Mickelson trying to regain lost momentum

It's about time for Phil Mickelson to crank up the volume on his game at this week's WGC-CA Championship at the TPC Blue Monster at Doral in Miami. Being the defending champion should serve as extra motivation for the world's No. 3-ranked golfer, who currently stands 52nd in the FedEx Cup points race and whose play thus far this season has been lukewarm at best.

Golf writers were expecting big things of Mickelson after the way he finished play in 2009 with victories in the Tour Championship and HSBC Championship while outplaying Tiger Woods. There was even talk that Mickelson had finally closed the gap separating Woods from everyone else and that Mickelson would carry the sport while the game's No. 1-ranked player was taking an indefinite leave from competition to sort out personal problems.

That scenario has not materialized. In fact, in four tournaments this season, Mickelson has lost his No. 2 world ranking to Steve Stricker and played like a shadow of the version seen at the end of last season. His best finish to date is a tie for eighth at the Pebble Beach National Pro-Am. He finished tied for ninth in the Farmers Insurance Open, tied for 24th in the Phoenix Open and tied for 45th in the Northern Trust Open, where he was the two-time defending champion.

So now everyone is wondering what's the problem? Well, for one thing, the hot putter he displayed at the end of last season, thanks to some putting sessions with Dave Stockton, has cooled off. Mickelson currently ranks 87th on the PGA Tour in the putts-per-round category.

His swing, and in particular his driving accuracy, has been another problem area. He ranks 176th in driving accuracy percentage and ranks 73rd in greens in regulation. This would be a big problem for a player of less ability, but he's relied on his short game to rank 19th in scoring average at 69.85.

Mickelson ranked tied for 33rd in greens in regulation but led the field in birdies when he won at the Doral Golf Resort last year. It might take a similar formula for him to score a repeat at the TPC Blue Monster. He likes the track. It played -1.085 in relation to par a year ago. Of the 24 par-72s played on the PGA Tour in 2009, it was the eighth-easiest and figures to be the perfect venue for him to snap out of his slow start.

The wind is expected to be a factor through Friday at least. A fair chance of rain exists through the second round. Last year, winds ranged from 10-20 mph throughout the tournament, but 19 golfers finished double-digits under par. With greens anticipated to be receptive given the moisture, and TPC Blue Monster prone to giving up birdies in less-than-ideal conditions, the tournament could be a real shootout decided on the treacherous final hole.