steady Steve Stricker grabbed that spotlight away with his victory last week in the Northern Trust Open in Los Angeles.

So is Mickelson ready to answer this challenge? That's a question that's out there as the Pebble Beach National Pro-Am begins today on the Monterey Peninsula. The good news for Phil fanatics is he's won the tournament three times. The bad news is he has never won it as early as in his third start of a season.

It would be fair to say Mickelson has stumbled out of the gate in 2010 after playing like the best player in the world at the tail end of 2009. His 19th place finish in his season debut in the Farmers Insurance Open in San Diego two weeks ago created more headlines about his use of the controversial Ping Eye 2 wedge than his play. Last week at Riviera Country Club he finished tied for 45th at 2 under par, not what was expected out of someone trying to score an unprecedented three-peat at Hogan's Alley. In his previous three appearances at Riviera, Mickelson had finished 2-1-1 at 16 under, 12 under and 15 under. So what seems to be the problem?

In a word: Rust. Last year Mickelson had played nine rounds in three events before he got to Riviera. This year he played four rounds one week before he arrived in L.A.

“I felt like I was ready heading into the season, maybe over-eager for it to start because of how well I was playing,” Mickelson said on his Web site. “I’m hitting a lot of good shots but I’m not managing my game well, the mental game is not as sharp as it should be. It’s different out on here on tour than playing at home. It’s disappointing, but I guess it’s always like this for me early in the year.”

Oldgolfdawg would suggest that Mickelson should have opened his season at the 90-hole Bob Hope Desert Classic just as sort of a warm-up. It would have made Mickelson sharper for his three-peat bid at Riviera, and it would have been a nice boost for a Hope event that could use some support from golf's bigger names. But hindsight is always 20/20 and Mickelson has his own way of preparing for a new season.

Unfortunately for him, he also has the new motivation of wanting to regain the No. 2 ranking in the world.